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Medscape
12 minutes ago
- Medscape
Weighted Vests: Are They Effective for Weight Loss?
With the ongoing obesity epidemic, researchers are constantly looking for strategies that optimize weight loss while minimizing associated side effects. One strategy currently gaining interest is the use of weighted vests— form-fitting garments into which weights are sewn or carried in pockets, enabling the wearer to add or remove them as needed. In theory, this offers a nonpharmacologic way to induce weight loss without the side effects of medications or weight-loss surgery, but with potential bone-sparing effects. The latter is important because even modest weight loss can reduce bone density and strength, increasing the risk for fracture. Weight loss — particularly when induced by caloric restriction — is associated with bone loss, especially at the hip. This is a consequence of loss of muscle mass and an unloading of bones from the decrease in body weight. Even modest diet-induced weight loss results in small but significant reductions in hip bone mineral density (BMD), with less consistent changes at the spine or whole body. These skeletal losses may increase fracture risk, particularly in older adults, and are more pronounced when weight loss occurs in the absence of exercise. Resistance training or combined aerobic-resistance exercise mitigate but do not fully prevent this bone loss. How Do Weighted Vests Help? Weighted vests can be used to preserve muscle mass during periods of caloric restriction. This is achieved by increasing gravitational loading and placing mechanical stress on weight-bearing tissues. Local fat mass is theoretically reduced by the work required to wear the weighted vest. Preservation of muscle mass has the dual benefit of preserving bone mass and maintaining resting metabolic rate (RMR). This is important because weight loss typically results in a lower RMR, which makes subsequent weight loss more difficult. Although using weighted vests does not lead to the same degree of weight loss reported with GLP-1 receptor agonists such as semaglutide, or GLP-1/glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) receptor agonists such as tirzepatide, the data demonstrate benefits of this strategy. For example, 5 weeks of high-load vest use (11% of body weight worn 8 hours per day) vs a low-load vest (1% of body weight) reduced fat mass and waist circumference with no significant change in overall body weight. Loss of fat mass and a reduction in waist circumference are not inconsequential outcomes. Fat distribution (particularly an excess of visceral fat with an increased waist circumference) is a major driver of many metabolic morbidities associated with obesity. In fact, newer definitions of preclinical and clinical obesity emphasize body fat distribution and waist circumference, rather than absolute body weight. The impact of weighted vest use on skeletal health is inconclusive at this time. Snow and colleagues reported preservation of hip BMD over a 5-year period in older, postmenopausal women when weighted vest use was combined with jumping exercises. However, a randomized controlled study from Wake Forest University (INVEST in Obesity) involving 150 older adults with obesity did not find a bone-protective effect of weighted vest use or resistance training following intentional weight loss. Further studies are needed to evaluate the impact on BMD of varying durations of vest use and varying weights of the vest. In conclusion, studies thus far have not demonstrated a significant impact of weighted vests for total weight reduction, although reductions in local fat mass and waist circumference may confer some metabolic benefit. These vests may provide mechanical stimuli that support musculoskeletal integrity; however, further research is necessary to prove this point and data available thus far are conflicting.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Uptick in stingray injuries in Seal Beach; How you can avoid -- and soothe -- the sting
As Southern Californians enjoy their long summers at the beach, Seal Beach lifeguards are cautioning visitors about the seasonal uptick in stingray-related injuries. In Seal Beach, the average number of stingray stings treated by lifeguards has jumped from one per day to about 10, rising to as many as 15 per day in the last two weeks, said Matthew Corb, marine safety officer for the city of Seal Beach. "We had a long period with not much surf, so there wasn't a lot of swell in the water, and when there isn't a lot of water movement, the ocean gets kind of flat," said Nicholas Bolin, marine safety lieutenant. "That draws stingrays closer to the shore." Stingrays come in at shallower depths because they're more comfortable in calm, warm waters, he said. "When you got hot weather, tons of people at the beach, low tide and not much surf, those are the days where we're seeing that [higher] number," Bolin said. As of Friday afternoon, the lifeguards had treated three stings. Where am I most likely to run into a stingray? The west end of Seal Beach, at the mouth of the San Gabriel River, is known among locals as "ray bay," for its population of — and run-ins with — stingrays. That's because a power plant located a couple of miles inland warms the water, which attracts stingrays, Bolin said. In 2010, it was reported that one-third of nationwide stingray-related injuries were documented at this specific area of the beach. Thirteen years later, the Shark Lab at the California State University, Long Beach, noted that the stingray population was at an all-time high in Seal Beach, with an estimated 30,000 stingrays in the water, ABC News reported. That year researchers said several factors contributed to the population boom, including climate change, better water quality and a decrease in the population of the stingray's predator, white sharks. What kind of fish is a stingray? Stingrays are part of a group of fish known as "batoids" and are closely related to sharks, according to the Shark Lab. Researchers say most stingrays spend their time resting on the seafloor foraging for clams, marine worms, shrimp, isopods, crabs and small fish. A stingray's defense mechanism is to camouflage itself on top of the ocean floor's sand or buried under it. But if stepped on by a human, it will sting, according to California State Parks. The sting comes from the stingray's sharp, barbed stingers on the fish's tails. When the stinger pierces the skin, "it can cause puncture wounds, injection of venom, and tissue damage, leading to pain, swelling, and occasionally secondary infection," according to the state agency. Experts say most stingray-related injuries are reported in the afternoon when the water is warmer and more people are enjoying the ocean. How can I avoid getting stung? To avoid a stingray on the shore, shuffle your feet without picking them up as you move through the water. "You're going to shuffle your feet in the sand until you get out to a point that's deep enough that you can swim or jump on your surfboard," Bolin said. This alerts the buried stingray that you are approaching and gives them a chance to get away, the Shark Lab advises. If you're stung by a stingray, experts recommend soaking the affected area in hot, fresh water for 30 to 90 minutes, or until the pain subsides. Ideally, you'll want to maintain the water temperature at 104 to 113 degrees. The hot water breaks down the stinger venom, relieves the pain of the sting and prevents infection, according to the California State Parks. Aside from the soak, individuals who have been stung are advised to seek medical attention from a healthcare practitioner. When visiting Seal Beach, Bolin recommends checking in with a lifeguard about stingray-related injuries or stingray sightings so you can navigate the ocean safely and enjoy your visit. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Bid to relocate US Space Shuttle Discovery faces museum pushback
Tucked inside President Donald Trump's flagship tax and spending bill last month was a little-noticed provision to relocate the iconic Space Shuttle Discovery from a museum outside Washington to Houston. The plan now faces legal uncertainty, with the Smithsonian Institution arguing Congress had no authority to give away what it considers private property -- even before accounting for the steep logistical and financial challenges. "The Smithsonian Institution owns the Discovery and holds it in trust for the American public," the museum network, which receives substantial federal funding yet remains an independent entity, said in a statement to AFP on Friday. "In 2012, NASA transferred 'all rights, title, interest and ownership' of the shuttle to the Smithsonian," the statement continued, calling Discovery one of the museum's "centerpieces" that welcomes millions of visitors a year. The push to move Discovery from the Air and Space Museum's site in northern Virginia began in April, when Texas Senator John Cornyn, a Republican who faces a tough primary challenge next year by state attorney general Ken Paxton, introduced the "Bring the Space Shuttle Home Act," naming Discovery. The legislation stalled until it was folded into the mammoth "Big Beautiful Bill," signed into law on July 4. Its passage allocated $85 million for the move, though the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service has projected a far higher cost of $325 million, adding that the NASA administrator's power over non-NASA entities is "unclear." To comply with Senate rules, the bill's language was modified such that Discovery is no longer named directly. Instead, the bill refers to a "space vehicle," though there is little doubt as to the target. NASA's administrator -- currently Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, serving in an acting capacity -- was given 30 days to identify which spacecraft is to be relocated, a deadline coming up on Sunday. - End of an era - NASA's Space Shuttle program ended in 2011, after a 30-year run that carried America's post-Apollo space ambitions. The four surviving orbiters -- Atlantis, Endeavour, prototype Enterprise, and Discovery -- were awarded to Florida, California, New York, and Virginia through a ranked selection process. Discovery, the most flown, was chosen as a vehicle-of-record in a near-complete state, intended for study by future generations. "There was not a lot of support within Houston to want a shuttle," space historian Robert Pearlman told AFP, adding that a proposal to house it at Space Center Houston was relatively weak. But after the announcement, Texas -- home to the Johnson Space Center, which oversees NASA's human spaceflight -- felt snubbed, and allegations of political interference by then-president Barack Obama swirled. A NASA inspector general probe found no evidence of foul play. - Enormous challenges - Relocating Discovery now would pose major technical hurdles. NASA had modified two Boeing 747s to ferry retired shuttles -- one is now a museum piece, and the other is out of service. That leaves land and water transport. "The nearest water entrance to the Potomac River is about 30 miles away," Pearlman said -- but it may be too shallow for the orbiter and required barge, requiring a 100-mile journey instead. A water transport would require a massive enclosed barge, he added. The US government owns only one such vessel, controlled by the military. Loaning it to a civilian agency would require another act of Congress, and the alternative would involve building one from scratch. Dennis Jenkins, a former shuttle engineer who oversaw the delivery of retired orbiters to their new homes, told the Collect Space outlet he could see costs reach a billion dollars. Nicholas O'Donnell, an attorney at Sullivan & Worcester with expertise in art and museum law, told AFP that assuming Smithsonian has valid paperwork, "I don't think Secretary Duffy or anyone in the federal government has any more authority to order the move of Discovery than you or I do." The government could invoke eminent domain -- seizing private property for public use -- but it would have to pay fair market value or try to sue. The Smithsonian is unlikely to want a court battle, and while it's legally independent, its financial reliance on federal funds leaves it politically vulnerable, said O'Donnell. ia/jgc
