Skip to main content

Currently Skimming:

6 Emerging Opportunities
Pages 39-46

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 39...
... Three major factors contribute to a person's weight gain, said Steven Heymsfield, professor and director of the Body Composition-Metabolism Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University system: genes, epigenetic modifications that affect the expression of genes, and the interactions of genes and their modifications with environmental factors. However, he added, these interactions create "literally thou 39
From page 40...
... MEDICATIONS In some people, targeted treatments have very strong effects, Heymsfield noted. For example, he elaborated, some young children develop severe obesity because of a problem known as hyperphagia, in which they have no control over their food intake and often die early in life.
From page 41...
... He reported that in another set of initial results, this combination produced weight loss of 5–10 percent at 6 months. Heymsfield added that a compound that blocks the μ opioid receptor in the brain's arcuate nucleus, which is related to hedonic mechanisms such as liking fatty food, was successful at blocking hedonic mechanisms, although it did not cause weight loss in general.
From page 42...
... of 30 or more, are kept in the stomach for 6 months or less, and produce modest weight losses of 5–7 percent over 6 months compared with placebo. Heymsfield described another approach that entails stimulating the vagus nerve in the gastric region through a surgically inserted device, which tends to produce moderate weight losses.
From page 43...
... . who can manage obesity with these complex mechanisms we are developing." DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES During his remarks later in the workshop, Bennett stated that "the advice that ‘you should ask your doctor' works very well for most clinical conditions -- with the exception of obesity." Primary care providers often do not deliver counseling and comprehensive obesity care in the primary care setting, he explained.
From page 44...
... Bennett and his colleagues are using self-weighing in the context of a multicomponent weight loss intervention in primary care. He explained that self-weighing produces substantial weight loss on average, but its effectiveness declines over the course of treatment.
From page 45...
... He has done much of his work with disadvantaged and medically vulnerable patient populations, often in community health centers in rural settings in North Carolina, and he noted that these patients engage at a high level and benefit in ways similar to what is seen in other populations. "It is an ideal approach for reaching into historically disconnected populations," he added, "and allowing us to ensure that we are delivering comprehensive care from providers in the way that suits them best."


This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More information on Chapter Skim is available.