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Purpose of Review: The purpose of this paper is to review the epidemiology of obesity and the most recent literature on popular fad diets and exercise regimens that are used for weight loss. The weight loss plans that will be discussed in this article include juicing or detoxification diets, intermittent fasting, the paleo diet, and high intensity training., Recent Findings: Despite the growing popularity of fad diets and exercise plans for weight loss, there are limited studies that actually suggest these particular regimens are beneficial and lead to long-term weight loss. Juicing or detoxification diets tend to work because they lead to extremely low caloric intake for short periods of time, however tend to lead to weight gain once a normal diet is resumed. Both intermittent fasting and the paleo diet lead to weight loss because of overall decreased caloric intake as well. Lastly, studies on short bursts of high intensity training have shown remarkable weight loss and improvements in cardiovascular health. Review of the literature does suggest that some fad diets and exercise plans do lead to weight loss; however, the studies are quite limited and are all based on the concept of caloric restriction.

The review article represents an analysis of sources dealing with the issues of dietary therapy of obesity. The internet resources were used such as PubMed, MedLine, The Cochrane Databases, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Web of Science, and Scopus. Obesity has reached pandemic proportions worldwide, with more than 1 billion adults overweight (at least 300 million of them are clinically obese) and is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic disease and disability. This is a complex multifactorial disease, in which the accumulated excess fat in the body leads to negative impact on health. The main cause of obesity is a long-term energy imbalance between consumed and expended calories. Lifestyle modification remains the cornerstone of obesity treatment. An individually selected diet is recommended, which allows you to achieve a state of negative energy balance and is focused on quality food for health promotion. Most often, recommended diets for the treatment of obesity use the following energy restrictions based on changes in the composition of macronutrients: a low-fat diet, a low-carbohydrate and high-fat diet, a low-carbohydrate and high-protein diet, a paleo diet (with a high protein content). Intermittent fasting is considered an alternative to calorie-restricted diets. After an initial period on a high-protein diet, a Mediterranean diet may be an attractive option for continued treatment of obesity, provided that it is given in an energy-restricted form. This diet has been shown to be associated with lower levels of inflammatory biomarkers and metabolic markers of cardiovascular disease risk. The results of many studies indicate successful weight loss with the help of the Mediterranean diet, not only in the short term, but also in the long term. For the majority of obese patients, a purposeful change in lifestyle with adherence to the principles of dietary nutrition and regular physical activity allows for effective weight loss, adequate control of metabolic disorders, reduced risk of concomitant diseases, and long-term maintenance of body weight achieved in the process of losing weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of overlapping conditions resulting in an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. In the last few decades, prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in the Western world has reached epidemic proportions and this is likely due to alterations in diet and the environment as well as decreased physical activity. This review discusses how the Western diet and lifestyle (Westernization) has played an important etiological role in the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome and its consequences by exerting negative effects on activity of the insulin–insulin-like growth factor-I (insulin–IGF-I) system. It is further proposed that interventions that normalize/reduce activity of the insulin–IGF-I system may play a key role in the prevention and treatment of the metabolic syndrome. For successful prevention, limitation, and treatment of the metabolic syndrome, the focus should be primarily on changing our diets and lifestyle in accordance with our genetic make-up, formed in adaptation to Paleolithic diets and lifestyles during a period of several million years of human evolution. Translating this insight into clinical practice, however, requires not only individual changes in our food and lifestyle, starting in pediatric populations at a very young age, but also requires fundamental changes in our current health systems and food industry. Change is needed: primary prevention of the metabolic syndrome should be made a political priority. New strategies and policies should be developed to stimulate and implement behaviors encouraging the sustainable use of healthy diets and lifestyles to prevent the metabolic syndrome before it develops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Ketoacidosis is a metabolic condition caused by the buildup of ketone bodies. The most common causes are diabetes, alcoholism, and starvation. This is a case of a lactating mother on a ketogenic diet who developed a communityacquired pneumonia and then went into life-threatening ketoacidosis. Case Presentation: A 32-year-old, lactating, 8-week-postpartum woman presented to the hospital complaining of nausea, vomiting, rhinorrhea, and cough. She had no history of diabetes or of alcohol or drug use but reported following a ketogenic diet and was found to have a pneumonia. The pneumonia was treated with antibiotics, and the acidosis resolved with a dextrose solution. Conclusion: We report the case of a mother who, while lactating and losing weight on a ketogenic diet, developed a pneumonia and then went into ketoacidosis. Physicians should be aware that patients on the ketogenic diet are at risk for lifethreatening acidosis, especially if they develop a second and/or third stressor or energy requirement on top of the lowcarbohydrate diet. This case and those reviewed in the literature indicate that ketogenic diets may not be safe during lactation and could be associated with increased morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Intermittent fasting (IF) and Paleolithic (Paleo) diets produce weight loss in controlled trials, but minimal evidence exists regarding long-term efficacy under free-living conditions without intense dietetic support. Objectives This exploratory, observational analysis examined adherence, dietary intake, weight loss, and metabolic outcomes in overweight adults who could choose to follow Mediterranean, IF, or Paleo diets, and standard exercise or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) programs, as part of a 12-mo randomized controlled trial investigating how different monitoring strategies influenced weight loss (control, daily self-weighing, hunger training, diet/exercise app, brief support). Methods A total of 250 overweight [BMI (in kg/m2) ≥27] healthy adults attended an individualized dietary education session (30 min) relevant to their self-selected diet. Dietary intake (3-d weighed diet records), weight, body composition, blood pressure, physical activity (0, 6, and 12 mo), and blood indexes (0 and 12 mo) were assessed. Mean (95% CI) changes from baseline were estimated using regression models. No correction was made for multiple tests. Results Although 54.4% chose IF, 27.2% Mediterranean, and 18.4% Paleo diets originally, only 54% (IF), 57% (Mediterranean), and 35% (Paleo) participants were still following their chosen diet at 12 mo (self-reported). At 12 mo, weight loss was −4.0 kg (95% CI: −5.1, −2.8 kg) in IF, −2.8 kg (−4.4, −1.2 kg) in Mediterranean, and −1.8 kg (−4.0, 0.5 kg) in Paleo participants. Sensitivity analyses showed that, due to substantial dropout, these may be overestimated by ≤1.2 kg, whereas diet adherence increased mean weight loss by 1.1, 1.8, and 0.3 kg, respectively. Reduced systolic blood pressure was observed with IF (−4.9 mm Hg;  −7.2, −2.6 mm Hg) and Mediterranean (−5.9 mm Hg; −9.0, −2.7 mm Hg) diets, and reduced glycated hemoglobin with the Mediterranean diet (−0.8 mmol/mol; −1.2, −0.4 mmol/mol). However, the between-group differences in most outcomes were not significant and these comparisons may be confounded due to the nonrandomized design. Conclusions Small differences in metabolic outcomes were apparent in participants following self-selected diets without intensive ongoing dietary support, even though dietary adherence declined rapidly. However, results should be interpreted with caution given the exploratory nature of analyses. This trial was registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry as ACTRN12615000010594 at https://www.anzctr.org.au. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diets have been at the center of animated debates for decades and many claims have been made in one direction or the other by supporters of opposite camps, often with limited evidence. At times emphasis has been put on a single new aspect that the previous diets had overlooked and the new one was to embrace in order to improve weight loss and well-being. Unfortunately, very few randomized clinical trials involving diets have addressed the combined question of weight loss and cardiovascular outcomes. The recently introduced ketogenic diet requires a rigorous limitation of carbohydrates while allowing a liberal ingestion of fats (including saturated fats) and has generated a flurry of interest with many taking the pro position and as many taking the cons position. The ketogenic diet causes a rapid and sensible weight loss along with favourable biomarker changes, such as a reduction in serum hemoglobin A1c in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2. However, it also causes a substantial rise in low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and many physicians are therefore hesitant to endorse it. In view of the popular uptake of the keto diet even among subjects not in need of weight loss, there is some preoccupation with the potential long-term consequences of a wide embrace of this diet by large segments of the population. On the contrary, numerous lines of evidence show that plant-based diets are associated with reduction in oncological and cardiovascular diseases and a prolonged life span. The debate reproduced in this article took place during a continuous medical education program between two cardiologists with largely differing views on the matter of effectiveness, sustainability, and safety of the ketogenic diet compared to alternative options. • Most diets are supported by little rigorous scientific evidence. • The ketogenic diet requires a firm restriction of carbohydrates and allows liberal ingestion of fats. • The ketogenic diet induces a rapid weight loss and reduction in hemoglobin A1c, but raises LDL cholesterol. • Other diets are as effective, more sustainable and safer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a complex link between obesity and obstructive sleep apneea (OSA), and there are new guidelines for comprehensive lifestyle interventions (CLI) for weight loss, with beneficial results on obese patients with OSA. A structured algorithm is proposed, step by step, according to BMI. All these recommendations are evidence based, a large meta-analysis is further discussed as an evidence base. Implications in clinical practice outline: the effectiveness of lifestyle changes in reducing OSA outcomes, higher efficiency for complex interventions on male patients with severe OSA, duration of the intervention and combination with CPAP usage are not statistically correlated with lifestyle interventions effects on OSA. Different types of food affect sleep quality, high fat diets and processed meat are correlated with OSA. Higher adherence to Mediterranean Diets, that is very common used in CLI is a predictor for OSA outcomes improvement. Metabolic bariatric surgery MBS, indicated for a specific group of patients will ameliorate OSA. Building a long term partnership with the patients with OSA and obesity will ensure adherence to therapeutically measures and finally good results in improving quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Objective: Previous research has identified several psychological factors associated with dietary restriction but has focused almost exclusively on the subcategory of people following a weight loss diet. Little is known about the psychological factors associated with other kinds of restrictive dietary patterns. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether the identified psychological characteristics of dieters (e.g. elevated disordered eating behaviours, poor well‐being) are a cause of dieting, follow from calorie restriction or are the result of cognitive restraint. Methods: This study conducted the first direct comparison of people (N = 393) following five different restrictive dietary patterns (vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, paleo and weight loss) as well as a comparison group who were not following a specific dietary pattern. Results: The weight loss group had more negative psychological characteristics than all other groups, reporting the highest levels of eating disorder symptoms (M = 1.50), food cravings (M = 69.39), emotional eating (M = 2.97) and negative affect (M = 19.72). By contrast, several of the other restrictive dietary groups showed a number of psychological strengths, relative to the comparison group. This was particularly apparent among the paleo group, who reported the lowest levels of eating disorder symptoms (M = 0.74), food cravings (M = 47.63), emotional eating (M = 2.30) and negative affect (M = 14.81). By contrast, people following vegetarian and gluten free diets were largely the same as the non‐restricted comparison group in their psychological characteristics. Conclusions: People adhering to different dietary patterns showed stark differences in their psychological characteristics. Indeed, some restrictive dietary patterns (paleo and vegan) were associated with more positive psychological characteristics than seen in an unrestricted comparison group. This suggests that the psychological risk factors seen in weight loss dieters are not attributable to a restrictive dietary regimen per se. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lifestyle changes that include adopting a healthy diet, such as the paleo diet, can help prevent prediabetes and T2DM. This article explores the potential benefits of replacing low-calorie diets with the paleo diet. As primary care providers, NPs are positioned to help inform patients, particularly those with prediabetes and T2DM, about healthy lifestyle choices and provide them with resources to achieve weight loss success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Paleolithic diet, a diet devoid of food-processing procedure, seems to produce a greater decrease in weight compared to healthy reference diets but its limited food choices make it difficult to implement in our modern times where refined food is dominant.Objective: To evaluate the effects of a 2-year diet that excludes only six refined foodstuffs implicated in obesity. Professional contact was kept minimal to approximate the approach used by most dieters.Design: Single-arm, open-label, exploratory study.Setting: One academic medical center, outpatient setting.Patients: One hundred and five subjects with a mean age of 50 (SD, 14 years) and mean body mass index of 30.5 kg/m² (SD, 4 kg/m²). Thirty-nine percent had type 2 diabetes.Intervention: An ad libitum diet that excludes six refined foodstuffs (margarine, vegetable oils, butter, cream, processed meat, and sugary drinks) called the "1,2,3 diet".Outcomes: Weight at 2 years was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included number of patients who lost more than 5% of initial body weight, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level, and changes in dietary behavior.Results: Average weight loss was 4.8 kg (p<0.001), representing 5.6% of their initial body weight. Among completers (51%), the average weight loss was 5.5 kg (p<0.001), and 56% had a reduction of at least 5% of their initial body weight. Among diabetics, weight loss was similar to nondiabetics, and mean HbA1c level decreased by 1% (p=0.001) without modification in glucose-lowering medications. A higher intake of bread, dairy products, chocolate, and fresh fruits was the typical trend in dietary changes reported by completers.Conclusion: In this exploratory study, there was a significant long-term weight loss with the "1,2,3 diet" despite minimal professional contact. Given the lack of a control group and high attrition rate, further evaluation of this diet is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate the efficacy of lifestyle adjustment strategies as a preventive measure and/or treatment of obesity-related non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in adults. Method: A systematic review of literature through 1 July 2017 on the PubMed Database was performed. A comprehensive search was conducted using key terms, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), combined with lifestyle intervention, diet, and exercise. All of the articles and studies obtained from the search were reviewed. Redundant literature was excluded. Results: Several types of dietary compositions and exercise techniques were identified. Most studies concluded and recommended reduction in the intake of saturated and trans fatty acids, carbohydrates, and animal-based protein, and increased intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), plant-based proteins, antioxidants, and other nutrients was recommended. The Mediterranean and Paleo diet both seem to be promising schemes for NAFLD patients to follow. Exercise was also encouraged, but the type of exercise did not affect its efficacy as a NAFLD treatment when the duration is consistent. Conclusions: Although these different dietary strategies and exercise regimens can be adopted to treat NAFLD, current literature on the topic is limited in scope. Further research should be conducted to truly elucidate which lifestyle adjustments individually, and in combination,may facilitate patients with obesity-related NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The obesity is associated to health risks, due to its relation in increasing the blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides levels and also to its increase in insulin resistance. The main cause of obesity is intrinsically related to eating habits and interactions of genetics and, also, bounded to social, environmental e behavioral factors. Nowadays, many diets with different parameters have been used, among them is the Paleolithic Diet. The Paleolithic Diet has as purpose to use as main food groups: proteins, vegetables, fruits and non-industrialized fat, excluding not entirely the intake of carbohydrates, this being the great differential in comparison to modern weight loss diets. The objective of the present paper is to evaluate the effects of the Paleolithic Diet in behavioral levels in C57BL/6 healthy mice. The experiment was carried out in UNIDERP Agrárias, in Campo Grande - MS. C57BL/6 mice were divided randomly in 8 groups, and the monitoring of behavior, weight and food intake were done during 15 or 30 days of diet. The results demonstrated that the groups that took the Paleolithic Diet for 15 or 30 days did not present any important difference in behavioral, food and water intake parameters. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that the Paleolithic Diet does not alter the, behavioral, food intake and weight parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paleo diets are both myths and manuals: they are myths of a lost golden age and utopian manuals for better bodies and a more perfect world. Paleo dieters believe that the human body is not adapted to civilization and reject modern ways of eating for foods that could have been hunted or gathered in the Paleolithic Era. Many of the estimated three million American Paleo dieters not only follow the dietary prescriptions, but also adopt the social, moral, and philosophical aspects of the Paleolithic way of life. The Paleo myth pathologizes the relationship between health and modernity, claiming that civilization has outpaced evolution and created a world hostile to human biology. Dieters believe that modern life has created a modern body hounded by false hungers, trapped in a fallen world, and overwhelmed by sadness, sickness, and stress. In turn, these diets promise that pre-agrarian or primitive living will restore the health and beauty enjoyed by our Paleolithic ancestors. Unlike earlier dreams of Lands of Plenty, Paleo diets promise refinement, paucity, and the instinctive recognition of natural pleasure. I argue that this mix of myth and manual creates a new type of embodied utopia in response to changing concepts and conditions of modernity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research on the effect of a Paleolithic hunter-gatherer (Paleo) diet in the management of weight loss and overall health of type 2 diabetes patients. It references a study by Swedish researchers published in "PubMed" who compared the glycated haemoglobin and body mass index (BMI) of a group on a diabetes diet with those on Paleo diet. Findings indicated minimal effect of the Paleo diet on insulin and glucose levels but an increase in plasma glucagon-like peptide-1.