A smarter game plan for weight loss

According to a Gallup Poll, last year around 41 percent of U.S. adults admitted they were overweight. (It’s actually 73 percent — and may hit 85 percent by 2030.) And at any one time, as many as 50 percent of this country’s adult population is trying to shed excess pounds.

It can be life changing, when done correctly. But according to a study by Ohio State University researchers, a lot of folks rely on diet pills, skipping meals, doing low-carb and liquid diets, smoking, taking laxatives and purging to lose weight — and it doesn’t work.

Looking at data on over 20,000 U.S. adults, they found that the most effective weight-loss approach was: 1. A higher intake of quality proteins (not animal products loaded with saturated fats, but lean poultry, plant-based protein and fish) along with a reduction of refined grains and added sugars; 2. An increase in physical activity/exercise.

They also found that losing around 5 percent of your body weight if you are overweight or obese isn’t enough to improve or protect your heart health. To do that, you need to achieve the American Heart Association’s “Life’s Essential 8,” hitting healthy targets and guidelines for body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, smoking, physical activity, diet and sleep.

Hot treatment

Hot flashes happen to about 75 percent of women and start during perimenopause as estrogen levels fall. They cause a spike in body temperature and trigger a rapid heartbeat and dizziness. Usually they go on for about two years, although some women experience them for much longer.

Hot flashes can disrupt sleep, interfere with work and social activities, make it hard to exercise and generally reduce quality of life. Hormone replacement (which is safe and smart — take a low-dose aspirin along with it; clotting is the major risk) has been the most prescribed therapy. Until now. The Food and Drug Administration has approved a nonhormonal pill, fezolinetant, which works by blocking a receptor that plays a role in regulation of body temperature.

The FDA approved the drug after the phase three part of the SKYLIGHT-2 trial found that the medication reduced the frequency of hot flashes by an average of 7.5 a day by week 12 and over the next 40 weeks, women had even fewer hot flashes and severity was reduced.

Ask your doctor about this new therapy and figure out which treatment would be best for you.