Weight Loss; Food and Emotions: 90 percent overlook key to weight loss ♦ Gut microbes trigger fat loss ♦ Short sleep linked to distracted secondary eating

Food and Emotions: 90 percent overlook key to weight loss The results of a national survey about weight loss barriers finds 90 percent of respondents discounted one of the most important factors -- your mind. A neuropsychologist says the most crucial factor is your psychological relationship with food and exercise, yet the majority (60 percent) listed diet and exercise to be the biggest barriers of weight loss, and only 10 percent of people thought psychological well being was the biggest barrier to weight loss.

Sperm carries information about dad's weight Turns out dads are also eating for two. A study reveals that a man's weight affects the heritable information contained in sperm. The sperm cells of lean and obese men possess different epigenetic marks, notable at gene regions associated with the control of appetite.

Gut microbes trigger fat loss in response to cold temperatures Exposure to cold temperatures is known to mimic the effects of exercise, protecting against obesity and improving metabolic health. A study now reveals that the beneficial health effects of cold exposure are mediated in part by gut microbes. The researchers found that cold exposure dramatically alters the composition of intestinal bacteria in mice and that this microbial shift is sufficient to burn fat, improve glucose metabolism, and reduce body weight

Short sleep linked to distracted secondary eating, drinking Research suggests a link between short sleep and obesity from secondary eating and drinking while engaged in another activity. Investigators assessed time spent on secondary eating and drinking as well as primary eating and drinking, with sleep duration as the principal independent variable.