Meal replacement plans are effective tools for weight loss and improvement of various clinical characteristics but not sustainable due to the severe energy restriction. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of meal replacement, specifically 388 kcal in total energy, on body composition and metabolic parameters in individuals with overweight and obesity from a Chinese population. A parallel, randomized controlled trial was performed with 174 participants (ChiCTR-OOC-17012000). The intervention group (N=86) was provided with a dinner meal replacement, and the control group (N=88) continued their routine diet as before. Body composition and blood parameters were assessed at 0, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. A post hoc analysis (least significant difference (LSD) test), repeated measurements, and pairedT-test were used to compare each variable within and between groups. Significant (p<0.001) improvements in body composition components were observed among the intervention group, including body weight (−4.3 ± 3.3%), body mass index (−4.3 ± 3.3%), waist circumference (−4.3 ± 4.4%), fat-free mass (−1.8 ± 2.9%), and body fat mass (−5.3 ± 8.8%). Body composition improvements corresponded with significant metabolic improvements of blood glucose (−4.7 ± 9.8%). Further improvements in visceral fat area (−7.7 ± 10.1%), accompanying with improvements in systolic (−3.7 ± 6.9%) and diastolic (−5.3 ± 7.7%) blood pressure, were only found in male subjects. To conclude, meal replacement intake with 388 kcal in total energy at dinner time for 12 weeks contributed to improvement in body composition and clinically significant metabolic parameters in both male and female participants with overweight/obesity. Additionally, glucose and blood pressure reduction were gender-specific highlighting the importance of gender stratification for design of nutritional intervention studies for improvement of health.

Background and Objective: Overweight or obesity, as an independent risk factor for chronic diseases, has been on the rise globally. Adopting a healthy lifestyle is positive to weight control. Mobile-based lifestyle interventions have shown potential benefits in weight loss, but most studies were carried out among non-elderly population, so it is necessary to perform well-designed randomized controlled trials among the elderly with overweight or obesity. The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of mobile-based lifestyle intervention on weight loss among the overweight and obese elderly population in China. Methods: This is a prospective, open-labeled, three-month, multicenter, randomized controlled trial involving 750 participants from five cities who were randomly assigned to dietary and physical activity interventions group (DPG; mobile phone with the App and bracelet), physical activity interventions group (PG; mobile phone with the App and bracelet) and control group (CG; no interventions and kept their lifestyle as before). The outcomes evaluated were changes in weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference (HC). Results: In total, 642 (85.6%) participants completed the study, 237 (94.8%), 203 (81.2%), and 202 (80.8%) for DPG, PG, and CG respectively. Comparing with PG and CG, the DPG showed a significant decrease in all outcomes after three months, including body weight (−4.1 kg vs. −1.0 kg; −4.1 kg vs. −0.8 kg; p < 0.05), BMI (−1.6 kg/m² vs. −0.4 kg/m²; −1.6 kg/m² vs. −0.3 kg/m²; p < 0.05), WC (−2.8 cm vs. −0.1 cm; −2.8 cm vs. −0.5 cm; p < 0.05), and HC (−3.8 cm vs. −1.3 cm; −3.8 cm vs. −1.3 cm; p < 0.05). Similar effects were seen across sex and BMI subgroups. Conclusions: Mobile-based lifestyle intervention obtained beneficial effect in weight loss among the elderly with overweight or obesity. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness and its sustainability.

Objective: To investigate the association between the neighborhood food environment and body mass index (BMI) among Chinese older adults. Methods: A multi-stage stratified random sampling method was used to recruit participants from 12 communities in Beijing, China, in 2019. Participants (n = 1764, 1034 women) in this study were older adults aged 65 to 80. We collected the participants’ basic information, measured their height and weight, and calculated their BMI. Neighborhood food environments were measured by the density of and proximity to different food outlets using the Baidu Map Application Programming Interface. Adjusted multiple linear regression was performed to estimate the association between the food environment and BMI. Results: Participants had a mean age of 69.7 ± 4.32 years old and an average BMI of 26.3 ± 3.50 kg/m². Among the three types of stores, convenience stores had the easiest access, followed by greengrocers and supermarkets. Sit-down restaurants had the best access among different restaurants, followed by Chinese fast-food restaurants, and western fast-food restaurants had the worst access. Easier access to greengrocers (β = 0.281, p < 0.001) and sit-down restaurants (β = 0.304, p < 0.001) was associated with higher BMI in the 250 m buffer zone. More supermarkets were associated with higher BMI in the 500 m buffer zone (β = 0.593, p < 0.001). Access to convenience stores was positively associated with BMI in the 800 m buffer zone (β = 0.057, p < 0.001). Better access to Chinese fast-food restaurants was associated with higher BMI (β = 0.071, p = 0.001), and better access to western fast- food restaurants was associated with lower BMI (β = −0.400, p < 0.001) in the 1000 m buffer zone. There was a negative association between the nearest distance to greengrocers and BMI (β = −0.004, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Although we found some significant associations between the neighborhood food environment and obesity, the current results are not strong enough to draw specific conclusions. Policymakers will need to rely on more evidence to derive concrete policy recommendations.

Background: Promotion of a healthy lifestyle is considered a good strategy for dealing with chronic diseases. Mobile-based lifestyle interventions have shown beneficial effects in the control and treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome. Current clinical trials for mobile-based lifestyle intervention were mainly conducted among non-elderly populations, thus well-designed trials performed among the elderly who are more susceptible to chronic diseases are needed. The study aims to assess the effect of the mobile-based lifestyle intervention on the improvement of body weight, glucose and lipid metabolism among overweight and obese elderly adults in China. Materials and Methods: Participants aged 60–80 years who are overweight or obese will be randomly assigned to receive mobile-based nutrition and exercise intervention, mobile-based exercise intervention and no intervention for 3 months. Before the intervention, participants will receive the training of the mobile application and sports bracelet. The primary outcome will be the between-group (three groups) difference in body mass index at the end of intervention. The secondary outcomes will include body composition, parameters of glucose and lipid metabolism, blood pressure, dietary data and physical activity data. All these outcomes will be assessed at baseline, day 45 and day 90. Ethics and dissemination: The trial has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Peking University Health Science Center (IRB00001052-18039).

Introduction: Water is a critical nutrient, and it is important for the maintenance of the physiological function of the human body [1-3]. In addition to fluid amounts, fluid intake frequency is also important for hydration status [4, 5]. At present, only few guidelines mention fluid intake behavior that recommend drinking water frequently while in small quantities, however, there is no scientific evidence to support it. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the appropriate fluid intake behavior. Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of different fluid intake behavior on cognition and mood, to provide scientific basis for proposing the appropriate fluid intake behavior. Methods: A double-blinded randomized controlled trial was designed and implemented among college students aged 18–23 years in Baoding, China. Subjects were randomly assigned into each of 3 groups using a random number generated by computer software: the subjects consuming plain water 200 mL/2 h, that is, 1,600 mL during whole day (group 1), 100 mL/2 h, that is, 800 mL during whole day (group 2), and 110 mL/1 h, that is, 1,650 mL during whole day (group 3), respectively. Subjects were asked to fast from 11:00 p.m., without consuming any foods or drinks the day before the intervention. From 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. of the first study day, subjects consumed water according to the instructions and repeated it from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. of the second study day. Cognition, mood, and urine osmolality were collected twice at 10:00 a.m. (time 1) and 4:00 p.m. (time 2) of the second study day (shown in Fig. 1). Results: A total of 92 subjects (46 males, 46 females) completed this study. It was found that the increasing fluid intake amounts lead to an increase in urine output and a decrease in urine osmolality (p < 0.05). Use the mixed models to compare measurements for groups 1 and 2, which showed that when compared with those drinking 800 mL per day, people who drank 1,600 mL per day scored higher in vigor (11.8 vs. 9.1, p < 0.05) and portrait memory test (22.6 vs. 20.8, p < 0.05) but lower in total mood disturbance (90.8 vs. 97.8, p < 0.05). By comparing groups 1 and 3, the results indicated that compared with drinking 8 times per day, people who drank 15 times per day scored lower in portrait memory test (21.8 vs. 22.6, p < 0.05) and hunger (3.3 vs. 3.6, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Reasonable fluid intake behavior may be beneficial to improve the cognition and mood of college students. The fluid intake behavior, which is consuming water 200 mL each time and 8 times per day, is recommended. More studies are needed to advise people to have health-beneficial fluid intake behavior.

Water is a critical nutrient that is important for the maintenance of the physiological function of the human body. This article aimed to investigate the effects of the amount and frequency of fluid intake on cognitive performance and mood. A double-blinded randomized controlled trial was designed and implemented on college students aged 18–23 years in Baoding, China. Participants were randomly assigned into one of three groups: the recommended behavior group (RB group) who drank 200 mL of water every 2 h, the half amount group (HA group) who drank 100 mL of water every 2 h, and the high frequency group (HF group) who drank 110 mL of water every 1 h. The intervention lasted 2 days. Urine osmolality, cognitive performance, and mood of participants in each group were compared using the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). A total of 92 participants (46 females, 46 males) completed this study with a completion rate of 95.8%. The urine osmolality of the HA group was higher than that of the RB group and the HF group at two time points (p < 0.05). At time point 1, the scores in the portrait memory test and vigor were statistically different (F = 20.45, p < 0.001; F = 5.46, p = 0.006). It was found that the scores for the portrait memory test in the RB group were lower than those in the HA group and the HF group (p = 0.007; p < 0.001), while the scores of the HF group were higher than those of the HA group (p < 0.001). The scores for vigor in the RB group were significantly higher than those of the HA group (p = 0.006), and they were also significantly higher than those of the HF group (p = 0.004). At time point 2, only the scores for vigor were statistically different (F = 3.80, p = 0.026). It was found that the scores for vigor in the RB group were higher than those in the HA group and HF group (p = 0.018; p = 0.019). Both the amount and frequency of fluid intake may affect urine osmolality and vigor, but these factors have limited impacts on cognitive performance. Rational fluid intake behavior may be beneficial to improve the hydration status and mood of young adults. More research is needed, especially experimental research, to allow causal conclusions to be drawn.