Dr Arya Sharma recently spoke at the XII Congreso Internacional Avances en Medicina 2010 hosted by the Hospital Civil de Guadalajara.

There is indeed no denying that Mexico, as does everyone else in North America, has a substantial obesity problem.

As recently pointed out by Dudley Althaus, who writes for the Houston Chronicle:

“Though still afflicted by large pockets of the malnourished poor, Mexico is fat and quickly getting fatter, its children gaining weight faster than anyone else in the country.

About 70 percent of Mexican adults are now overweight, according to government estimates, more than triple the number of three decades ago. Also, about a third of the country’s schoolchildren and teenagers are overweight, making Mexicans the second-heaviest people on the planet, gaining quickly on their American neighbors.

With more people living in urban areas, and some with more money, Mexicans are eating more and exercising less. Forgoing the beans, tortillas, fruit and vegetables their grandparents ate, people flock to U.S.-style fast food.

Also, calorie-laden Mexican dishes once reserved for special occasions have become routine fare. Anything fried; packaged pastries, soft drinks and candy are widely available.”

Not surprisingly, last month, Mexican President Felipe Calderon launched a national campaign against obesity (beating the US Obama initiative by a few weeks) and called on parents, teachers and the food industry to guide people to more healthful living.

Whether or not this appeal will indeed have any noticeable impact on the obesity epidemic remains to be seen.  From Dr Sharma’s conversations with fellow delegates, at least the interest and concerns amongst health professionals seems considerable – but so does their sense of helplessness.

About the Author;

Dr Arya M, Sharma is Professor of Medicine & Chair in Obesity Research and Management at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. He is also the Scientific Director of the Canadian Obesity Network. He has published widely on the management of obesity and related health problems.

For more information on Obesity visit;

http://www.drsharma.ca/

Readers of these pages are by now probably quite familiar with the complexity of ingestive behavior and the importance of understanding brain function in relationship to food intake.

A study, published in this month’s issue of Obesity, illustrates how differences in brain function between obese and non-obese people can explain important differences in response to food.

In this study, Laura Martin and colleagues from the Kansas Medical Center used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine changes in brain activity in obese and normal weight adults while they viewed food and nonfood images in pre- meal and post-meal states.

Both in the pre-meal and post-meal state, obese participants showed increased activation in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the medial pre-frontal cortex (MPFC), regions of the brain responsible for the reward response and impulsiveness, respectively.

In addition, activation of the ACC was associated with decreased levels of self-reported dis-inhibition while MPFC activation was associated with increased self-reported hunger amongst obese participants.

These findings clearly suggest that brain function associated with food motivation differs in obese and non-obese adults and may well explain the different susceptibilities to weight gain and variability in response to diet interventions.

Given the emerging science on brain plasticity, it is certainly of interest whether or not these differences in brain function are acquired or are indeed innate. Whatever the case, we need to understand and acknowledge that our brains respond differently to the same food stimuli which easily explain why some people may find it much harder to resist overeating in our current obesogenic environment than others.

As I have said before, the obesity epidemic is simply the natural response to our unnatural environment.

About the Author;

Dr Arya M, Sharma is Professor of Medicine & Chair in Obesity Research and Management at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. He is also the Scientific Director of the Canadian Obesity Network. He has published widely on the management of obesity and related health problems.

For more information on Obesity visit;

http://www.drsharma.ca/

Philadelphia, March 26 — Many start out the New Year with the best of intentions. However, they find themselves quickly reverting back to old habits as lofty diet and exercise goals slip away faster than they intended. It’s been 13 weeks, spring has arrived and how much weight have you lost? This year make it easier to stick to them with the help of hypnotist, Todd Stofka. His work focuses on rewiring the mind, so you can continue on the path to healthier living.

Stofka’s client Janet Yost saw changes soon after they began meeting. She noted, “I lost interest in all the junk food and was able to eat smaller portions.” Yost also noticed that she was motivated to exercise daily on her elliptical machine. His program spans between five and ten months and involves addressing the root of unwanted behaviors and encouraging healthy habits. An essential part of Stofka’s holistic approach involves teaching people to take responsibility for their actions.

While working with Stofka, each client receives customized CDs that teach self – hypnosis techniques and supplement private sessions. In addition, Stofka partners with a local gym and a licensed nutritionist to ensure that clients are exercising and eating optimally.

About Todd Stofka

Todd Stofka is a certified hypnotist, master practitioner of Neuro-Linguistics and developer of the Stofka Method. In addition to his work with weight loss, he also uses hypnotherapy to help people achieve a myriad of other goals. As an accomplished athlete and former Vice President of Sales at a national software company, Stofka understands how hypnosis can enhance performance on the playing field or in the business environment.

www.PhillyHypnosis.com

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