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Vitamins May Slow Weight Gain in Middle Age
Sept. 9, 2004 - Aging Americans gain the least
weight during middle age if they consume multivitamins, Vitamin B-6,
Vitamin B-12 and chromium and are categorized as either overweight or
obese at age 45, according to a new study.
Like many milestones, reaching age 55 has its
benefits. For example, weight-loss research shows that American women
gain an average of 16 pounds of body weight from age 25 to age 54. Only
at about age 55 does their weight decline. Men gain an average of 10
pounds of body weight from age 25-45. They too begin to lose weight at
about age 55.
Is there anything that can be done to change the
slow march of weight gain that precedes middle age? Several researchers
involved in a study examining the effectiveness of supplements suggest
that the ingestion of four common supplements could.
An analysis of the survey results revealed the
following:
> Respondents who consumed multivitamins, Vitamin
B-6, Vitamin B-12, and chromium had less weight gain than their
counterparts.
> However, the positive effect of less weight gain was found to be
most prevalent among those individuals who had been categorized as
overweight or obese.
> Gender had minimal impact on the survey results.
> Racial differences were not considered due to the overwhelming
Caucasian demographic of the master survey respondents.
The researchers concluded that individuals who
gained the least weight were those who had consumed multivitamins,
Vitamin B-6, Vitamin B-12 and chromium and were categorized as either
overweight or obese at age 45.
The researchers suggest that chromium, found to
help regulate blood sugar for diabetics, led to less food consumption by
the study sample. They also hypothesize that individuals lacking
micronutrients such as B vitamins might eat in excess; thus correcting
B-6 and B-12 vitamin deficiencies could lead to lower caloric intake.
The next step in the effort to determine the impact on supplements on
weight gain is a clinical trial for a specified age and weight group.
This conclusion is reached in a study, Association
of Ten-Year Weight Change with Use of Supplements Marketed for Weight
Management, conducted by M.C. Nachtigal, ND, Emily White, PhD, and Ruth
Patterson PhD, all of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in
Seattle. Dr. Nachtigal will discuss the study at the American
Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) 19th Annual Convention &
Exposition, being held September 8-11, 2004, at the Washington State
Convention & Trade Center, Seattle, WA.
Methodology
The findings from this research originated with the VITamins And
Lifestyle [VITAL] study. Using names from a commercial mailing list,
330,000 men and women in 13 counties of western Washington State, age
50-76, were contacted by mail between October 2000 and September 2002,
with the goal of recruiting 75,000 people to join a cohort study of
supplement use and future cancer risk.
Respondents completed a questionnaire covering
detailed information on vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplement use over
the previous 10 years and information on other cancer risk factors
including diet, physical activity, medical history, and demographic
characteristics. The National Cancer Institute, a component of the
National Institutes of Health, sponsored this survey.
The researchers reviewed the responses of
approximately 15,000 respondents with an average age of 55, specifically
looking at weight change, energy consumption, and the use of supplements
cited in the survey responses. Fourteen supplements were selected for
review by the researchers, as all promised the user weight loss and
increased energy, through either over-the-counter or Internet
advertising. The 14 supplements the research team reviewed included
multivitamins, fiber pills, soy, gingko, St. Johns Wort, Vitamin B-6,
Vitamin B-12, chromium, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Respondents were assigned one of three body weight
categories at age 45: normal, overweight or obese. Using the survey
data, the researchers then correlated body weight changes from age 45 to
55 with the consumption of any of 14 supplements respondents had
indicated they had been taking during the same 10 year time period.
About Naturopathic Medicine
Naturopathic medicine is based upon a holistic philosophy, an approach
to medical care that emphasizes the study of all aspects of a person's
health, with an emphasis on finding the underlying cause of the
patients condition rather than focusing solely on symptomatic
treatment. This delivery of healthcare encompasses safe and effective
traditional therapies with the most current advances in modern medicine.
Naturopathic medicine is appropriate for the management of a broad range
of health conditions affecting people of all ages.
Headquartered in Washington, DC, the American
Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) was founded in 1985 to
provide alternative methods for healing human diseases and disorders
than have been traditionally offered in the United States. Members must
have graduated from one of the countrys six graduate schools of
naturopathic medicine and
served a clinical residency.
For more information about naturopathic medicine,
go to
http://www.naturopathic.org.
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