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There’s Something Fishy About Weight Loss |
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Written by By Dan Gwartney, MD
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Monday, 26 January 2009 |
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Page 4 of 4
To have any take-home value, a study should be able to be summarized in a single sentence. For this well-designed study, the summary could be written as: “Adding three fish meals a week to the diet will increase weight loss significantly.” A teaser sentence could be added stating, “Fish appears to increase fat loss by providing omega-3 fatty acids and taurine which increase beta-adrenergic signaling and beta-oxidation.” Is there any further value to this study? It appears that much of the omega-3 fatty acid benefit can be obtained through capsules and it is possible that the same might be true for taurine. However, athletes should be aware that the diets were not optimal for maintaining lean mass, which accounted for approximately 40 percent of the weight lost.3 However, as the diets were relatively low in protein (20 percent by calorie or roughly 80 grams per day) and no exercise was included in the regimen, it is possible that increasing protein and adding resistance training could prevent the loss of skeletal muscle. Adding fish…how simple is that? A few fillets of salmon or cod, perhaps five cans of tuna in the grocery cart every week and your odds for weight loss success have improved significantly. Make the choice.
References:
1. Schwartz B. The Paradox Of Choice: Why More Is Less. Ecco Imprint [HarperCollins Publishing], New York, 2003;ISBN: 9780060005696.
2. Elliot S. Telling dieters a pill works only if they work, too. The New York Times, 2007 May 9.
3. Thorsdottir I, Tomasson H, et al. Randomized trial of weight-loss diets for young adults varying in fish and fish oil content. Int J Obes, 2007;31:1560-6.
4. Couet C, Delarue J, et al. Effect of dietary fish oil on body fat mass and basal fat oxidation in healthy adults. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord, 1997;21:637-43.
5. Flachs P, Horakova O, et al. Polyunsaturated fatty acids of marine origin upregulate mitochondrial biogenesis and induce beta-oxidation in white fat. Diabetologia, 2005;48:2365-75.
6. Nakatani T, Kim HJ, et al. A low fish oil inhibits SREBP-1 proteolytic cascade while a high-fish-oil feeding decreases SREBP-1 in mice liver: relationship to anti-obesity. J Lipid Res, 2003;44:369-79.
7. Ukropec J, Reseland JE, et al. The hypotriglyceridemic effect of n-3 FA is associated with increased beta-oxidation and reduced leptin expression. Lipids, 2003;38:1023-9.
8. Holm C, Osterlund T, et al. Molecular mechanisms regulating hormone-sensitive lipase and lipolysis. Ann Rev Nutr, 2000;20:365-93.
9. Madsen L, Petersen RK,et al. Regulation of adipocytes differentiation and function by polyunsaturated fatty acids. Biochim Biophys Acta, 2005;1740:266-86.
10. Zhang M, Bi LF, et al. Beneficial effects of taurine on serum lipids in overweight or obese non-diabetic subjects. Amino Acids, 2004;26:267-71.
11. Tsuboyama-Kasaoka N, Shozawa C, et al. Taurine deficiency creates a vicious circle promoting obesity. Endocrinology, 2006;147:3276-84.
12. Liang H, Ward WF. PGC-1a: a key regulator of energy metabolism. Advan Physiol Edu, 2006;30:145-51.
13. Ronan Gormley T, Neumann T, et al. Taurine content of raw and processed fish filets/portions. Eur Food Res Tech, 2007;225:837-42.
14. Andersen O, Pedersen SB, et al. Circulating sex hormones and gene expression of subcutaneous adipose tissue estrogen and alpha-adrenergic receptors in HIV-lipodystrophy: implications for fat distribution. Clin Endocrinol, (Oxf) 2007;67:250-8.
15. Burdge GC, Wooton SA. Conversion of alpha-linolenic acid to eicosapentaenoic, docosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid in young women. Br J Nutr, 2002;88:411-20.
16. Burdge GC, Jones AE, et al. Eicosapentaenoic and docosapentaenoic acids are the principal products of alpha-linolenic acid metabolism in young men. Br J Nutr, 2002;88:355-63.
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