guardian.co.uk, 24th June 2009

The latest reports carried in Sweden show that the surgery that makes the stomach smaller, reduces the risk of cancer for overweight women. Unfortunately, it is still not clear if men would benefit from the same procedure.

As batriatic surgery usually consists of reducing the size of the stomach, people can only eat small amount of food at a time and less food is absorbed by the body. Weight-loss surgery brings good results to overweight and obese patients. In comparison with those who lost weight by diet and exercise alone, they tend to lose weight relatively quickly and keep their weight.

Weight Loss Surgery Channel, 22nd 2009

Last research show that patients in Canada who underwent batriatic surgery feel good, happy and are more healthy.

386 patients between 21 and 68 years old were examined by the Weight Loss Benefits survey. Only part of them managed to lose weight by the time of the survey. Three quarters of them had not reached their goal weight.

Even those results, though, gave the patients better self-esteem. It’s very good news as it means that even small results give the patients good emotions and they are more willing to keep on going.

Examiner.com, 15th June 2009

Obesity, epidemic of XXI century, hits especially United States of America. About two-thirds of the American population is overweight or obese.
Weight-loss is not easy. Many people, having tried more conventional methods, turn to batriatic surgery. It helps them to lose serious weight as it restricts the amount of food that can be taken. In the USA about 100.000 batriatic surgeries are taking place. The vast majority of patients (80%) are women.

Ottawa Citizen, 3rd June 2009

The newest reports show that some patients in Canada die waiting for the weight-loss surgery. This kind of treatment is much longer than any other surgery in the country. Patients have to wait for over five years.

In the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal 12 patients died while waiting for the treatment. The average age of the patients was 46.
Patients who died suffered from obesity-related issues, such as sleep apnea, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, blood clots in the veins or deep vein thrombosis.

Newsday, 9th May

Obesity is said to be epidemic of our times. It prevents us from doing things we’d like to do and fails to control our bodies.

Cindy Scheiner, 49, was so obese she couldn’t go back up the stairs to her office. A friend had to help her to find a refuge in the garage. Also Fern Fladell, 45, weighting 260 pounds worried one day her knees fail to carry her excessed body.

Both ladies took part in the fifth annual ‘Dream Walk’ last Saturday. About a dozen of people who underwent weight-loss surgery walked three miles on the Long Beach boardwalk.

WSHM-TV, 4th May

At least one person diet after using a popular weight-loss drug – Hydroxycut. The drug has been removed from the pharmacies after the FDA received 23 reports of health problems including a death of a 19 year old man.

The drug was sold without prescription and was relatively inexpensive so many people, who wanted to lose weight, tried it. About 1 million doses of the drug were sold in the USA which means 1 in 300 people are still taking it.

The main component of Hydroxycut is hydroxy citric acid which is said to suppress the appetite. The component comes from Indonesia and it was used there just for that.

Telegraph, 26th April

A new drug, Alli, has just hit the market with a promise of quick and effective weight-loss.

As the spring is blossoming and the summer with be here soon, everyone would like to look slim and trim. People don’t dress up in warm jumpers and baggy coats any more. Tops and T-shirts are not that forgiving for the figure. Even those who’ve got only a little bit of extensive fat, feel the pressure of losing it and get the flat tummy back.

That’s why Alli can become very popular. How effective and safe it is, though?

MedPage Today, 20th April 2009

It is well known that obese patients who undergo weight-loss surgery benefit not only from losing weight, but their health issues improve significantly.

What’s interesting, even if some patients remain obese, their health problems get better. This argument was confirmed by a study carried on 625 obese patients. All those patients had a gastric bypass surgery and the researches carried out six years after the operation showed that most health problems improved significantly. They were: dyslipidemia, joint pain, sleep apnea, blood glucose, hypertension and gastroesophageal reflux. The study was published in the April “Archives of Surgery”.

Newswise, 15th April 2009

Not only severely obese patients should be allowed weight-loss surgery. Latest researches show that this kind of operation is helpful to moderately obese to lose more weight.

Until now many clinics accepted performing weight-loss operations on patients with body max index (BMI) with 40 or more. The studies show, though, that patients with BMI of 30 and 40, and diseases such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension will benefit from the weight-loss surgery as it will improve their health issues.

Times Online, 5th April 2009

Public awareness and willingness to look good have made weight-loss surgery very popular over the last years. There were 72% more weight-loss procedures in the last months, than a year earlier. Also private clinics notice a boom proceeding twice as more operations. One of the private hospital chains carried 800 weight-loss procedures within five months.

Patients are more aware of the health risks connected with obesity: diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease. The problem is even more serious after studies showing obesity being a growing epidemic in the UK.