There are many people who will follow this advice and who still struggle to lose weight. If you are one of these people you’ll need to think about the following four contributing factors for a truly a modern approach to weight loss:
Gut microbiota
Inside each of us are trillions of cells of bacteria, with up to 2 kg of bacteria living in our gastrointestinal tract known as the gut microbiota. It is believed that the bacterial cells inhabiting our gut outnumber the cells that make up our own body by a magnitude of 10:1! Are you really who you think you are.
High fat low fibre diets alter the gut microbiota leading to an environment that creates lowered gastrointestinal (GI) colonisation of healthy bifidobacteria, this in turn leads to GI inflammation, intestinal permeability and the leakage of lipopolysacchardies (LPS) into the blood stream. It has been shown that LPS creates an immune response in the body that increases the storage of fat, creates inflammation and decreases insulin sensitivity. All of this contributes to being overweight.
If, however, you take prebiotic fibre and probiotics such as bifidobacteria this decreases the releases of LPS into the blood improving insulin sensitivity, decreasing inflammation, decreasing fat storage and decreasing appetite. Simply taking a probiotic supplement and eating prebiotic foods is a modern approach to weight loss that can help you.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is only really obtained by direct exposure to sunlight. Over 3000 genes are affected by vitamin D and beyond the role vitamin D plays in bone and immune health it plays a huge roll in cell signalling and cell differentiation. We know from research that vitamin D deficiency negatively affects insulin sensitivity / glucose tolerance and leads to type 2 diabetes and type 2 diabetes is associated with being overweight.
So a modern approach to weight loss is something as simple as making sure your vitamin D levels are up to par. This can help improve insulin sensitivity and aid having optimum body composition. You can ask your doctor for 25(O-H)D3 test and supplement accordingly based on the results. A baseline of 2000-500IU is a good place to start.
Methylation
Methylation is a process that happens in many body tissues such as the brain, the liver, the lungs and the heart. It is a set of chemical reactions that turns methionine into something called SAMe. The process requires amongst other things B12, folic acid and B6. Due to our unique genetic make up some of us require much more of these B vitamins than others and if we are deficient we get a build up of homocysteine in the blood. People who have higher homocysteine in their blood are much more likely to suffer from all manner of diseases as well as be overweight.
Research done in rats shows that the rats that are hypomethylators (low in B vitamins or have a genetic fault requiring higher levels of B vitamins) are overweight and obese. You can have your homocysteine measured by a simple home blood test kit available from York Test, after which you can supplement with the active forms of B12, folic acid and B6, which is truly a modern approach to weight loss.
Toxins
Thousands of chemicals have been released in to our environment in the past 50 years, many with no knowledge about they will affect human physiology. They range from plastics such as dioxins and phthalates, to pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides as well as heavy metals. Many of these chemicals have an oestrogenic effect in our body and have been termed obesogens by functional medicine experts.
These chemicals basically screw up human physiology causing DNA damage, depleting and displacing nutrients from the body, altering cellular communication and energy production and placing a toxic burden on the body.
Identifying and eliminating these toxins is beyond the scope of this article but you can reduce your exposure to these chemicals by buying organic food. Bob Rakowski, a modern approach to weight loss expert states that if you are not buying organic food you are contributing to an industry that is poisoning every man, women and child on this planet.
You can also filter your water and change your personal care products to ones free from parabens. Eating broccoli, cabbage, kale, watercress, onions and leeks can also support the liver detoxifying these chemicals.
Summary
So there you have it, a modern approach to weight loss involves stopping smoking, reducing alcohol, exercising smartly and eating a low GL diet. London nutritionist Steve Hines recommends that weight loss can be enhanced by taking B vitamins, vitamin D, probiotics and by avoiding and eliminating toxins.
