The Ups and Downs of Love: Bridal Weight Changes

For most couples, the wedding is the highlight of their relationship and it is THE big event in many brides' lives. All their friends and relatives are invited and the wedding album will be viewed for years thereafter. It is no wonder that brides aspire to look especially beautiful on this day and they often believe (or are told) that losing weight is absolutely mandatory. But do brides actually succeed in this endeavor? And how lasting are wedding-related weight changes?

From the study of an Australian research team [1], 343 brides-to-be were asked about their weight and related information on average 11 months before their wedding. The brides were questioned again one month pre-wedding (available for 130 women) and six months post-wedding (available for 112 women). Around half of these women reported that they wanted to lose almost 10 kilos before their big day. The authors showed that 47% of the brides did actually lose weight up until one month prior to the wedding - but on average only 3 kg! The remaining, either gained weight of an average of 3 kilos (32%) or did not show any weight changes at all (21%).

For true love, your bridal weight should not matter. via Wikimedia Commons. 

Interestingly, those women who lost a lot of weight prior to the wedding had regained all of it (and more) 6 months after the wedding. The other two groups also gained weight, although significantly less compared to the women with pre-wedding weight loss. On average, women gained over 2 kg in the 6 months after their wedding day, which is probably not at all surprising. Wedding-related stress is reduced and the daily routines step in again, and with them the usual eating habits. Also, to some women the thought might occur that they have now “secured” a man, which might consequently diminish their motivation to work on their bodies.

All in all, one can say that pre-wedding weight loss is very short-lived. Therefore, dear brides and grooms: enjoy your wedding. For true love, a couple of kilos more or less should not matter anyway!

[1] Prichard et al. Body Image 2014

By Ann-Christin Ostwaldt, PhD Alumna Medical Neurosciences (AG Academic Neuroradiology)

Resisting Temptations and the Power of Suggestion

Have you ever struggled to resist a delicious chocolate bar while you were on a diet? Or have you tried to resist drinking the sixth tequila shot which you knew would make you feel miserable the next day? Resisting temptations is difficult. However, a recent study published in Social Cognitive & Affective Neuroscience indicates that there are methods to help you.

Our research team at the Charité hypothesized that hypnotic suggestions and/or autosuggestions (giving suggestions to oneself) may be able to reduce the attractiveness of unhealthy temptations, or more specifically, snack food.
We invited 32 participants who were responsive to hypnosis and assigned them to two groups. One group was hypnotized by a professional hypnotist, while the other group used autosuggestion. Participants in the hypnosis group were suggested to experience disgust whenever they would encounter a color cue after hypnosis, namely green (half of the participants) or blue (the other half). They were further suggested that they would experience disgust only regarding specific snacks, namely either sweet snacks (half of the participants) or salty snacks (the other half). This was done to assess if hypnosis can target specific stimuli, rather than merely inducing a general feeling of disgust. In the autosuggestion group, participants were instructed to make the disgust association (regarding specific snacks and the cue color) on their own, and they were given as much time for this as the hypnotized participants. Afterwards, participants entered a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner and carried out a virtual auction on sweet and salty snacks (e.g. Mars bars, Snickers bars). These snacks were shown on a background that was blue for half of the time and green for the rest of the time.

Experimental procedure and the paradigm used in the scanner. Source: Ludwig et al, Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci, 2013

We found that participants of both groups were less willing to pay for the snacks targeted by hypnosis or autosuggestion (salty or sweet) when shown on the relevant cue color (blue or green background, depending on the participant). Surprisingly, there were no behavioral differences between the hypnosis and the autosuggestion group. Also, on a self-report questionnaire, participants of both groups indicated that they had indeed experienced disgust regarding the targeted snacks. However, participants subjected to hypnosis described the effects as more automatic, physical, and genuine (not merely simulated) compared to participants who had used autosuggestion. Finally, the fMRI data analysis showed that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) was activated less when participants (in both groups) made decisions about targeted snacks shown on the cue color compared to the other snacks. The vmPFC is known to correlate with the perceived attractiveness of stimuli. Thus, the fMRI data are consistent with the idea that the targeted snacks were indeed perceived as less attractive than the other types of snacks following the interventions. Interestingly, hypnosis affected vmPFC activation more than autosuggestion.

Effects on VMPFC were stronger in the hypnosis group compared to the autosuggestion group. Source: Ludwig et al, Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci, 2013

In sum, both hypnosis and autosuggestion can decrease the attractiveness of unhealthy snacks. Moreover, neural and self-report evidence indicate that hypnosis has stronger effects than autosuggestion. Future studies should test the longevity of these effects and should determine whether the differences in brain activation and self-report between the groups are relevant for real-life behavior. The next time you want to resist chocolate, take some time to relax and suggest to yourself that it is disgusting - you might be surprised how powerful a suggestion can be.

Reference

Ludwig et al, Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci, 2013

By Dr. rer. nat. Vera Ludwig, Postdoctoral Fellow, Divison of Mind and Brain Research at the Charité.
this article was originally published 2014 in CNS Volume 7, Issue 1, Mind and Brain 

HCG Injections for Weight Loss - Tricking The Brain or Tricking Your Wallet?

Spring is coming, and so is the urge to get fit and healthy. We know that the best way to get fit and healthy is through exercise and optimal nutrition, but wouldn't it be nice to reach your goals faster with the help of medicine?

A growing trend in popular culture has been the use of HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) as treatment for obesity. First touted in the early 50’s by Dr. Albert Simeons as a miracle cure that, in combination with a strict 500 kcal/day diet, leads the body to preferentially burn stored fat rather than muscle, while tricking the brain into feeling neither hungry, irritable, nor fatigued. In a 1954 paper, Simeons claims to have treated 500 patients for 40 days, all of whom lost between 9-14 kg while maintaining a sense of well-being [1]. But what is HCG exactly, and is this regimen healthy or even effective?

Fat Profits by Mike Licht via Flickr

HCG, a commonly occurring hormone during pregnancy, can be extracted from the urine of pregnant women and is approved for the treatment of various forms of infertility [2]. However, many online pharmacies have begun marketing it for weight-loss, infusing it with vitamin B12, and charging an astronomical 200-250€ for a month’s supply [3].
Still, international authorities including the FDA have issued statements that HCG provides no benefit in the treatment of obesity, which is unsurprising given its paucity of clinical trials [1]. Authors of a 1995 meta-analysis of 24 clinical trials also concluded that “there is no scientific evidence that HCG is effective in the treatment of obesity; it does not bring about weight loss or fat redistribution, nor does it reduce hunger or induce a feeling of well-being” [2]. In fact, an alarming number of studies have reported adverse effects of the hormone including blood clots, headaches, restlessness, depression, and dizziness [1]. Last year, a case report was published on a 32-year-old female who suffered a manic episode as a result [4].

HCG PROVIDES NO SOLUTION TO TREAT OBESITY

The conclusion? A diet of 500 kcal/day will induce significant weight loss, but HCG neither “tricks” the brain nor augments the diet’s overall effect. Furthermore, it fails to provide the body with necessary nutrition and can lead to deficiencies and imbalances that negatively impact the brain.

[1] Robb-Nicholson, Harvard Women's Health Watch, 2010
[2] Lijesen et al, Br J Clin Pharmacol, 1995
[3] nuimagemedical.com
[4] Sanches et al, Bipolar Disord, 2014

by Kristina Kelly
This article originally appeared September 2015 in Volume 08 Issue 02 "Food for Thought"