Vegas Voice November 2016

Kyo Mitchell
Strategies for Weight Control
A Healthier You
Over the last few months, I have discussed
what causes people to gain and retain excess
body weight. To recap, fat cells make a hormone
called leptin. Leptin goes to the brain
and tells the brain how much reserve energy
the body has in the form of body fat.
When this signaling mechanism is working
correctly, your body should store neither
too little not too much body fat. Research is
suggesting that our modern diet has damaged
this signaling mechanism so that the brain
does not perceive how much body fat the body
has actually retained.
It may instead perceive that there are no
reserves of energy and motivate the individual
to eat more leading to increased weight.
While this explanation may help people
understand why they have increased and
maintained a higher weight than is desired,
most individuals are more interested in what
can be done to change this problem. In other
words, how do we correct the leptin signaling
mechanism so the body retains only a healthy
amount of body fat.
The problem is that the research into leptin
and the leptin receptors is still in its infancy
and effective methods of restoring this mechanism
have not been thoroughly tested and
proven in research studies. That being said,
there are some common sense approaches an
individual can take which may help restore
this signaling mechanism.
The first and possibly most crucial step is
changing the diet. Highly processed or fast
foods need to be replaced with healthy foods.
One of the current trends that may
help obesity is following a paleo diet.
For those unfamiliar with the paleo
diet, it is less of a diet than a healthy
approach to food.
The idea is to eat what our ancestors
would have eaten thousands of years
ago; including plenty of vegetables,
lean meat, fruits and nuts. This is the
food that would have been available to
them and our bodies are designed to
properly digest and use these efficiently.
Additives, artificial colors, preservatives,
high levels of sugar and high
fructose corn syrup are foreign materials that
can damage the body or overwhelm its functions.
By changing the diet to a healthier one,
we are removing the factors that may have
originally damaged the leptin receptors in the
brain.
Once the damaging influences have been
removed, we need to repair the damage. Scientists
are unsure if the damage to the leptin
receptors can be healed.
However, a recent study suggests this may
be possible. Proanthocyanidins, a chemical
found in grape seed oil, cranberries and cocoa
beans may help reduce the inflammation at
the site of the leptin receptors and help them
to heal.
It should be noted that this is a single short
term study and that much more research
needs to be done to thoroughly demonstrate
that proathocyanidins or other substance can
help the leptin receptors to heal.
Until a thorough and effective means of
treating obesity is developed, small steps in
the right direction - including a healthy diet
and proper exercise can help to improve your
health.
Dr. Kyo Mitchell served as faculty at Bastyr University in Seattle and Wongu
University in Las Vegas for over a decade. Dr. Mitchell practices in Summerlin and
can be reached at 702-481-6216 or rkyomitchell@gmail.com.
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