I call it the “nickel and dime” approach to losing weight. 

As anyone who has ever looked under their couch cushions for loose coins knows, small change can add up. And when it comes to losing weight, small changes can also make a big difference. In fact slow and steady is the best way to sustain weight loss.

Thing is, many dieters unsuccessfully attempt a major makeover of their eating habits, giving up all pleasurable foods or starving themselves to reduce their calorie intake – and their waistline. Those strategies, however, are generally not ones people are able to stick with for a long time. So more often than not, the diet ends and the weight slowly (or not so slowly) comes back on, and the health benefits gained from weight loss slip away.

My “radical” suggestion is to consider something not at all radical: Making small, simple changes for life. Not only are they the easiest to attempt, they are also often the most successful.

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As we pointed out in our blog a few weeks back, the Scripps Translational Science Institute has launched an ambitious 20-year study on how people respond to genetic test results, using the Navigenics service as a basis for the research.

Upon learning they are at increased genetic risk for conditions such as obesity, diabetes or cancer, do people start to exercise more and eat a little less? Are they more conscientious about going to the doctor at the first sign of trouble? Do they ignore the information entirely, refusing to kick their pack-a-day habit?

Previous smaller studies have found that genetic information holds promising motivational potential. Now, the Scripps study’s principal investigator, Dr. Eric J. Topol, plans to follow 10,000 adults to find out more.

He already has one very important set of results in hand—his own.

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If you’ve been looking for excuses to skip exercise, a predisposition to atrial fibrillation shouldn’t be one of them.

For years, the prevailing wisdom has been that exercise – at least vigorous endurance training – increases a person’s risk of atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart beat linked to the formation of blood clots that can potentially cause a stroke.

By extension, many people feared the same might be true even for leisurely physical activity.

But new research has determined that being inactive may be just as bad. Scientists recently found that light to moderate exercise appears to actually prevent this health condition from occurring in older adults.

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There’s been much ado lately about bisphenol-A, a chemical used in the packaging of some foods and drinks – and found in the bodies of 93 percent of Americans.

While some scientists insist it is impossible to say that BPA is safe, others say there isn’t enough evidence yet to conclude that it’s unsafe.

Among the research studies raising eyebrows – and concerns that consumers may be better off avoiding the substance: a large study published in September, the first to link BPA to heart disease and type 2 diabetes in humans.

Researchers found that the 25 percent of the adult population with the highest BPA levels were more than twice as likely to have heart disease or diabetes as the 25 percent with the lowest BPA levels. High BPA levels were also linked to liver enzyme abnormalities.

“Our study has revealed, for the first time, an association between raised BPA loads and two common diseases in adults,” said David Melzer, one of the study’s authors, in a written statement. “At the moment we can’t be absolutely sure that BPA is the direct cause of the extra cases of heart disease and diabetes: if it is, some cases of these serious conditions could be prevented by reducing BPA exposure.”

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Soon, doctors will be able to learn about genetic testing – and get professional credits for their efforts.

In a major advancement for the burgeoning genetic testing industry, the American College of Preventive Medicine has announced it is creating a medical education program on the use of genomic tools in medicine.

Called “Genetic Risk, Screening and Intervention,” the course is aimed at improving physicians’ understanding of the use of genetic testing in disease prevention. Available in early 2009, the class will discuss the genetic risk factors for disease, as well as the current evidence about the ability of genetic tests to assess risk.

This is an exciting time for the field of medicine.

“We are beginning to see healthcare’s evolvement from a discipline focused primarily on treating existing diseases and conditions to one that gives equal credence to preventing those diseases in the first place,” said Michael Barry, executive director of the American College of Preventive Medicine.

“We are excited to be helping physicians on the frontline of care become more familiar with multiple risk assessment strategies and the evidence behind new technologies—including genomic applications—that can help patients better understand their risk for disease and take appropriate actions to mitigate that risk,” he said.

To that end, national experts in genomics, prevention and epidemiology are designing the course to explore many issues related to genetic testing and disease prevention, including:

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Hot flashes, a common and annoying rite of passage for many women entering menopause, may truly be something to sweat over.

Long seen as a nuisance, an unavoidable quality-of-life issue, hot flashes have been linked to insomnia, irritability and depressed mood, not to mention soaking bedsheets. But now there’s increasing evidence that hot flashes may have medical implications as well.

The habitual flushing and perspiration many women have come to dread may actually be a harbinger – a warning – of heart disease.

A series of studies has helped put some – but not all – of the pieces together on this puzzling physiological phenomenon.

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