Naked Science Forum

On the Lighter Side => New Theories => Topic started by: another_someone on 09/11/2006 21:38:05

Title: Obesity and precision work
Post by: another_someone on 09/11/2006 21:38:05

[h3]Obesity and precision work[/h3]

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For some time I was wondering about aspects of one's state of mind, and the effect on weight gain; in particular, I find that when I am concentrating intently on a problem, I tend to slow down my breathing rate, and when I tend to do lot of such problem solving, I tend to gain weight more.  It occurred to me that as I slow down my breathing rate, it must slow down the rate at which I can metabolise fuel, and that this might have as significant an effect as the rate at which I consume food (when one controls the performance of a car engine (at least in old fashioned corroborated engines), one does not actually directly control the fuel intake, but one tends to control the air intake, and the fuel burn then adjusts accordingly – and the same might be happening to the human body).

One of the things that occurred to me is that sportsmen who do high precision sports will sometimes abuse beta blocker in order to slow down their metabolism and steady themselves, in exactly the way that I am naturally slowing down my respiration when doing precision (whether mental or physical precision) work.

http://www.eirpharm.com/healthtips.php?g_id=9&g_name=Sports%20Medicine&id=123

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Beta Blockers can be used in precision sports to steady nervous twitches improve accuracy and could potentially be abused in sports such as Gymnastics, Motorcycling, Archery and Shooting They tend to be used at the same levels as for therapeutic use associated with their use for hypertension, some cardiac arrhythmias, or migraine. Side effects of beta-blockers when used in healthy individuals may include cardiac problems including slow heart rate and low heart rate, dizziness and impotence.

It also occurred to me to see if there was any information on beta-blockers and weight gain, and voilà:

http://jcp.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/29/3/212?ck=nck

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[h2]Obesity and beta-blockers: influence of body fat on their kinetics and cardiovascular effects [/h2]
[h5]F Galletti, ML Fasano, LA Ferrara, A Groppi, M Montagna, and M Mancini [/h5]
Beta-blockers are among the most widely used antihypertensive drugs. They differ from each other in regard to several factors such as: beta-agonist activity, beta 1-selectivity and solubility. Aim of this work was to evaluate the influence of obesity on the kinetics and the antihypertensive effect of two Beta-blockers with different solubility such as: the water-soluble, atenolol and the liposoluble, metoprolol. The study was carried out according to an open randomized cross-over design. Eight obese hypertensive patients, after a two week washout period, were randomly allocated to a four week treatment. After a two week intermediate washout period, each patient switched to the other treatment for an additional four week period. On the first and the last day of each treatment the subjects were hospitalized to collect blood samples for the assay of the two drugs and to measure cardiovascular parameters. Obesity does not exert any effect on the kinetics of the water-soluble beta-blocker, atenolol, while markedly interferes with that of the liposoluble, without any apparent influence on its anti-hypertensive effect. These findings extend to obese hypertensives the concept that the plasma concentrations of beta-blocking agents are not reliable predictors of their therapeutic effect.

Could the increasing amount of high precision work in the modern workplace have more to do with the increase in obesity than the actual reduction in physical exercise, or excess of food?

Title: Re: Obesity and precision work
Post by: Mjhavok on 12/11/2006 19:45:33

When I seen the title as was about to stick up for my chubby brethren lol. Once I actually read your post I find it quite interesting. I will read the links and check it out for sure.

Title: Re: Obesity and precision work
Post by: GBSB on 16/11/2006 16:30:32

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For some time I was wondering about aspects of one's state of mind, and the effect on weight gain; in particular, I find that when I am concentrating intently on a problem, I tend to slow down my breathing rate, and when I tend to do lot of such problem solving, I tend to gain weight more.

State of mind effect biological process in the body, but does not alone explain weight gain or weight loss.
Slowing down breathing rate does not means that body will gain weight , clear examples  are people effected with prolong bed rest or on Earth simulated weightlessness. They all losing weight independent what is their breathing rate, independent of their calories intake and independent what their genetic make up is.
 

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Could the increasing amount of high precision work in the modern workplace have more to do with the increase in obesity than the actual reduction in physical exercise, or excess of food?

In USA, State Colorado has 17% obese population compare to 29% obese population Texas. It is hard to imagine that amount of high precision work in Texas is much higher than in Colorado.
I am sure that increase in obesity in last three decade is not due reduction in physical activity and/or excess of food, but to some another factors. Those factors will be simply to explain but only after understanding cause and mechanism of fat formation on the body and mechanism of fat distribution on the body. 

Understanding real cause and mechanism of fat formation on/in the body will explain any occurrences of weight gain and weight loss.

I am sure that in near future even children will understand cause and mechanism of fat formation on/in the body and underlining mechanism of fat distribution on the body.  But nowadays creative thinking about cause of fat formation on/in the body and fat distribution on the body is crippled by present scientific thought about regulating mechanism of weight and shape of the body.

Please take look on my post; “Food, Water and Air�, were I am trying to explain “cause and underlining mechanism of fat formation on and in the body� and “underlining mechanism of fat distribution on the body�.
I’ll be glad to hear your opinion.

Luka Tunjic

Title: Re: Obesity and precision work
Post by: Karen W. on 17/11/2006 13:46:21

Some where a few years ago I read a study that was done about the effects of deep regulated proper breathing in managing weight loss and control! It said that by relearning how to properly breath we could control and manage, or basicly loose all the excess weight we were carrying. Is there any truth to this thereoy or am I way off base in my memory of this study? Does anyone know? Your posts remind me of that study! I can't find the article now as it has been too long... It is and interesting thought!

Title: Re: Obesity and precision work
Post by: gecko on 18/11/2006 03:20:08

...then ashtmatics would be fat.

realy though, doesnt increased brain activity increase glucose consumption similar to physical work? i know not as much; but it probably closes this percieved huge gap in metabolic rate.

Title: Re: Obesity and precision work
Post by: another_someone on 27/11/2006 03:46:17

Quote from: gecko on 18/11/2006 03:20:08

...then ashtmatics would be fat.

realy though, doesnt increased brain activity increase glucose consumption similar to physical work? i know not as much; but it probably closes this percieved huge gap in metabolic rate.

Asthmatics may temporarily reduce oxygen flow, but since they are having a panic attack, they actually increase their metabolism – quite the contrary to the precise concentration that I was talking about above (although I agree that there is a temporary reduction in oxygen flow – but do asthmatics have a long term reduction in oxygen flow – and do we know there whether there is a positive, negative, or no correlation between asthma and obesity?).

The argument about glucose usage in the brain I don't think is particularly relevant, since most of the brain is dedicated to tasks that are not normally regarded as cerebral in nature (e.g. physical co-ordination).

Title: Re: Obesity and precision work
Post by: gecko on 03/12/2006 06:03:47

some ashtmatics dont have attacks exactly. attacks being a temporary reduction(or complete halt) in oxygen flow and panic attack... sometimes it is a constant, non life-threatening reduction in lung compacity that fluctuates due to whatever the trigger is. i have this kind of "slow asthma" if you will and take a 12 hour steroid inhaler, rather than the normal quick action one for attacks. so if i wasnt medicated, i would have a pretty constant(it was hell) reduction in oxygen flow.

however, if there is a positive correlation between ashtma and obesity(not in my particular case) then yes, it would lend creedence to this idea.

Title: Re: Obesity and precision work
Post by: gecko on 03/12/2006 06:05:16

something i just thought of- youd have to take a sample of non medicated asthmatics or ones that arent on steroids at least. because they can cause weight gain sometimes that would screw with the results.