Losing Tongue Fat Improves Sleep Apnea

RESEARCH REPORT

Losing Tongue Fat Improves Sleep Apnea

Doctors already know that weight loss can be an effective treatment for improving sleep apnea, although the reasons for this have remained unclear. Now, new research has uncovered that a reduction in tongue fat is the key to why fat loss helps in instances of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).

MRI reveals how a reduction in tongue fat lessens the severity of OSA

A team of researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania carried out a study where they measured the impact of weight loss on the upper airway, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), collecting data from obese patients. Their findings, which were published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine last week, revealed that the reduction in tongue fat that accompanies overall weight loss is the primary factor reducing symptom severity in OSA.

While 22 million Americans have sleep apnea, effective treatment options are limited

Roughly 22 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, which causes people’s breathing to stop and start while they are sleeping, resulting in sufferers repeatedly waking throughout the night, detrimentally affecting their sleep and overall health due to continued sleep disturbances. Symptoms of the disorder include loud snoring, waking with a sore or dry throat, waking with choking or gasping sensations, morning headaches, and sleepiness during the rest of the day. It is also linked with an increased risk of suffering from high blood pressure and stroke.

Obesity has long been determined as the primary risk factor for developing sleep apnea, although other factors such as having enlarged tonsils, or a recessed jaw are known to play a role also. Current treatments focus mainly on the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines, although they have only been found to be useful in around three-quarters of cases, with 1 in 4 struggling to tolerate the machine. Other than using the machine, doctors can offer upper airway surgery in some cases, however, as with all surgery, this carries risks. Therefore, the development of alternative, effective methods of treatment is desperately needed.

In 2014, researchers found that obese patients, suffering from sleep apnea, also had significantly larger tongues. For the first time, the underlying reason why weight loss has proven to be an effective treatment for OSA was hinted at. The increase in tongue fat that is associated with obesity was a likely factor in sleep apnea.

The new study conducted by US scientists aimed to gather evidence to determine whether this was, in fact, the case. 67 patients with mild to severe obstructive sleep apnea as well as a body mass index greater than 30 were recruited for the six-month study that compared the volumes of the pharynx and abdomen before and after diet or weight loss surgery to reduce patients’ body weights by 10%. MRI scans alongside statistical analysis were able to determine the reductions in tongue volume, showing that a reduction in tongue fat volume was the primary factor linking weight loss with improvements in sleep apnea.

Also, data from the study revealed that reduced volumes in the pterygoid (a jaw muscle that controls chewing) and pharyngeal lateral wall (muscles on the sides of the airway) were also associated with overall weight loss, linking to improvements in sleep apnea, but to a lesser degree than reductions in the volume of tongue fat.

What the team discovered with their new study is likely to open new avenues, exploring new, more effective treatments. The researcher's highlight that more studies will likely follow, aimed at figuring out how diets can be amended to help target a reduction in tongue fat, also looking into whether cold therapies, similar to those that are effective at reducing stomach fat, could be effective in targeting a reduction in tongue fat.

Source: news-medical.net

Low-fat diet not most effective in long-term weight loss

Researchers conduct a systematic review of randomized clinical trials comparing the long-term effectiveness of low-fat and higher-fat dietary interventions on weight loss

Date : 29 October,2015

Source : Brigham and Women's Hospital

Summary : The effectiveness of low-fat diet on weight-loss has been debated for decades, and hundreds of randomized clinical trials aimed at evaluating this issue have been conducted with mixed results. New research finds that low-fat interventions were no more successful than higher-fat interventions in achieving and maintaining weight loss for periods longer than one year.

Researchers conducted a comprehensive review of the data generated from randomized clinical trials that explored the efficacy of a low-fat diet and found that low-fat interventions were no more successful than higher-fat interventions in achieving and maintaining weight loss for periods longer than one year.

Credit: © alexkich / Fotolia

The effectiveness of low-fat diet on weight-loss has been debated for decades, and hundreds of randomized clinical trials aimed at evaluating this issue have been conducted with mixed results. Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) conducted a comprehensive review of the data generated from randomized clinical trials that explored the efficacy of a low-fat diet and found that low-fat interventions were no more successful than higher-fat interventions in achieving and maintaining weight loss for periods longer than one year.

These results are published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology on October 30, 2015.

"Despite the pervasive dogma that one needs to cut fat from their diet in order to lose weight, the existing scientific evidence does not support low-fat diets over other dietary interventions for long-term weight loss," said Deirdre Tobias, ScD, a researcher in the Division of Preventive Medicine at BWH. "In fact, we did not find evidence that is particularly supportive of any specific proportion of calories from fat for meaningful long-term weight loss. We need to look beyond the ratios of calories from fat, carbs, and protein to a discussion of healthy eating patterns, whole foods, and portion sizes. Finding new ways to improve diet adherence for the long-term and preventing weight gain in the first place are important strategies for maintaining a healthy weight."

In this meta analysis of randomized clinical trials comparing the long term effect (longer than one year) of low-fat and higher-fat dietary interventions, researchers analyzed data from 53 studies with a total of 68,128 participants that were designed to measure the difference in weight change between two groups that had a dietary intervention (low-fat or other diet). Trials that included dietary supplements or meal replacement drinks were excluded from the analysis. On average, trial participants across all intervention groups only managed to lose and keep off six pounds at one year or longer. Compared with low-fat diets, participants in low-carbohydrate weight loss interventions were about two and a half pounds lighter after follow-up of at least one year. Researchers also report that low-fat diets led to a greater weight loss only when compared to 'usual diet' in which participants did not change their eating habits.

"Current evidence indicates that clinically meaningful weight loss can be achieved with a variety of dietary approaches," said Frank Hu, senior author of the paper and Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. "The key is to improve long-term compliance and cardiometabolic health. Therefore, weight loss diets should be tailored to cultural and food preferences and health conditions of the individual and should also consider long-term health consequences of the diets."

This research was funded by the National Institutes of Health (DK082730, HL34594, HL60712, CA176726, DK58845, DK46200, DK103720, and CA155626) and the American Diabetes Association.

Story Source:

The above post is reprinted from materials provided byBrigham and Women's Hospital. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:

Dr Deirdre K Tobias et al. Effect of low-fat diet interventions versus other diet interventions on long-term weight change in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2015 DOI: 10.1016/S2213-8587(15)00367-8

Source: www.sciencedaily.com