of ME and CFS researchers - primarily those researching the autonomic
nervous system and OI and POTS in ME and CFS patients. The article
below discusses=A0muscle sympathetic nerve activity=A0in the context of
weight loss. Some researchers have hypothesized that patients with ME
and CFS are obese because of lack of activity but overlook variables
such as weight gain side effects of some medications, co-morbid
conditions, age of patients and disease stage, as well as geographical
locale.=A0It may be interesting to know if muscle sympathetic nerve
activity=A0and weight gain/loss is also a variable in subgroups of ME
and CFS patients.
Fight or Flight May Hold Key to Weight Loss
By=A0Kurt Ullman, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today
Published: December 05, 2011
Reviewed=A0by=A0Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of
Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston and
Dorothy Caputo, MA, RN, BC-ADM, CDE, Nurse Planner
Activate MedPage Today's CME feature and receive free CME credit on
medical stories like this one
Activity in patients' sympathetic nervous system -- the system that
controls the fight or flight response -- appears to predict how well
they will do when trying to lose weight, according to a recent
Australian study.
Weight loss in a cohort of 42 previously untreated patients was
independently predicted by baseline resting muscle sympathetic nerve
burst incidence (r=3D0.38;=A0P=3D0.019). This accounted for 14.3% of the
variance after adjustment for age and body weight at baseline,
reported Nora E. Straznicky, PhD, MPH, from the Baker IDI Heart &
Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, and colleagues.
The group that lost weight successfully had higher sympathetic nerve
burst frequency and incidence (17% and 25% respectively) when compared
with those who were weight loss resistant. They also had higher
systolic blood pressures (P<0.05 for all), according to the article,
which was published online in the=A0Journal of Clinical Endocrinology
and Metabolism.
Although weight loss is advocated as a first-line treatment for
obesity, there remains considerable variation in how well patients do
at losing weight, the authors noted. "Beyond dietary adherence and the
effects of diet composition per se are biological determinants,
encompassing genetic, hormonal, metabolic, and neuroadrenergic factors
that may significantly modulate the weight loss response." ...
...Limitations noted by the authors included not measuring basal or
post-glucose thermogenesis inter-relationships with sympathetic
nervous system activity and weight loss. There also were no baseline
data relating to body composition, which can influence energy use. The
study also was only conducted over a 12-week period.
"Our findings have two broad clinical implications: firstly, the
potential identification of individuals who will benefit most from
lifestyle intervention and secondly, the use of therapeutic
interventions to enhance post-prandial sympathetic and thermogenic
responses," wrote the authors.
The study was funded by grants from the Diabetes Australia Research
Trust and the National Health & Medical Research Council of Australia.
The authors reported that they had no conflicts of interest.
The full article can be read here:
http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/Obesity/30021
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