Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a chronic progressive liver disease that is strongly associated with obesity. Currently, there is no approved therapy for NASH. Weight reduction is typically ...recommended, but efficacy data are lacking. We performed a randomized controlled trial to examine the effects of lifestyle intervention using a combination of diet, exercise, and behavior modification, with a goal of 7% to 10% weight reduction, on clinical parameters of NASH. The primary outcome measure was the change in NASH histological activity score (NAS) after 48 weeks of intervention. Thirty‐one overweight or obese individuals (body mass index BMI, 25–40 kg/m2) with biopsy‐proven NASH were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive intensive lifestyle intervention (LS) or structured education (control). After 48 weeks of intervention, participants assigned to LS lost an average of 9.3% of their weight versus 0.2% in the control group (P = 0.003). A higher proportion of participants in the LS group had a reduction of NAS of at least 3 points or had posttreatment NAS of 2 or less as compared with the control group (72% versus 30%, P = 0.03). NAS improved significantly in the LS group (from 4.4 to 2.0) in comparison with the control group (from 4.9 to 3.5) (P = 0.05). Percent weight reduction correlated significantly with improvement in NAS (r = 0.497, P = 0.007). Participants who achieved the study weight loss goal (≥7%), compared with those who lost less than 7%, had significant improvements in steatosis (−1.36 versus −0.41, P < 0.001), lobular inflammation (−0.82 versus −0.24, P = 0.03), ballooning injury (−1.27 versus −0.53, P = 0.03) and NAS (−3.45 versus −1.18, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Weight reduction achieved through lifestyle intervention leads to improvements in liver histology in NASH. (HEPATOLOGY 2009.)
To investigate whether fast food consumption and breakfast skipping are associated with weight gain during the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
A prospective study of 9919 adolescents ...participating in Waves II (age range 11–21 years) and III (age range 18–27 years) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. BMI z scores (zBMI) were computed using the 2000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth charts. Multivariate regression models assessed the relationship between Wave II fast food and breakfast consumption and change in fast food and breakfast consumption between Waves II and III and weight gain during the transition to adulthood.
Marked increases in fast food consumption and decreases in breakfast consumption occurred over the 5-year interval. Greater days of fast food consumption at Wave II predicted increased zBMI at Wave III. Fewer days of breakfast consumption at Wave II and decreases in breakfast consumption between Waves II and III predicted increased zBMI at Wave III.
Fast food consumption and breakfast skipping increased during the transition to adulthood, and both dietary behaviors are associated with increased weight gain from adolescence to adulthood. These behaviors may be appropriate targets for intervention during this important transition.
Objective
To determine whether an acceptance‐based behavioral intervention (ABBI) produces better weight losses than standard behavioral treatment (SBT) among individuals reporting high internal ...disinhibition.
Methods
Participants were 162 adults with overweight or obesity (mean BMI 37.6 kg/m2) randomly assigned to ABBI or SBT. Both interventions provided the same calorie intake target, exercise goal, and self‐monitoring skills training. SBT incorporated current best practice interventions for addressing problematic thoughts and emotions. ABBI utilized acceptance‐based techniques based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. ABBI and SBT were compared on weight change and internal disinhibition change over 24 months.
Results
Mixed models analysis showed mean weight loss at 24 months was −4.1% (SE = 0.88) for ABBI and −2.4% (SE = 0.87) for SBT (P = 0.204). Secondary analyses showed that the ABBI group regained less weight from the end of treatment to the final follow‐up (4.6 vs. 7.1 kg; P = 0.005), and that a significantly higher proportion of ABBI participants achieved a 5% weight loss (38% vs. 25%; P = 0.038) at 24 months.
Conclusions
Results suggest that ABBI could be helpful for improving the maintenance of weight loss for individuals who report high internal disinhibition.
Abstract On average, participants in behavioral weight-loss interventions lose 8 kilograms (kg) at 6 months, but there is marked variability in outcomes with some participants losing little or no ...weight. Individuals with difficulties with internal disinhibition (i.e., eating in response to emotions or thoughts) typically lose less weight in such programs and may require an innovative, specialized approach. This pilot study examined the preliminary acceptability and efficacy of a 24-week acceptance-based behavioral intervention for weight loss among overweight and obese adults reporting difficulty with eating in response to emotions and thoughts. Participants were 21 overweight or obese men and women (mean age = 52.2 ± 7.6 years; baseline mean body mass index = 32.8 ± 3.4). Eighty-six percent completed the 6-month program and a 3-month follow-up assessment. Ratings of program satisfaction averaged 4.9 on a five-point scale. Multilevel modeling analyses indicated participants lost an average of 12.0 kg ( SE = 1.4) after 6 months of treatment and 12.1 kg ( SE = 1.9) at 3-month follow-up, thus exceeding the weight losses typically seen in behavioral treatment programs. Decreases in internal disinhibition and weight-related experiential avoidance were found at 6- and 3-months follow-up. Greater decreases in weight-related experiential avoidance were associated with greater weight loss at the end of the program ( r = .64, p = .002), suggesting a potential mechanism of action. Although there have been a few preliminary studies using acceptance-based approaches for obesity, this is the first study to specifically target emotional overeaters, a subgroup that might be particularly responsive to this new approach. Our findings provide initial support for the feasibility, efficacy, and acceptability of this approach for this subgroup of participants. Further study with longer follow-up, a more diverse sample, and comparison to a standard behavioral program is clearly warranted.
Objective: The disinhibition scale of the Eating Inventory predicts weight loss outcome; however, it may include multiple factors. The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure of the ...disinhibition scale and determine how its factors independently relate to long‐term weight loss outcomes.
Research Methods and Procedures: Exploratory factor analysis of the disinhibition scale was conducted on 286 participants in a behavioral weight loss trial (TRIM), and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on 3345 members of the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR), a registry of successful weight loss maintainers. Multivariate regressions were used to examine the relationships between the disinhibition scale factors and weight over time in both samples.
Results: Using baseline data from TRIM, two factors were extracted from the disinhibition scale: 1) an “internal” factor that described eating in response to internal cues, such as feelings and thoughts; and 2) an “external” factor that described eating in response to external cues, such as social events. This factor structure was confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis in the NWCR. In TRIM, internal disinhibition significantly predicted weight loss at 6 months (p = 0.03) and marginally significantly predicted weight loss at 18 months (p = 0.06), with higher levels of internal disinhibition at baseline predicting less weight loss; external disinhibition did not predict weight loss at any time‐point. In NWCR, internal disinhibition significantly predicted one‐year weight change (p = 0.001), while external disinhibition did not.
Discussion: These results suggest that it is the disinhibition of eating in response to internal cues that is associated with poorer long‐term weight loss outcomes.
Household food availability is consistently linked to dietary intake; yet behavioral weight control treatment includes only minimal instruction on how to change the home environment to support ...dietary goals. This pilot study examined whether it is feasible to change the household food environments of behavioral weight loss participants through the use of a commercially available grocery home delivery service.
Overweight participants (N = 28; BMI = 31.7 +/- 3.6 kg/m2; 89.3% women, 47.9 +/- 9.5 years) were randomly assigned to 8-weeks of standard behavioral weight loss (SBT) or to SBT plus home food delivery (SBT+Home). SBT+Home participants were instructed to do their household grocery shopping via an online service affiliated with a regional supermarket chain and were reimbursed for delivery charges.
Compared to SBT, SBT+Home produced significantly greater reductions in the total number of foods in the home (p = .01) and number of foods that were high in fat (p = .002). While the groups did not differ in 8-week weight losses, within SBT+Home there was a trend for the number of home deliveries to be associated with weight loss (p = .08). Participants reported that the home delivery service was easy to use and that it helped decrease impulse purchases and lead to healthier choices; however, few planned to continue using the service after the study.
Encouraging weight loss participants to use a commercially available online grocery ordering and home delivery service reduces the overall number of food items in the home and decreases access to high-fat food choices. More research is needed to determine whether this is a viable strategy to strengthen stimulus control and improve weight loss outcomes.
Sociotropic cognition is a mindset characterized by a strong need for social approval and fear of interpersonal rejection. Sociotropic cognition has been associated with depression and health risk ...behavior in women, but few studies have specifically addressed eating disordered attitudes and behaviors, and studies including men are lacking. The purpose of the present study was to assess the influence of sociotropic cognition on eating-related attitudes and behaviors in men and women. Participants were N=362 undergraduate students (51% female; mean age=19.2±1.43) who completed measures of sociotropic cognition, depressed mood, eating disordered attitudes and behaviors, body shape satisfaction, and physical activity. Using hierarchical regression, the results demonstrated that sociotropic cognition was associated with greater dietary restraint, body shape, eating, and weight concerns, emotional eating, and global eating disordered score. Body shape dissatisfaction and emotional eating were found to mediate the relationship between sociotropic cognition and eating disordered behaviors. Sociotropic cognition appears to be an important predictor of body shape dissatisfaction and eating disordered behaviors in a non-clinical sample. Individuals high in sociotropic cognition may engage in eating disordered behavior in response to fears of social evaluation. These findings have implications for prevention and treatment of eating disorders. Cognitive-behavioral intervention strategies are suggested to reduce sociotropic cognition and its influence on eating disordered behavior.
► Sociotropic cognition is a mindset characterized by a strong need for social approval. ► Sociotropic cognition predicted greater dietary restraint and emotional eating. ► Sociotropic cognition predicted more concerns about body shape, eating, and weight. ► Depressed mood less relevant to eating disorder attitudes and behaviors ► Demonstrates that sociotropic cognition is relevant for males and eating disorders
Obesity is public health problem associated with significant health risks and healthcare costs. Behavioral weight control programs produce clinically meaningful weight losses, however outcomes have ...high variability and maintenance continues to be a problem. The current study is an NIH-funded randomized clinical trial testing a novel approach, Acceptance-Based Behavioral Intervention (ABBI), that combines techniques from standard behavioral treatment (SBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). We test this approach among individuals reporting high internal disinhibition who typically respond poorly to standard interventions and appear to benefit from ACT components.
The ABBI study targets recruitment of 160 overweight or obese adults (BMI of 25-50) who report that they overeat in response to negative emotional states. These individuals are randomly assigned to either (1) ABBI or (2) SBT. Both interventions involve weekly meetings for 22 sessions, bi-weekly for 6 sessions, and then monthly for 3 sessions and both receive the same calorie intake target (1200-1800, depending on starting weight), exercise goal (work up to 250 min per week), and self-monitoring skills training. SBT incorporates current best practice interventions for addressing problematic thoughts and emotions, sometimes called "change" or "control" strategies. ABBI uses acceptance-based techniques based on ACT. Full assessments occur at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months. Weight loss from baseline to 18 months is the primary outcome.
The ABBI study is unique in its focus on integrating acceptance-based techniques into a SBT intervention and targeting a group of individuals with problems with emotional overeating who might experience particular benefit from this novel approach.
ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01461421 (registered October 25, 2011).
Limiting meal variety decreases hedonic ratings of eaten foods more so than non-eaten foods, demonstrating sensory-specific satiety. Exposure to a food over time decreases the food's hedonic ratings, ...indicating monotony. The effect of limiting food group variety over time on long-term sensory-specific satiety and monotony is unknown. Thirty overweight adults were randomized to one of two 8-week behavioral weight loss interventions. One condition limited snack food intake to one chosen snack food (reduced variety), while the other limited snack food intake to <
1 serving/day (control), with no variety limit. In the reduced variety condition, hedonic ratings of the chosen snack food showed a decrease (
p
<
.05) over time and decreased more (
p
<
.05) than hedonic ratings of other snack foods. Weight loss (−
7.4
±
5.8 lb) occurred in both conditions. Limiting food group variety over 8 weeks produced long-term sensory-specific satiety and monotony. Future research should examine if limiting food group variety over an extended time affects intake and could be used as a technique in weight loss interventions.
CONTEXT Binge eating (BE) is common in overweight and obese individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus, but little is known about how BE affects weight loss in this population. OBJECTIVE To determine ...whether BE was related to 1-year weight losses in overweight and obese individuals with type 2 diabetes participating in an ongoing clinical trial. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS The Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) trial is a randomized controlled trial examining the long-term effect of intentional weight loss on cardiovascular disease in overweight and obese adults with type 2 diabetes. A total of 5145 overweight and obese individuals aged 45 to 76 years with type 2 diabetes participated in this study. INTERVENTIONS Participants were randomly assigned to an intensive lifestyle intervention or to enhanced usual care (a diabetes support and education control condition). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES At baseline and 1 year, participants had their weight measured and completed a fitness test and self-report measures of BE and dietary intake. Four groups were created based on BE status at baseline and 1 year (yes/yes, no/no, yes/no, and no/yes). Analyses controlled for baseline differences between binge eaters and non–binge eaters. RESULTS Most individuals (85.4%) did not report BE at baseline or 1 year (no/no), 7.5% reported BE only at baseline (yes/no), 3.7% reported BE at both times (yes/yes), and 3.4% reported BE only at 1 year (no/yes), with no differences between intensive lifestyle intervention and diabetes support and education conditions (P = .14). Across intensive lifestyle intervention and diabetes support and education, greater weight losses were observed in participants who stopped BE at 1 year (mean SE weight loss, 5.3 0.4 kg) and those who reported no BE at either time (mean SE weight loss, 4.8 0.1 kg) than in those who continued BE (mean SE weight loss, 3.1 0.6 kg) and those who began BE at 1 year (mean SE weight loss, 3.0 0.6 kg) (P < .001). Post hoc analyses suggested that these differences were due to changes in caloric intake. CONCLUSION Overweight and obese individuals with type 2 diabetes who stop BE appear to be just as successful at weight loss as non–binge eaters after 1 year of treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00017953Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008;65(12):1447-1455-->
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