Pop superstar Mariah Carey has admitted ‘gaining a few pounds’ since her marriage to Nick Cannon. When she started dating him back in March 2008, she was slim and toned and weighed around 130lbs – thanks to daily workout sessions in her swimming pool. Now she’s a bit heavier and more curvy, and has denied that she is pregnant (so that’s not the cause). It seems that Nick has appealed to his wife’s sweet tooth by plying her with lots of Rice Krispie treats, gummi worms, Runts, Now & Laters and other sweet treats.

Mariah has said that she plans to resume her fitness plan again, but can we suggest that she consider trying Generic Phentermine in order to help get her to a state where she can then use her fitness plan to maintain and stay trim. Just a thought!

According to the findings of a recent research study, when college students watch a movie and snack with either a skinny or overweight (fat) friend, the students typically followed the thin friend’s lead when she overindulged. And, on the contrary, students showed more self-control when snacking with a bigger / heavier companion who overate.

Thus, it was safe to conclude, that skinny friends may actually cause you to eat more, and of course, gain weight. The findings were published recently in the Journal of Consumer Research, and suggest that seeing a skinny friend eat a big meal basically gives implicit permission for one to do the same.

How was the study conducted? 210 female college students were recruited for what the participants believed was a study on movie viewing; each woman watched a movie with a companion – who was actually a member of the research team. In some instances, the researcher showed up as her normal 105 lb self, while in other instances, she wore padding that made her appear to be obese. During the movie, the movie-watchers were offered snacks, with the undercover researcher taking her portion first.

Dr. Brent McFerran, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna, Canada who led the study, suggested that instead of looking at a thin friend who is gorging on dessert and feeling permission to do the same, we should remind ourselves that all individuals are different – with different metabolisms and exercise habits. Thus he said, you should focus on your own goal of healthy eating, rather than automatically mimicking a friend.

A recent study has offered some clues on how to get diet benefits without actually dieting.

British researchers found that by removing a gene that’s linked to nutrients and growth, mice were able to live 20 percent longer (on average), and thus partly explains why eating less appears to improve health and increase longevity.

The ribosomal S6 protein kinase 1 (S6K1) gene is the specific gene in question here, and researchers found that removing S6K1 meant the mice’s bodies behaved in a similar way to mammals whose calorie intake is restricted.

Most calorie restriction studies in the past have found that a lifetime of deprivation is needed in order to achieve the longer-life benefits, and many researchers are now said to be working on ways to replicate the findings with drugs.

So maybe one day soon we will be able to get the benefits of dieting, without actually needing to go on the diet – just have the S6K1 gene removed!

According to a study released earlier this week, obesity during early adulthood raises the chances that a person will later be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

“This is the first study to explore at which ages excess body weight predisposes an individual to pancreatic cancer. With our epidemiological research, we aimed to demonstrate the relationship between BMI (body mass index) and risk of pancreatic cancer across a patient’s life span and determine if there was a time period that specifically predisposes an individual to the disease” said Donghui Li, a professor of medicine at the University of Texas.

The study also examined the link between BMI (which is calculated according to a person’s weight and height), cancer occurrence and the chances of survival among patients. It was found that found that obese youths 14 to 19 years of age had a 60% higher chance of developing pancreatic cancer than did their less overweight peers.

It also found that obese individuals between 20 to 40 years of age were 2 to 3 times more likely to develop pancreatic cancer, but the risk leveled off for those who gained the weight in their 40s and was statistically insignificant for those 50 and above.

Finally, the study also found that obese or overweight individuals were more likely to develop pancreatic cancer earlier on their lives, not later.

According to a study that was reported at the 17th European Congress on Obesity (ECO) – May 7, 2009 – patients with obesity who took either of two different dose combinations of Phentermine plus controlled-release (CR) Topiramate (VI-0521) lost more weight than patients who were taking either drug alone or placebo.

It was noted that both dose combinations were well tolerated over the 6 months of the phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The researchers randomized 756 patients to 1 of 7 treatment groups. The 4 single-drug groups were treated with Phentermine at 7.5 or 15 mg, or Topiramate CR at 46 or 92 mg. The 2 combination groups received VI-0521 7.5/46, which contained Phentermine 7.5 mg plus Topiramate CR 46 mg, or VI-0521 15/92, which contained Phentermine 15 mg plus Topiramate CR 92 mg. A seventh group received placebo.

In addition to the drug treatment, all patients were given lifestyle and exercise advice and followed a diet that cut their calories by 500 kcal/day. The mean age of all patients was 45.6 +- 11.9 years and 79% were women.

With regard to weight loss pills, it’s undoubtedly best to stick with what’s safe and approved – Generic Phentermine for example! The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning that dieters and bodybuilders should immediately stop using Hydroxycut – a widely used Canadian-made weightloss supplement – as it has been linked to cases of serious liver damage, and at least one death.

Here are a few lines from the official FDA warning:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to immediately stop using Hydroxycut products by Iovate Health Sciences Inc., of Oakville, Ontario and distributed by Iovate Health Sciences USA Inc. of Blasdell, N.Y. Some Hydroxycut products are associated with a number of serious liver injuries. Iovate has agreed to recall Hydroxycut products from the market.

The FDA has received 23 reports of serious health problems ranging from jaundice and elevated liver enzymes, an indicator of potential liver injury, to liver damage requiring liver transplant. One death due to liver failure has been reported to the FDA. Other health problems reported include seizures; cardiovascular disorders; and rhabdomyolysis, a type of muscle damage that can lead to other serious health problems such as kidney failure.

The FDA has said also that the maker of Hydroxycut has agreed to recall 14 Hydroxycut products. Available in grocery stores and pharmacies, Hydroxycut has been advertised as being made from natural ingredients. According to the FDA, an estimated nine million Hydroxycut packages were sold last year.

A new report issued by the Pentagon indicates that the obesity rate among US troops has more than doubled since the start of the Iraq war in 2003. The U.S. Military may soon have to include medications such as Generic Phentermine and other effective weight loss products as prescribed battlefield medication!

In 1998, 25,652, or 1.6% of the entire U.S. armed forces were diagnosed as being overweight. In 2003, that figure had increased to 34,333 (2.1%), and has since risen to 68,786 (4.4% of the total). Additionally, the Army has reported obesity problems among recruits. Obviously, obesity is a significant military medical issue/concern because it is associated with decreased military operational effectiveness and efficiency. Lets see how the powers that be will handle this one.

It was announced recently that Australian professional road racing cyclist Nathan O’Neil tested positive for the appetite suppressant Phentermine at the 2007 Tour of Elk Grove (Illinois), where he had won the prologue time trial and the overall title. O’Neill is an 8-time Australian national time trial champion, and although he quickly admitted to taking the drug for its intended use (to lose weight) out of competition and not for any performance enhancement purposes, his team – Health Net Pro Cycling Team – terminated his contract immediately, and it is expected that he will also face some official suspension from the sport for a period of months (minimum) because of the positive test result.

In the professional cycling world, Phentermine is not banned for use out-of-competition, but it seems that O’Neill made some sort of error in his calculations / estimations in terms of when to stop taking the prescription, as it seemingly had a longer than expected clearance time for the drug to leave his system.

Photo by Luke Seemann