Dr Michael Evans talks about the single best thing someone can do for their health and in only 30 minutes a day…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejected the application of Qnexa, the third weight loss drug this month to be rejected for the U.S. market. The FDA cited concerns about birth defects and heart problems as their reason for rejecting the application, but have asked the drug manufacturer to supply more safety information. Qnexa is a combination of two existing drug, phenteramine and topiramate (Topamax) and both drugs are available in the U.S. in their single formulations.

Read more about the rejection of Qnexa at the N.Y. Times.

A recent study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at the effect of a probiotic (lactobacillus gasseri) added to fermented milk on weight loss and abdominal fat area in Japanese men.

The study was published by researchers at a Japanese dairy company and looked at the effect of probiotic supplements (Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055 (LG2055)) on weight loss in obese Japanese men.

The 3 month study of 87 men that had a BMI between 24.2 and 30.7 kg/m2 looked at weight loss and abdominal fat loss when given fermented milk either with or without the probiotic Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055. At the end of the 12 week study, there was a substantial weight loss in the group consuming the fermented milk with the probiotic (1.4% decrease or -1.1 kg) and decrease in BMI (1.5% decrease or -0.4 kg/m2) as well as a 4.6% decrease in the amount of abdominal fat tissue measured by CAT scans before and after the study.

A couple of thoughts on this study; First, its interesting to see that adding a probiotic may have some short term benefit on weight loss as well as decreasing abdominal fat, which can be a risk factor for heart disease. However, the group selected for the study mostly fall within the “Overweight” category on the BMI (Body Mass Index) scale (25 to 29.9 kg/m2). I’d be curious to see this same study done with test subjects that were in the Obese Class I & II(BMI of 30.0 to 34.9 kg/m2 and BMI of 35-39.9 kg/m2) and “Morbidly Obese” (BMI of greater that 40%) to see if the weight loss was similar or greater.

Additionally, I’d also like to see a longer study (6 to 12 months) to demonstrate the long term effectiveness of the probiotics in maintaining the weight loss, and additional results to determine if this weight loss effect would be enhanced by exercise and/or nutrition changes.

Researchers at Boston University found that 12 weeks of hiatha yoga had a significant improvement in low back pain in comparison to patients that continued traditional treatment for their low back pain. The study was A recently  published in the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. The research study followed a total of 30 patients that either participated in a 12 week hiatha yoga class and also were given instructions on home yoga exercises or a second (control) group of patients continued their currently prescribed  treatment sfor their low back pain.

At the conclusion of the twelve week study, the yoga  group had an 80% reduction in their use of  pain medication. Additionally,  73% of the yoga group felt that their back pain had improved. This finding was significant since only 27% in the “treatment as usual” group felt that their back pain had improved at the end of the 3 month study. The researchers also found a decrease in the level of the pain reported by the yoga group with the reported change in low back pain reduced by roughly one-third from when they started the 12 week program.  Compare this  to the “no yoga” group which only reported about a 5% decrease in their low back pain after 12 weeks of seeing their doctor and taking various pain medications.

Commentary – I’m not surprised by the results of this study looking at possible benefits of yoga for patients with low back pain. Many patients with low back pain tend to have some type of low back or core muscle weakness or difficulty using these muscles properlyp.  A well-instructed yoga class that emphasizes core stability can go a long way in not only decreasing a patient’s low back pain, but also cut down on their need for medications as well.

“Our pilot study showed that yoga is well-received in these communities and may be effective for reducing pain and pain medication use,” said Dr. Robert Saper in a news release. Dr. Saper, the lead author of the study, is also an assistant professor of family medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine and director of integrative medicine at Boston Medical Center.

The study appears in the November issue of the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine.