Rejuvalife Vitality Institute
Beverly Hills CA

The Body-Jet is Here!

I talked recently about the newest procedure at Rejuvalife, and now that I’ve been performing the procedure for a few weeks, I’m even more excited that it’s available, and even more so that it’s here at Rejuvalife. Its safer, and more precise, with very little discomfort or downtime for the patient. It can be done in conjunction with other skin tightening treatments such as SmartLipo, though the skin is left in excellent condition post-procedure with Body-Jet alone! Also, we can use the extracted fat within minutes in a Fat Transfer treatment to restore volume to the face and/or hands, in desired.

I talk about the benefits and advantages of Body-Jet over other liposculpture methods in the video below, and there are some amazing before and after photos, too.

Thanks for reading, and if you have any questions, please leave a comment on the blog or give us a call – 800-REJUVMD.

Andre Berger, M.D.

Chewing Gum Can Assist Weight Loss

Chewing gum has benefits, after all!

Your mother or your teacher may have told you about the dire effects of chewing gum, “it’s bad for your teeth”, or “it’s an ugly habit”,  and it’s definitely no fun stepping on a piece someone’s dropped on the ground. Contrary to what they may have told you, however, recent research proves chewing gum can have real benefits for those on a weight management plan. According to a study conducted by a professor of nutrition at the University of Rhode Island, chewing gum can actually reduce caloric intake and increase energy expenditure. This is great news for those looking for an effective weight management tool.

Though it doesn’t count as “exercise“,  apparently the nerves involved in the act of chewing send signals to the area of the brain that determines whether you’re “full”.  Consequently you may not feel hungry, and your calorie consumption may go down as a result.

Kathleen Melanson, URI associate professor of nutrition and food sciences, compared gum chewing to non-gum chewing in healthy adult volunteers who came to her lab for two standardized tests in random order. When study subjects chewed gum for a total of one hour in the morning (three 20-minute gum-chewing sessions), they consumed 67 fewer calories at lunch and did not compensate by eating more later in the day. Male participants also reported feeling significantly less hungry after chewing gum. Melanson also found that when her subjects chewed gum before and after eating, they expended about 5 percent more energy than when they did not chew gum. In addition, her subjects reported feeling more energetic after chewing gum.

“This was a short term study, so the next step is to do a longer study and to use subjects who need to lose weight,” said Melanson. “But based on these initial results, one could hypothesize that gum chewing may be a useful adjunct to a weight management program.” (full story)

Chewing sugary gum won’t make your dentist very happy, however. 

The best alternative would be to find a sugarless gum sweetened with Xylitol, a natural sweetener that does double duty improving the health of your teeth. (Xylitol causes an increase in salivation. The saliva in your mouth is like a car wash: It washes the plaque and food off your teeth. But saliva also has antibodies, and by increasing those, you get a healthier mouth.)

Thanks for reading,

Andre Berger, M.D.

p.s. If you’re interested in what Rejuvalife has to offer for those looking for a medically managed weight loss program, view the video, below.

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Obesity Shrinks Your Brain & Shortens Your Life

Insulin Resistance Improved with Exercise

Weight Loss Improves Mood in Depressed Individuals

FDA Cracking Down on Misleading Nutrition Labels

Economy Affecting Waistlines Along with Wallets

Unhealthy food choices are more common because of the recession.

Everyone is feeling the effects of the economic recession. For many, value trumps health-conscious when it comes to food choices.  It’s sad, but true, that processed, frozen or “fast food” is less expensive than the healthier alternatives.  Whether you’re feeding yourself or an entire family, those frozen tv-dinners or the “value menu” at the burger joint can be pretty attractive, financially.

One of the consequences of this unfortunate situation, however, is that Americans are just getting fatter, and our risk for obesity related illnesses such as diabetes is rising.

From the Wall Street Journal:

“Approximately 20% of all meals prepared in our homes from 1990 to 2007 involved the use of a microwave,” says Mr. Balzer. But in 2008, microwave usage rose to 30%. NPD Group, which has been following the microwaving habits of American consumers for nearly two decades, attributes that gain to the troubled economy.

Not surprising, then, are the rising rates of obesity and diabetes. The obesity rate climbed more than one percentage point to 26.4% in September from a year earlier, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, a measure of U.S. health compiled by the Gallup research firm and wellness-program provider Healthways. (Full story)

In spite of the current economic situation, there are healthy choices you can make. Again from the WSJ.

Think ahead. Planning out your meals and snacks in advance forces you to think more about the types of foods you are eating.

Make a shopping list. Studies show that people who make shopping lists — and stick to them — are less likely to make impulsive purchases of things like candy, chips or a box of donuts.

Buy in bulk. Buying 32 ounces of yogurt can cost less than buying four eight-ounce containers. In some cases, the savings of buying in bulk versus the premium-preportioned packages can run upward of 50%, according to grocery-store price surveys.

Make it yourself. You can find a multitude of 10-minute recipes online that use healthy and affordable ingredients. And you can be both time- and budget-conscious by making a few larger meals early in the week and freezing smaller portions for later use.

Pack a lunch. Take leftovers for lunch and bring your own snacks to work. This will save you money and keep you from binging on vending-machine fare when hunger strikes.

Cut down on sugary drinks. Water is cheaper — and better for you. If you still crave some flavor, squeeze the juice of a lime or lemon into the water.

There is always an “easier way” when it comes to selecting nutritious food. The “grab-and-go” meal at the drive through, the bag of potato chips to “tide you over”,  these are reasonable choices if immediate value is the main concern.

However beneficial these savings are in the short-term, though, there are long-term physical and economic implications. As a nation we’re becoming less and less healthy, and the long-term financial impact will be felt individually and as a society long past the end of this recession. Something to think about…

Thanks for reading,

Andre Berger, M.D.

Related posts:

Keeping Your Soup Clean: Questions and Answers About Diagnostic Testing

Obesity Shrinks Your Brain & Shortens Your Life

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Weight Loss Improves Mood in Depressed Individuals

FDA Cracking Down on Misleading Nutrition Labels

Bad News for Your Sweet Tooth and Waist-Line

Artificial Sweeteners are no friend to dieters.

Contrary to popular belief, replacing sugary snacks with those sweetened artificially do not help with weight loss. According to a recent study, artificial sweeteners are not helpful for losing weight because your body cannot really tell the difference.

The  researcher identified specific cells which detect sugar, releasing hormones essential for its passage through the lining of the stomach and into the blood, where it is either burned off or is converted into fat.

When confronted by artificial sweeteners these cells release the same hormones, and consequently the body prepares to absorb real sugar.  If you’re dieting, you may not lose any weight, and very well may gain additional pounds over time.

From the U.K. Daily Mail:

Professor Soraya Shirazi-Beechey, from the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Liverpool, found that a sweet taste receptor, present in the taste cells of the gut, allows humans and animals to detect glucose within the intestine.

Artificial sweeteners behave in a similar way to sugar however, and activate the sensors in the gut key to glucose absorption.

The receptor also detects artificial sweeteners in foods and drinks, resulting in increased intestinal intake of
dietary sugars. This could explain why artificial sweeteners are unsuccessful at helping people lose weight, and
sometimes result in weight gain.

Professor Shirazi-Beechey said: “If someone wants to lose weight, I don’t think artificial sweeteners are going to
help.  “My recommendation is to eat natural foods, but to eat less of them.”

Prof Shirazi-Beechey said: “Artificial sweeteners can also activate the glucose sensor and increase the capacity of  the intestine to absorb more sugar.  “You drink diet cola to stay slim but the reverse is true, because the artificial sweeteners can activate the sensor, so you are taking more glucose from your diet.”

Prof Shirazi-Beechey’s research can be seen at an exhibition at the Food Museum in Switzerland. The exhibition,
called Research Food – a Dialogue, looks at food history, science and technologies.

I recommend eliminating artificial sweeteners (and other highly processed products and foods) from your diet entirely, and if you must indulge in something sweet, try Stevia,  Xylitol or Lo Han. They are better natural solutions all the way around, in more ways than one!

Thanks for reading – see you after the Holiday weekend!

Andre Berger, M.D.

Obesity Shrinks Your Brain & Shortens Your Life

Health professionals have known for decades about the severe health problems caused by obesity, and the cost of obesity to society and industry is a big part of the current health care debate.  Two recent studies shows, however, that the price of obesity to the patient is even higher than previously thought. In addition to increased risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and some cancers, the studies show that the negative effects of obesity include degeneration of the brain, and a shortened lifespan, as well.

In the first study, researchers concluded that the brains of obese people age more quickly than normal-weight people, as much as 16 years faster, researchers say, representing “severe brain degeneration”. Even moderately overweight people had “older” brains than their lean counterparts.(link)

A new study finds obese people have 8 percent less brain tissue than normal-weight individuals. Their brains look 16 years older than the brains of lean individuals, researchers said today.

Those classified as overweight have 4 percent less brain tissue and their brains appear to have aged prematurely by 8 years.

The results, based on brain scans of 94 people in their 70s, represent “severe brain degeneration,” said Paul Thompson, senior author of the study and a UCLA professor of neurology.

“That’s a big loss of tissue and it depletes your cognitive reserves, putting you at much greater risk of Alzheimer’s and other diseases that attack the brain,” said Thompson. “But you can greatly reduce your risk for Alzheimer’s, if you can eat healthily and keep your weight under control.”

“The brains of obese people looked 16 years older than the brains of those who were lean, and in overweight people looked 8 years older,” Thompson said.

(Full article from LiveScience)

The second study showed that the extremely obese will have shorter lives, and for obese smokers, this decrease is even more significant.

Extremely obese people — those who are 80 or more pounds over a normal weight — live three to 12 fewer years than their normal-weight peers, a new study shows.

Just being overweight or moderately obese, however, has little or no effect on life span, the research found. The finding adds to the growing body of evidence that being slightly overweight may have no influence on life expectancy, but being severely overweight trims years off people’s lives.

Economists with RTI International, a non-profit research organization in Research Triangle Park, N.C., analyzed national data on 366,000 people. Among the findings being published online in the journal Obesity:

•Overall, excess weight was responsible for the loss of roughly 95 million years of life in the USA in 2008.

•Non-smokers who are obese — those who are about 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight — have a shorter life span by a year or less.

•Non-smokers who are overweight — about 29 pounds over a healthy weight — do not have shortened lives.

•Smoking takes a toll, too, and very heavy smokers are affected most. An 18-year-old white male who is normal weight and does not smoke can expect to live to age 81. If he’s extremely obese and a smoker, his life expectancy is 60, a difference of 21 years.

The effect of extreme obesity appears to be greater for men than women and for whites than blacks, says Derek Brown, a health economist with RTI International and co-author of the study.
( Full article from USA Today)

Obesity is an epidemic. I cannot stress enough how important addressing this is to individual health and quality of life, as well as the good of society at large.

Overall, about 66% of adults in the USA are either overweight or obese. About one-third of people are in the obese category, meaning they have a body mass index of 30 or greater.

Body mass index, or BMI, is a measure based on height and weight. About 6% of people are extremely obese — that is, they have a BMI of 40 or greater.

There is no time like the present to adopt a healthier lifestyle, and if you or a loved one is obese, a visit to your doctor for a discussion on starting a medically managed weight management program should be a top priority.

Thanks for reading,

Andre Berger, M.D.