Field Notes

Positive Self-Image May Protect Against Adolescent Weight Gain

A new study from the University of Bergen in Norway suggests that the way young people view their bodies has a significant impact on their BMI.

In a two-year follow-up study among 1,225 Norwegian adolescents in their early teens, Eivind Meland, MD, PhD, a professor in the department of global public health and primary care at the University of Bergen, and his team examined how BMI, self-esteem, and self-rated health were mutually impacted and influenced by body dissatisfaction.

“We revealed that positive self-image and self-esteem protected against weight gain,” Meland says.

In general, the girls had lower body confidence than boys. Dieting, wanting to be thinner, and wanting to change one’s body all impaired self-rated health and self-esteem during and after the two years’ observation. Interestingly, the intention to gain weight was associated with lower weight, and a desire to lose weight was associated with body mass gain as compared with peers who were content with their body.

“We conclude that health-promotive efforts in adolescence should be based on self- and body-acceptance,” Meland says.

— Source: University of Bergen

 

Study Examines Fermented Milks’ Potential Effects on Hypertension

In recent years, fermented dairy foods have been gaining attention for their health benefits, and a review published in the Journal of Dairy Science suggests these foods could help reduce conditions such as hypertension. A team of investigators from the Center for Food Research and Development in Sonora, Mexico, and the National Technological Institute of Mexico in Veracruz reported on numerous studies of fermented milks as antihypertensive treatments and in relation to gut microbiota modulation. They also examined the potential mechanistic pathways of gut modulation through antihypertensive fermented milks.

In addition to the impact of genetics and the environment, there’s growing evidence that gut microbiota may have an effect on the development of hypertension. In this sense, gut dysbiosis has been linked to different metabolic diseases, including hypertension.

“Several studies have indicated that fermented milks may positively affect gut microbiota or provide antihypertensive effects,” explains investigator Belinda Vallejo-Córdoba, PhD, of the Center for Food Research and Development. “However, few studies have shown a link between the antihypertensive effect of fermented milks and induced microbial balance (or eubiosis). Remarkably, the antihypertensive effect has been attributed mainly to angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory peptides, and few studies have attributed this effect to gut modulation.

“New evidence suggests that antihypertensive fermented milks, including probiotics, bioactive peptides, and exopolysaccharides obtained from milk fermented with specific lactic acid bacteria, may modulate gut microbiota. Therefore, there’s potential for the development of tailormade fermented milks with gut microbiota modulation and blood pressure–lowering effects,” Vallejo-Córdoba adds.

The authors say future studies are needed to help understand the antihypertensive effects of fermented milks.

— Source: Elsevier