Obesity clinic targets Latinos
The newly opened clinic is funded by the wife of the late Robert Atkins.
Arin Mikailian
Atkins, , wife of late diet guru Robert Atkins, funded the launch of the Veronica Atkins Lifestyles Intervention Lab, designed to treat obesity and metabolic diseases, at USC's Health Science Campus.
The facility opened in January and features exercise equipment, diagnostic facilities and a stocked kitchen.
The lab's first study involved the Strength and Nutrition Outcome for Latino Adolescents (SANO-LA).
"The Latino population seems to be more overweight, insulin-resistant and likely to get Type two diabetes than any other ethnic group," said Dr. Jaimie Davis, a research associate and nutritionist for the SANO-LA.
In 2004, Veronica Atkins funded Dr. Michael Goran's pilot study, which tested a nutritional diet on a group of young Latino adolescent males to determine if a healthier eating lifestyle can lower the risk of developing Type two diabetes.
According to the report, Goran found the treatment to improve insulin sensitivity, which reduces the risk of attaining type two diabetes.
Davis said the results from Goran's study impressed Atkins and encouraged her to fund the creation of the lab for additional studies.
The SANO-LA builds upon the foundation of Goran's study by separately testing numerous waves of 30 adolescent Latino males and females by subjecting them to the same nutritional diet, Davis said.
The study includes a combination group, which blends the nutritional treatment with a strength training routine involving weights
A separate control group is also included, which receives no treatment.
"We want to see which one is going to be most effective," Davis said. "Our hypothesis is that the group that exercised will be the ones that lose the most weight and improve the most metabolically."

Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Lydia Huerta
posted 7/30/08 @ 12:40 PM PST
I am interested in finding a comprehensive program to treat obesity for my son. He is 23 years old, hispanic, weighs about 390 lbs.
I don't think this is the group I am looking for. (Continued…)
Post a Comment