Does it seem like you’ve been trying to lose weight forever? Well, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, thinking about a range of weight to lose  (rather than a specific number of pounds) may be the first step on your road to success.

“Whether a goal is a high-low range goal (lose 2 to 4 pounds this week) or a single number goal (lose 3 pounds this week) has a systematic effect on goal reengagement. High-low range goals influence [individual] goal reengagement through feelings of accomplishment, which itself is driven by the attainability and challenge of the goal,” write authors Maura L. Scott (Florida State University) and Stephen M. Nowlis (Washington University in St. Louis).

Individuals often have a choice about the types of goals they want to set for themselves, and they may want to repeat various goals over time. For example, people often reengage goals such as losing weight, saving money, or improving their exercise or sports performance.

A Range Of Options

In one study, people in a weight loss program set either high-low range goals or single number goals. At the end of the program, individuals with high-low range goals reenrolled in the program at higher rates even though there was no difference in actual average weight loss across the two groups. In other studies, people exhibited similar behaviors with other goals such as resisting tempting foods, solving puzzles, or playing a grocery shopping game.

A high-low range goal can offer “the best of both worlds” compared to a single number goal due to its flexibility: the high end of the goal (lose 4 pounds) increases the challenge of the goal, while the low end (lose 2 pounds) increases its attainability. On the other hand, a single number goal (lose 3 pounds) may be perceived as a compromise and therefore both less challenging and less attainable.

So if you are looking to lose those extra pounds, a high-low range goal instead of a single number goal may be the first thing to do. According to the researchers, “[people] experience a greater sense of accomplishment when a goal is both attainable and challenging, and this makes them want to continue to pursue or reengage their goal.”

I can almost feel those 6-10 pounds of weight starting to melt off me already…

June 18, 2013
The Healthy Mind Network

 

Story Source: The above story contains original content and/or information reprinted and/or editorially adapted by The Healthy Mind. Materials are provided by the University of Chicago Press Journal.

Image Credit: Alan Cleaver

NOTE: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our TERMS AND CONDITIONS.    

Postmenopausal women who suffer from depression or use antidepressant medication might be more likely to have a higher body mass index (BMI), larger waist circumference and increased inflammation – all of which can increase a woman’s risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. These were the conclusions of a new study led by Dr. Yunsheng Ma of the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

The UMass study investigated whether elevated depressive symptoms and antidepressant use are associated with inflammation, glucose dysregulation, BMI and waist circumference.

The findings indicate that both depression and antidepressant use are associated with:

1) higher BMI
2) waist circumference
3) increased levels of insulin and insulin resistance
4) increased C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (a marker of inflammation) which increases the risk of type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease

The Menopause Mind (and Body)

“It may be prudent to monitor post-menopausal women who have elevated depression symptoms or are taking antidepressant medication to prevent diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. Ma.

Using data from 1,953 women, the study found that elevated depressive symptoms were found to be significantly associated with increased insulin levels and measures of insulin resistance. Throughout the entire 7.6 years on average that women were enrolled in the study, those who had elevated depressive symptoms or were using antidepressants had higher average BMI and waist circumference than did women not using antidepressants or without depressive symptoms among 71,809 women. However, the associations were stronger for waist circumference.

Analysis of data from 2,242 women showed that both elevated depressive symptoms and antidepressant use was associated with higher CRP levels, a marker of inflammation.

Protect and Prevent

“Identifying these markers in women is important for diabetes prevention because they can be monitored for possible action before progression to full-blown diabetes,” said Dr. Ma. The UMMS study included a large, racially and ethnically diverse sample of post-menopausal women. Because the analysis was epidemiological, it could not determine a causal relationship, so further study is needed to confirm the results through clinical trials.

“Given that diabetes and cardiovascular disease can be effectively prevented or delayed in high-risk individuals with lifestyle modifications or pharmacological interventions, our findings indicate the prudence of monitoring BMI, waist circumference, along with established biomarkers for diabetes and cardiovascular risk including serum glucose, insulin resistance, and CRP among women with elevated depression symptoms, or who are taking antidepressant medication, to prevent diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” said Brown University professor, Dr. Simin Liu - coauthor of the study.

But further research is critical. According to Dr. Liu, “[A] further intervention trial is needed to confirm our findings and identify the specific patterns of change associated with diabetic and cardiovascular disease risk markers and individual antidepressants and depression.”

June 15, 2013
The Healthy Mind Network

 

Story Source: The above story contains original content and/or information reprinted and/or editorially adapted by The Healthy Mind. Materials are provided by the University of Massachusetts.

Image Credit: Tafari Anthony 

NOTE: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our TERMS AND CONDITIONS.    

Welcome to 6/13/13 podcast of The Healthy Mind with Dr. Zafirides. Do you believe in Fate and Destiny? Or is it all just random chance? This week, Dr. Z changes things up a bit. He spend the entire podcast discussing a very special moment he had in one of his sessions last week – one that deeply moved him. Come learn important life-lessons from a wonderful individual named Maggie*.  Listen to Dr. Z tell you this heart-warming story of meaning and purpose. Never doubt how truly powerful you are! Welcome!!

* “Maggie” is a pseudonym used to protect privacy. “Maggie” gave Dr. Zafirides full permission to discuss their experience on The Healthy Mind Podcast. We sincerely thank her for allowing us to share this story.

Check your Facebook page much? How often do you Tweet?  Do you find yourself preoccupied with how many Facebook friends you have or how many people are following you on Twitter?

You are not alone. 

Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter allow us to stay connected to each other like never before. But this form of communication reveals much more about us than we may first realize. A new University of Michigan study explored how social media reflect and amplify the culture’s growing levels of narcissism. The study was published online in the journal, Computers in Human Behavior.

“Among young adult college students, we found that those who scored higher in certain types of narcissism posted more often on Twitter,” said Dr. Elliot Panek. He and two other U of M researchers conducted the study.

“But,” said Panek, “among middle-aged adults from the general population, narcissists posted more frequent status updates on Facebook.” According to Panek, Facebook serves narcissistic adults as a mirror.

Please “Like” Me!

“It’s about curating your own image, how you are seen, and also checking on how others respond to this image,” he said. “Middle-aged adults usually have already formed their social selves, and they use social media to gain approval from those who are already in their social circles.”

For narcissistic college students, the social media tool of choice is the megaphone of Twitter. ”Young people may overevaluate the importance of their own opinions,” Panek said. “Through Twitter, they’re trying to broaden their social circles and broadcast their views about a wide range of topics and issues.”

“It’s important to analyze how often social media users actually post updates on sites, along with how much time they spend reading the posts and comments of others,” he said.

The researchers were unable to determine whether narcissism leads to increased use of social media, or whether social media use promotes narcissism, or whether some other factors explain the relationship. But the study is among the first to compare the relationship between narcissism and different kinds of social media in different age groups.
 

June 11, 2013
The Healthy Mind Network

 

Story Source: The above story contains original content and/or information reprinted and/or editorially adapted by The Healthy Mind. Materials are provided by the University of Michigan.

NOTE: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our TERMS AND CONDITIONS.    

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have deciphered how a protein called Arc regulates the activity of neurons—providing much-needed clues into the brain’s ability to form long-lasting memories. 

Led by Gladstone Senior Investigator Steve Finkbeiner, MD, PhD, this research delved deep into the inner workings of synapses. Synapses are the highly specialized junctions that process and transmit information between nerve cells. Most of the synapses our brain will ever have are formed during early brain development. Throughout our lifetimes, though, these synapses can be made, broken and strengthened.

Synapses that are more active become stronger, a process that is essential for forming new memories. However, this process is also dangerous, as it can overstimulate the neurons and lead to epileptic seizures. It must therefore be kept in check.

Neuroscientists recently discovered one important mechanism that the brain uses to maintain this important balance: a process called “homeostatic scaling.” Homeostatic scaling allows individual neurons to strengthen the new synaptic connections they’ve made to form memories, while at the same time protecting the neurons from becoming overly excited. Exactly how the neurons pull this off has eluded researchers, but they suspected that the Arc protein played a key role.

‘Arc’ of Memory

“Scientists knew that Arc was involved in long-term memory, because mice lacking the Arc protein could learn new tasks, but failed to remember them the next day,” said Dr. Finkbeiner, who is also a professor of neurology and physiology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), with which Gladstone is affiliated. “Because initial observations showed Arc accumulating at the synapses during learning, researchers thought that Arc’s presence at these synapses was driving the formation of long-lasting memories.”

But Dr. Finkbeiner and his team thought there was something else in play. In laboratory experiments, first in animal models and then in greater detail in the petri dish, the researchers tracked Arc’s movements. And what they found was surprising.

“When individual neurons are stimulated during learning, Arc begins to accumulate at the synapses—but what we discovered was that soon after, the majority of Arc gets shuttled into the nucleus,” said Erica Korb, PhD, the paper’s lead author who completed her graduate work at Gladstone and UCSF. “A closer look revealed three regions within the Arc protein itself that direct its movements: one exports Arc from the nucleus, a second transports it into the nucleus, and a third keeps it there. The presence of this complex and tightly regulated system is strong evidence that this process is biologically important.”

Why We Remember

In fact, the team’s experiments revealed that Arc acted as a master regulator of the entire process. During memory formation, certain genes must be switched on and off at very specific times in order to generate proteins that help neurons lay down new memories.  From inside the nucleus, the authors found that it was Arc that directed this process required for homeostatic scaling to occur. This strengthened the synaptic connections without overstimulating them—thus translating learning into long-term memories.  

“This discovery is important not only because it solves a long-standing mystery on the role of Arc in long-term memory formation, but also gives new insight into the homeostatic scaling process itself—disruptions in which have already been implicated in a whole host of neurological diseases,” said Dr. Finkbeiner. “For example, scientists recently discovered that Arc is depleted in the hippocampus, the brain’s memory center, in Alzheimer’s disease patients. It’s possible that disruptions to the homeostatic scaling process may contribute to the learning and memory deficits seen in Alzheimer’s.”

Dysfunctions in Arc production and transport may also be a vital player in autism. “In the future,” added Dr. Korb, “we hope further research into Arc’s role in human health and disease can provide even deeper insight into these and other disorders, and also lay the groundwork for new therapeutic strategies to fight them.”

June 9, 2013
The Healthy Mind Network

 

Story Source: The above story contains original content and/or information reprinted and/or editorially adapted by The Healthy Mind. Materials are provided by Gladstone Institutes.

NOTE: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our TERMS AND CONDITIONS.  

In Health News:
1. The Best Talk Therapy For Depression
2. Why Does Mediation Calm Us? 

All this, and “The Healthy Mind Headlines” on this week’s podcast! Welcome!!

NOTE: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our TERMS AND CONDITIONS.   

“Although we’ve known that meditation can reduce anxiety, we hadn’t identified the specific brain mechanisms involved in relieving anxiety in healthy individuals,” said Fadel Zeidan, Ph.D., postdoctoral research fellow in neurobiology and anatomy at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and lead author of the study. “In this study, we were able to see which areas of the brain were activated and which were deactivated during meditation-related anxiety relief.”

For the study, researchers recruited 15 healthy volunteers with normal levels of everyday anxiety for the study. These individuals had no previous meditation experience or anxiety disorders. All subjects participated in four, 20-minute classes to learn a technique known as mindfulness meditation. In this form of meditation, people are taught to focus on breath and body sensations and to non-judgmentally evaluate distracting thoughts and emotions.

Both before and after meditation training, the study participants’ brain activity was examined using a special type of imaging – arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging. This form of MRI exam is very effective at imaging brain processes, such as meditation. Anxiety reports were also measured both before and after brain scanning.

Cool As A Cucumber

The majority of study participants reported decreases in anxiety. Researchers found that meditation reduced anxiety ratings by as much as 39%. ”This showed that just a few minutes of mindfulness meditation can help reduce normal everyday anxiety,” Zeidan said.

The study revealed that anxiety relief from meditation is associated with activation of two specific areas of the brain – the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (worry center) and anterior cingulate cortex (thinking and emotion control). Activity in both of these areas was identified during mindfulness meditation, leading to relaxation.

“Mindfulness is premised on sustaining attention in the present moment and controlling the way we react to daily thoughts and feelings,” Zeidan said. “Interestingly, the present findings reveal that the brain regions associated with meditation-related anxiety relief are remarkably consistent with the principles of being mindful.”

June 4,  2013
The Healthy Mind Network

 

Story Source: The above story contains original content and/or information reprinted and/or editorially adapted by The Healthy Mind. Materials are provided by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Image Credit: Joe Houghton

NOTE: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our TERMS AND CONDITIONS.    

These new findings (published in PLOS Medicine) are important as they suggest that patients with depression should discuss different forms of non-drug therapy with their doctors and explore which type of psychotherapy best suits them.

An international research team – led by Jürgen Barth from the University of Bern – reached these conclusions by reviewing 198 published studies involving over 15,000 patients receiving one of seven types of psychotherapy:

1. Interpersonal Therapy
    - focusing on relationship issues/problem found in depression

2. Behavioral Activation
    - increasing both positive interactions and awareness of pleasant activities

3. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
    – challenging and changing automatic negative thoughts found in depression

4. Problem Solving Therapy
    – exploring and providing multiple solutions to problems that lead to depression

5. Psychodynamic Therapy
     - focusing on past unresolved conflicts/relationships to understand current feelings
 
6. Social Skills Training 
     - building skills that help maintain healthy relationships based on honesty and respect

7. Supportive Psychotherapy
     - exploring an individual’s experiences and emotions in an atmosphere of empathy 

The research teams found that all seven therapies were better at reducing symptoms of depression than the control groups (people on a waiting list for therapy or usual care). Additionally, no significant difference in effectiveness between the different types of therapy was found.

The researchers also found all therapies worked equally well for different patient groups with depression. No differences were found when comparing individual with group therapy. In fact, you don’t even need to be in the same room as your therapist! Internet-based therapy was found to be just as effective as face-to-face therapy.

All in all, the researchers concluded that “[Compared to the control groups] we found evidence that most of the seven psychotherapeutic interventions under investigation have comparable effects on depressive symptoms and achieve moderate to large effects.”
 

June 2,  2013
The Healthy Mind Network
 

Story Source: The above story contains original content and/or information reprinted and/or editorially adapted by The Healthy Mind. Materials are provided by the Public Library of Science.

Image Credit: Joe Houghton

NOTE: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our TERMS AND CONDITIONS.    

NOTE: Rather than a new show this week, I am re-broadcasting this episode (originally aired 5/15/13) as the file of the final version of the show got corrupted a few days after I uploaded it to my server. I am sorry for the inconvenience of not having this show available. I thought this was an important episode that deserved to be heard by all who were interested in this controversial topic.  My thanks to everyone who reached out to make me aware of this problem. You are awesome!! -Peter

Welcome to 5/29/13 podcast of The Healthy Mind with Dr. Zafirides. What does a sore throat have to do with depression? It may very well be the key to understanding why people get depressed – and how to treat them! This week, Dr. Z discusses the role of antidepressant medications in the treatment of depression – their usefulness, their limitations and why they may not be the answer for everyone. If you are confused as to whether antidepressants are right for you or they haven’t been all that effective for you, join Dr. Z for a lively conversation on this very important issue. 

In Health News:
1. Do Migraines and Depression Shrink Your Brain?
2. How Untreated Depression Decreases Life Expectancy 

All this, and “The Healthy Mind Headlines” on this week’s podcast! Welcome!!

NOTE: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our TERMS AND CONDITIONS.   

Stress and exhaustion may make us feel like we are walking zombies, but a new study shows that mindless behavior doesn’t just lead to overeating – it can also cause us to stick with healthy habits as well. 

Across several experiments, researchers provide an important new twist to the established idea that it’s harder to take control of our actions when we’re already stressed or tired. Led by Dr. Wendy Wood at USC, this research shows that lack of control doesn’t automatically mean indulgence or hedonism – it’s the underlying routine that matters, for better or worse.

According to Dr. Wood, “When we try to change our behavior, we strategize about our motivation and self-control. But what we should be thinking about instead is how to set up new habits. Habits persist even when we’re tired and don’t have the energy to exert self-control.”

Learned habits also play a big role in our health as well. While most disease prevention efforts focus on self-control, Dr Wood believes the focus should be on building healthy habits. “Everybody gets stressed. The whole focus on controlling your behavior may not actually be the best way to get people to meet goals,” she said. “If you are somebody who doesn’t have a lot of willpower, our study showed that habits are even more important.”

In one experiment Wood and her co-investigators followed students for a semester, including during exams. They found that during testing periods, when students were stressed and sleep-deprived, they were even more likely to stick to old habits. It was as if they didn’t have the energy to do something new, Wood explains.

Junk Food or Oatmeal?

For example, students who ate unhealthy breakfasts during the semester ate even more of the junk food during exams. But, the same was true of oatmeal-eaters as well! Students who ate healthy breakfast ate especially-well when under pressure the pressure of exams.

Similarly, students who had a habit of reading the editorial pages in the newspaper everyday during the semester were more likely to perform this habit during exams – even when they were limited in time. Even regular gym-goers were more likely to go to the gym when stressed.

“You might expect that, when students were stressed and had little time, they wouldn’t read the paper at all, but instead they fell back on their reading habits,” Wood says. “Habits don’t require much willpower and thought and deliberation.”

So how do you go about creating those healthy habits? According to Dr. Wood, “What we know about habit formation is that you want to make the behavior easy to perform, so that people repeat it often and it becomes part of their daily routine.”

May 27,  2013
The Healthy Mind Network
 

Story Source: The above story contains original content and/or information reprinted and editorially adapted by The Healthy Mind. Material provided by the University of Southern California. 

Image Credit: Michael Heiss

NOTE: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our TERMS AND CONDITIONS.