There’s nothing like the holiday season to pack on a few extra pounds—and then resolve to lose them. If you find yourself wanting to lose a little “holiday weight,” then the results of a new study may help you reach your goal.

Among 52 study participants on a calorie restricted diet, those taking daily doses of 600 mg of calcium and 125 IU of Vitamin D3 lost significantly more body fat (55.6%) over 12 weeks than those who used calorie restriction alone to lose weight.

While there were no differences in overall body weight loss between the two groups at the end of the study, the researchers reported that the Calcium + Vitamin D group lost more fat tissue.

Moreover, this group was successful in losing a particularly unhealthy type of fat--visceral fat, commonly referred to as “belly fat.”

Viseral fat accumulates around the internal organs, especially the liver, and is associated with heart disease, liver disease, hypertension, and some types of cancer.

Most diets cause dieters to lose a combination of fat, muscle, and water. The fact that the Calcium + Vitamin D group lost more fat tissue is another reason the results are encouraging.

How Calcium/Vitamin D Cuts Fat

It’s important to get enough calcium in your diet as low levels cause your body to produce higher levels of calcitriol, a hormone that triggers increased production of fat cells. Extra calcium in your diet suppresses calcitriol, leading to the breakdown of more fat, making fat cells leaner and trimmer.

So, it appears that calcium is not just for bones, it can also help you lose weight!

Researchers believe that Vitamin D assists with weight loss in a number of ways. First, it helps your body absorb calcium, which promotes weight loss.  Also, every cell in your body needs Vitamin D to function properly—including fat cells.  Fat cells have special receptors for Vitamin D that signal whether you should burn fat or simply store it. When Vitamin D attaches to these receptors, it's revs up your body's fat-burning mechanism.

Vitamin D receptors in your brain also help keep hunger and cravings under control as well as affect levels of the mood-elevating brain chemical serotonin. (Many of us know how mood can drive overeating or poor food choices.)

Sensible Weight Loss

For additional tips for sensible weight loss, read our guide: The Healthy Way to Lose Weight…Naturally and for Good.

Sources:

NutraIngredients

MedicineNet

Women’s Health

Overweight men are more likely to have low testosterone levels, but they may be reluctant to use testosterone therapy. A new study found that a combination of diet and exercise can boost testosterone levels by almost 50 percent, providing an alternative to hormone replacement therapy.

Study Details

Researchers in Dublin assigned 891 overweight, middle-aged Irish men with pre-diabetes to one of three treatments. One group was put on a low-fat, reduced-calorie diet along with at least 150 minutes of exercise a week; a second group took the diabetes drug metformin; and a third group took a placebo pill.

Among men in the healthy-lifestyle group, the rate of low testosterone levels dropped from 20 percent to 11 percent after a year.

The rate of low testosterone didn't budge in the diabetes-drug group or the placebo group.

"Doctors should first encourage overweight men with low testosterone levels to try to lose weight through diet and exercise before resorting to testosterone therapy to raise their hormone levels," said study co-author Dr. Frances Hayes, a professor at St. Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin.

Multiple Benefits

In addition to improving their testosterone levels, the diet/exercise group also lost an average of 17 pounds.

Losing weight not only reduces the likelihood that pre-diabetes will progress to diabetes, but reduces the risk of many other health problems including cardiovascular disease.

Source:

Medscape

Health Finder

Exercise has many benefits for the body and mind but how the body triggers some of these benefits--like improving our metabolism--is unknown.

Earlier this year, researchers at Harvard Medical School identified a new hormone produced during exercise that helps turn energy-storing white fat into energy-burning brown fat. In doing so, it improved glucose control, insulin levels and led to weight loss.

The discovery has exciting potential for many metabolic health problems including obesity, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

White vs. Brown Fat

White fat--commonly referred to as body fat--accumulates throughout the body but most notably around the hips, thighs, buttocks and midsection. Its purpose is to store fat until it is needed for energy later.

Brown fat is virtually the opposite in that these cells are full of mitochondria that burn fat.

In the Harvard study, the researchers found that exercise, in both mice and humans, stimulates a chain reaction that leads to the production of a previously unknown hormone they named “irisin.”

This hormone makes white fat act like the metabolically active brown fat which burns more calories.

Irisin levels rose by 65% in mice after three weeks of free-wheel running. In humans, 10 weeks of regular endurance exercise doubled irisin levels.

Irisin also improved glucose tolerance and insulin balance, suggesting that it may be helpful in treating diabetes.

Proof Positive

To confirm that irisin was responsible for these benefits, the researchers injected a small amount of irisin into the muscles of sedentary adult mice that were obese and pre-diabetic. After 10 days of treatment, the mice had better blood sugar control and insulin levels and had lost a little weight—all without exercise.

Then the researchers conducted yet another test to prove their theory. They injected antibodies to stop the production of irisin in the mice and then put them through an exercise regimen. After 10 days, there were none of the previous improvements seen with the exercise program.

Irisin Pill?

So does this mean that irisin may be “the ultimate diet pill” giving you a fat-incinerating metabolism without breaking a sweat? We’re still a long way from knowing that for sure. But even if it did help you burn fat, all the other benefits of exercise—including muscle strength, tone and endurance will still require physical effort.

Nonetheless, the irisin discovery clearly has therapeutic potential.

Sources:

Harvard Medical School

Los Angeles Times

Typically, we take a pass on drug recalls in this space, as they attract more than enough attention from our print/digital brothers and sisters in the MSM. We make important exceptions, however, when it comes to being exposed to something you never bargained for when taking a supplement. Like steroids and pesticides.

Earlier this month, Abbott Laboratories pulled its nearly 13-year-old obesity drug Meridia (sibutramine) from consumer markets in America and Canada, after a review of data by the FDA found a 16 percent greater risk for stroke, heart attack and death.

On the very same day, FDA officials issued a warning about the presence of sibutramine in Slimming Beauty Bitter Orange Slimming Capsules, touted as being as 100% Herbal, noting various reports of serious side effects including insomnia, headaches, elevated blood pressure and vomiting. Unfortunately, sibutramine has been a very popular and undeclared additive in weight loss products, based on this April 2009 advisory from the FDA on 72 products.

One more reason why you should ask these six questions, then consult with your doctor before taking any supplement.

Wall Street Journal October 11, 2010

Washington Post October 9, 2010

Drugs.com October 8, 2010

Natural Products Insider October 8, 2010