Medical Bulletin 31/ January/ 2025
Here are the top medical news for the day:
Can Moderate Intensity Exercise Control Appetite?
A recent study involving researchers at Murdoch University’s Health Futures Institute has revealed that moderate-intensity exercise can significantly influence appetite-related hormones and perceptions in males with obesity.
The study provides new insights into how exercise can aid appetite control and weight management.
The study not only assessed food intake and appetite, but also measured changes in hormones which help to regulate appetite.
One of the study authors, Associate Professor Timothy Fairchild from Murdoch’s School of Allied Health, said the study confirms their previous work showing the benefits of incorporating regular exercise into daily routines for individuals looking to manage their weight and improve their overall health.
“People understand that exercise helps ‘burn energy’. A lot of people assume that exercise also increases hunger and energy intake afterwards,” Associate Professor Timothy Fairchild said.
“We have previously shown, using high-intensity exercise, that this is not the case.
“This latest study shows that even moderate-intensity exercise can have immediate and beneficial effects on appetite control in males with obesity.”
“Despite a strong focus on weight loss drugs in society at present, this study shows that lifestyle factors still have a strong and relevant role in helping people to live their healthiest life,” Associate Professor Fairchild said.
“In fact, the hormones which have been shown to increase after exercise, are the same hormones which the most successful weight loss drugs are mimicking.”
“The added benefit of exercise is that you also receive the additional physical and mental health benefits of exercise”.
Reference: Asri, S., Rahmani-nia, F., Saidie, P., Fairchild, T. J., & Khodabandeh, S. (2024). Acute effect of exercise on appetite-related factors in males with obesity: A pilot study. Physiological Reports, 12, e70167. https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.70167
Systematic Review Shows Calorie Labels on Menus Can Make Eating Disorder Worse
Calorie labels on restaurant menus are negatively impacting people with eating disorders, according to a new study published in the BMJ Public Health. The review found that individuals who have been diagnosed with an eating disorder changed their behaviours if presented with a menu featuring calorie labels.
This included avoiding restaurants, triggering eating disorder thoughts and paying more attention to calorie labels as identified by eye tracking research.
The study evaluated existing research to help build a picture of how nutritional labels on menus impact people with a lived experience of eating disorders or disordered eating. It reviewed 16 studies which included 8,074 participants in total.
The study highlights that people with eating disorders can feel that eating disorders are perceived as less important in the light of obesity prevention policies.
However, physical health cannot be measured by a single indicator such as weight. Some argue that calorie labels can be seen as a blunt instrument to fix a complicated problem and that people with eating disorders could be losing out.
Senior author Dr Tom Jewell, Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing at King’s College London, said: “Our study highlights that people with lived experience of eating disorders are frustrated at being left out of the conversation around calorie labels.
“Striking a balance between the positive and harmful impacts of calorie labels on menus is vital in any public health policies. Policymakers should consider the impact on both obesity and eating disorders when making decisions about nutrition labelling. A recent review found that calorie labelling has a modest effect on people’s behaviour but this needs to be counterbalanced with the potential harm it does for people with eating disorders.”
Reference: Trompeter, N., Duffy, F., Peebles, I., Wadhera, E., Chambers, E., Sharpe, H., Maloney, E., Nicholls, D., Serpell, L., Schmidt, U., & Jewell, T. (2025). Impact of out-of-home nutrition labelling on people with eating disorders: A systematic review and meta-synthesis. BMJ Public Health. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjph-2023-000862
Hidden Hunger: Study Highlights Commonly Missing Micronutrients in People with Type 2 Diabetes
Micronutrient deficiency, whereby levels of vitamins and minerals essential for healthy bodily function are far too low, is common in people with type 2 diabetes, finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published in the open access journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health.
A lack of vitamin D is the most common ‘missing’ micronutrient, overall, the findings indicate, with women at greater risk than men of these deficiencies, dubbed 'hidden hunger.'
In a bid to try and quantify the global prevalence of micronutrient deficiency in people with the condition, the researchers scoured research databases for relevant studies, with the aim of pooling the data.
Their analysis included 132 studies, involving 52,501 participants, and published in several languages between 1998 and 2023.
The pooled data analysis showed that the prevalence of micronutrient deficiency (vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes) among people with type 2 diabetes varied around the world, possibly because of diverse dietary habits, lifestyle choices, and cultural practices, suggest the researchers.
But, overall, the global prevalence was 45%---40% in those with complications of their disease.
A very low level of vitamin D was the most common micronutrient deficiency, affecting 60.5% of those with type 2 diabetes. But magnesium deficiency was also common, affecting 42%, while the prevalence of iron deficiency was 28%. The global prevalence of B12 deficiency was 29%, and higher, still, among patients taking metformin.
Further stratification of the pooled data showed that prevalence was higher in women with the condition than in men at nearly 49%, and highest among patients in the Americas (54%).
Reference:https://bmjgroup.com/lack-of-essential-vitamins-and-minerals-common-in-people-with-type-2-diabetes/#:~:text=A%20very%20low%20level%20of,of%20iron%20deficiency%20was%2028%25
Study Reveals Urine Based Test Detects Aggressive Prostate Cancer
In a new study, researchers have clinically validated a previously developed urine test, which can potentially bypass the invasive procedures done to diagnose prostate cancer among men who are unlikely to benefit.
The urine test, called MyProstateScore 2.0, or MPS2, looks at 18 different genes linked to high-grade prostate cancer.
The researchers had previously demonstrated that the test was effective in identifying Gleason grade 2 or higher cancers, helping patients avoid unnecessary biopsies.
However, in that study, urine samples were obtained after a digital rectal examination.
In the study, the team modified the urine collection approach so that the MPS2 test could detect markers for prostate cancer, without requiring a prior rectal exam.
Using urine samples from a cohort of 266 men who did not undergo a rectal exam, they found that the test could detect 94% of Gleason grade 2 or higher cancers and was more sensitive than blood tests.
Further, the team used mathematical models to demonstrate that the use of MPS2 would have avoided up to 53% of unnecessary biopsies.
MPS2 can also help patients save on healthcare costs since it is significantly cheaper than an MRI.
“MPS2 could potentially improve the health of our patients by avoiding overdiagnosis and overtreatment and allowing us to focus on those who are most likely to have aggressive cancers,” said Ganesh S. Palapattu, M.D., a professor of urology.
Reference: “Clinical validation of MyProstateScore 2.0 testing using first-catch, non-DRE urine,” The Journal of Urology. DOI: 10.1097/JU.0000000000004421
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