The study, published by the Annals of Internal Medicine, tracked weight loss participants that had lost an average of 16 pounds during a 16-week group-based weight loss program. The participants were randomly assigned either the intervention group or “usual care,” which means no contact except for periodic weight assessments. The intervention group gradually moved from in-person group meetings to telephone calls, infrequent calls, and then during the final 14 weeks of the study received the usual care. After 56 weeks, the intervention group experienced a mean weight regain of 1.5 pounds compared to the usual care group’s 5 pounds.

Considering that obesity is one of the most widespread diseases and can lead to a myriad of further health complications like type 2 diabetes and heart disease, the findings are exciting.¹ Even though all participants did regain some weight, the evidence suggests that incorporating maintenance intervention in clinical and commercial weight loss programs could make them more effective long term. Questions remain about the financial viability of intervention, and this is perhaps where new developments in technology may provide exciting solutions.

Consumer wearable devices will be highly personalized and can take on the role of maintenance care worker for a consumer’s specific health needs. This would cut costs for the healthcare system, prioritize physician resources, and improve patient outcomes by providing the constant motivation, maintenance, and feedback that people need to manage their own health.

Read the Annals of Internal Medicine article here: http://annals.org/aim/article/2605026/maintenance-weight-loss-after-initiation-nutrition-training-randomized-trial#.WKxTZXDUYlk

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2949982/ [return] ]]> https://biotricity-staging.dayonedevelopment.com/2016/12/19/burned-out-stress-employee/ Mon, 19 Dec 2016 14:39:37 +0000 https://biotricity.com/?post_type=newsroom&p=2971 Disengaged, burned-out workers cost the United States and Canada upwards of $550 billion a year says Brad Stulberg in his recent article called “The United States of Burnout” for Thrive Global. The article discusses how the advent of mobile devices has made it difficult for people to disconnect from work and also points to how this has perpetuated a “costly epidemic of burnout” ¹. Throughout his piece, Stulberg consults various studies and polls in order to show that 27% of Americans and Canadians work too long, at all hours of the day, and on weekends and that this leaves 40% of office workers in the U.S. and Canada feeling burned out.

Burnout is when you experience chronic fatigue which can then lead to “an inability to focus, irritability, anxiety, and sleep disturbances” and it can even lead to psychosis like clinical depression ¹. The irony is that people are forcing themselves into a state of burnout in order to keep productivity flowing but, as Stulberg reveals, this is actually counter-productive. “Burnout and underperformance go hand-in-hand,” in other words, constant connectivity to work is actually costing workplaces productivity, an estimated $300 billion in sick time, replacement of 50% of burned-out workers, and this doesn’t include the whopping $450-550 billion in lost productivity, annually ¹. And, of course, burnout’s true cost is to workers who are endangering their own mental and physical health. Stress, according to Mayo Clinic can lead to a plethora of side effects including chest pains, anxiety, sleep problems, and social withdrawal. If you are feeling burned out and the effects of stress then it’s time for a change.

Stulberg’s piece is a call to action, but not an easy one to implement. Reducing burnout will require reducing work hours, reducing connection via wireless devices, and reducing commitments. Change of this kind will require a paradigm shift in the way we perceive the work/life balance where “life” will have to precede “work” and we’ll all have to learn to unplug for a little while.

For more information you can read the original article here:

1. Brad Stulberg’s “The United States of Burn-out” https://journal.thriveglobal.com/the-united-states-of-burnout-98b9418b0c95#.phetyd4fv [return] ]]> https://biotricity-staging.dayonedevelopment.com/2016/08/30/medical-wearables-help-uks-ageing-population/ Tue, 30 Aug 2016 16:33:20 +0000 http://localhost/biotricity/?post_type=newsroom&p=2225 http://raconteur.net/technology/medical-wearables-to-help-uks-ageing-population