There are six different types of obesity, study argues – Health News – NHS Choices

There are six different types of obesity, study argues

This study looked at data from more than 4,000 obese adults taking part in the Yorkshire Health Study. It aimed to see whether it was possible to categorise obese individuals according to common health and lifestyle characteristics.

The study reported six clusters of obese individuals. These were:

• young healthy females – women who were obese, but generally had fewer obesity-related complications, such as type 2 diabetes
• heavy-drinking males – as above, but with higher alcohol intake
• unhappy and anxious middle-aged – predominantly women with poor mental health and wellbeing
• affluent and healthy elderly – generally positive health, but defining characteristics of higher alcohol intake and high blood pressure
• physically sick but happy elderly – older people with more chronic diseases such as osteoarthritis, but good mental health
• poorest health – people who were the most economically deprived and had the greatest number of chronic diseases

via NHS Choices.

Fishing for answers: can omega 3 supplements save our vision?

via Fishing for answers: can omega 3 supplements save our vision? – Evidently CochraneEvidently Cochrane.

Here’s what they found:

•  Omega 3 supplementation for periods up to five years did not slow progression to advanced AMD or reduce significant visual loss compared to a placebo.
•  The incidence of adverse effects (gastrointestinal disorders, bad breath and allergic dermatitis) was similar in the omega 3 and placebo groups
•  There was no evidence on the use of omega 3 supplements to prevent AMD

 How good was the evidence?

The evidence on the rate of progression of AMD was high quality and for the other outcomes it was moderate quality.

 Where does this leave us?

There is no evidence from RCTs to support increasing omega 3 intake in order to prevent or slow AMD.

Important things we still don’t know:

• Whether omega 3 supplementation prevents AMD
• Whether the effects of taking omega 3 supplements is different in different populations (does ethnicity, nutritional status, or the stage of AMD make a difference, for example?)
• Whether the composition or source (such as oily fish versus fish oil supplements) of the omega 3 makes a difference

There has been a great deal of research into the potential health benefits of omega 3, including a number of Cochrane reviews, and most often the conclusions reached are that more research is needed. The authors of this review suggest that a cost-effective approach would be to include AMD outcomes in large trials of other diseases and they found one that is currently ongoing.

Let’s hope that future updates of this review will be able to draw on more high quality evidence to help answer some of the remaining questions.

Links:

Lawrenson JG, Evans JR. Omega 3 fatty acids for preventing or slowing the progression of age-related macular degeneration.Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2015, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD010015. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD010015.pub3.