24-7PressRelease.com, 23rd September

Weight-loss surgery is only a first part of the long-term process. Patients need a post-operation program to continue weight-loss. Patients in Columbus tried marathons and half marathons. Fresh Start Posse is a weight-loss support system started in 2006 for Fresh Start patients.

“Our success would not have been possible without Fresh Start Bariatrics at Riverside Methodist Hospital, and its comprehensive weight loss program,” Chris Burkhardt, a 9-1-1 dispatcher in Columbus, who had weight loss surgery in 2006 and is now an active part of the Fresh Start Posse, said. “The Fresh Start Posse serves as a way for us to stay connected, and participate in various new activities together; we’re energized by our new lifestyle and the friendships and support from other Fresh Start patients is important for our continued weight loss success.”

The Fresh Start Posse was created by a group of weight-loss surgery patients who understood they had to stay active in order to continue weight-loss and change lifestyle. Making new friends and support from other people was also very important. The group provides information about marathons, races and other events. The Fresh Start Posse do them as a group.

The Group does not require participation, everything is voluntary. Some patients, however, took part even in extreme events such as parasailing and sprint triathlon. They realize they could never done it before the weight-loss.

Members of the group stress the importance of being part of a group after the surgery. It is very important to ask questions, being listened to and get support.

Patients who plan the surgery should try to find as much information as possible not only about the procedure but also about the post-operation care. It is a great key to success to know what to expect.

Times of India, 23rd August 2009

Decision about weight-loss surgery is never easy. Dr. Stephen Hamn from Baylon Medical Centrer at Frisco suggests a few tips before making a decision.

First of all, do not rush into the decision about the programme. This is very important as will inform about available possibilities as well as post-operative care.

Remember to consult doctors about different types off surgeries. You will be then able to chose between gastric bypass, gastric banding or gastric sleeve.

The doctor will help you to make a decision as it is very individual and depends on numerous factors. As a patient, find out as much as you can before consulting the doctor and then ask questions that will help you to decide.

Do not be afraid of asking the doctor about the experience. Researches show that post-operative complications occur more rarely with experienced surgeons.

Remember that you will see your doctor and his/her staff at least a few times in the first year after the operation. Before making the decision make sure they are interested in you and support you in the way you need it.

And the last but not least – ask about the post-operative support. Does the doctor suggest joining support groups, psychological help, exercise, physical therapy and meeting with dieticians?

“I frequently tell our patients that 90 percent of their long-term success is in their hands, not mine,� Hamn said.

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.

“That’s the danger with these kinds of supplements, they don’t undergo the rigorous study that prescription drugs do prior to their release to the market. So a lot of times we don’t know what the side affects are until people report problems,” said John Romanelli, director of Weight Loss Surgery.
Everyone who has taken Hydroxycut is advised to contact their doctor immediately and have their liver checked.

Calgary Herald, 23rd February 2009

People who are desperate to lose weight try a number of solutions in belief they will help. The solution, though, is as simple as tough – they only way to lose weigh is to burn off more calories than you take in.

Unfortunately, according to the Canadian Medical Association, many people are tempted by quick weight-loss programs offering herbal products, cleanses and other drugs promising quick back to shape. Those products promise speeding up metabolism and stopping the appetite, seem like a miraculous solution to the problem.

Unfortunately, those products are not only useless but, what’s more, death cases were recorded after using ultra-low calorie diet with those drugs.

Dr. Arya Sharma from the University of Alberta says the reason people use such products is because the labels promise exactly what they want: boost the metabolism, cleans the body, no side effects and no need for physical activity. “Believe me, if such a product existed, I’d be the first to prescribe it to my patients.” Dr. Sharma says.

Dr. Sharma and other weight-loss surgeons admit that weight-loss procedures let patients lose only about 30% of their body. Results, however, can be much better if a patient changes a lifestyle and diet. Patients who are to undergo a weight-loss operation are informed about the risks of the surgery and how their life will be different afterwards. Changing eating habits and physical activity is a must which can lead to a healthy new life.

Losing weight is not an easy task; it requires lots of effort and commitment. Dr. Sharma advices to mistrust “any product that claims to cause weight loss of two pounds or more a week for a month or more without dieting or exercise; cause substantial weight loss no matter what or how you eat; cause permanent weight loss (even when you stop using the product) and safely enable consumers to lose more than three pounds per week for more than four weeks; cause substantial weight loss for all users; cause substantial weight loss by wearing it on the body or rubbing it into the skin.”

If it sounds too good to be true, it is not. Better than spending money on those products, spend them in a gym and healthy food.

Private Healthcare UK, 7th February 2009

For some patients weight-loss surgery is a life-saving procedure. Not everyone can lose weight by changing diet and exercising. What’s sure, though, all patients who went under the knife, have to change their lifestyle if they want to stay in shape.

The latest studies show that only those patients can enjoy improved lives.

200 patients took part in the research at the Miriam Hospital’s Centres for Behavioural and Preventive Medicine. All patients underwent a weight-loss surgery.

There were two groups of patients: active patients did at least 3 hours of physical activity a week. They were moderate activities such as walking and jogging.

Those patients, as researches show, lost even more weight than only after the surgery. The majority of patients in this group, who started to be active at least a year after the surgery, lost an extra stone. They also managed to reduce their BMI (body mass index) by two points.

What’s more, they reported improved general health, more energy and lack of depression.

“Bariatric surgery is quickly emerging as a standard treatment for severe obesity, although weight loss outcomes vary.” Dr Dale Bond of The Miriam Hospital’s Centres said. He also added that physical activity helps weight-loss and improves general quality of life.

Thu Dec 11, 2008 5:20am GMTLONDON (Reuters) – A third of all British adults — some 13 million people — will be obese by 2012 if current trends continue, jeopardising their health and straining healthcare budgets, researchers said on Thursday.

Over-eating and lack of exercise mean more and more Britons are seriously overweight, with 32.1 percent of men and 33.1 percent of women now expected to be clinically obese in four years’ time.

Almost half of them will be from low income and disadvantaged communities, widening the health gap between the haves and have-nots, according to Paola Zaninotto of University College London and colleagues.

Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers are all directly linked to obesity, and the condition causes at least 9,000 premature deaths each year in England alone, the research team said.

It also costs the economy around 7.4 billion pounds a year, they reported in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Their forecasts of future rates of obesity are based on data collected each year from 128,000 adults that provides a nationwide sample of Body Mass Index readings, which relate height to weight.

Previous research has shown a rapid rise in British obesity levels, with its prevalence almost doubling in men from 13.6 to 24 percent between 1993 and 2004 and rising nearly 50 percent among women, from 16.9 to 24.4 percent.

Obesity is a mounting concern for healthcare officials worldwide.

Drug companies have tried for years to develop a successful anti-obesity pill but the field is littered with failures, with Sanofi-Aventis’s Acomplia — withdrawn in October over links to mental disorders — the most recent casualty.

By Kate Devlin, Medical Correspondent Daily Telegraph – 10/11/08
Obesity kills more than 9,000 people a year, Alan Johnson warned as he launched a national campaign to fight the crisis. The Health Secretary announced plans for nine new “healthy towns” to share £30 million of investment designed to change attitudes and eating habits.

The announcement is the first stage of a new drive to encourage people to lose weight and become healthier, called Change4Life.

Experts predict that if trends continue the growing obesity problem could lead to rapid rises in the rates of life-threatening diseases like diabetes and cancer.

Last year, the Government-commissioned Foresight report warned that unless urgent action was taken half of all Britons could be obese by 2050.

Earlier this year Mr Johnson warned that heavily overweight schoolchildren faced dying eleven years younger than their slimmer classmates.

Announcing the new scheme he said: “Obesity is the biggest health challenge we face – every year 9,000 people die prematurely and a third of 11 and 12-year-olds are overweight.”

The aim of the new scheme was to create a “healthy England”, he added.

BBC News 17/10/08
Obesity and lack of fitness raise the risk of illness by impacting negatively on the body’s internal chemistry, research suggests.

A US team found levels of white blood cells were highest in men who were unfit and overweight.

White blood cells are key to fighting infection, but high levels can be a sign of inflammation, which is linked to coronary heart disease.

The study appears in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

“There is nothing worse than a risk factor that an individual cannot modify, but here are two risk factors – obesity and fitness – which they can do something about
Professor Tim Church
Pennington Biomedical Research Center
A team from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center carried out tests on 452 healthy men who were taking part in a long-term study of fitness.

Blood tests were taken, and analysed for their content of various types of white blood cell.

After taking account of age, the researchers found that all groups of white blood cell were lowest in the men who were most physically fit.

The greater proportion of body fat a man had, the higher his white blood cell count was.

Total white cell count was highest in men who had a combination of higher body fat and lower levels of physical fitness.

Levels were also high among men with lower body weight but lower levels of fitness.

However, a high degree of physical fitness negated the effect of extra body fat.

Full article:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7669966.stm

News Author: Jacquelyn K. Beals, PhD
CME Author: Désirée Lie, MD, MSEd
Medscape Today – Journal 15/10/08
Superobese patients who spend an average of 9 preoperative weeks on a very-low-calorie diet (VLCD) have reduced morbidity and mortality rates associated with bariatric surgery. The weight loss regimen appears to improve factors that influence technical aspects of surgery and reduces patient comorbidities.
George M. Eid, MD, FACS, from the Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, presented the study here today at the American College of Surgeons 94th Annual Clinical Congress. The study reflected the literature on bariatric surgery that shows superobesity (body mass index [BMI] > 50 kg/m2) to be a major risk factor for adverse outcomes. Other risk factors are male sex, age, lower socioeconomic status, or smoking.
Dr. Eid noted in his presentation that the 30-day mortality rate reported for 575 bariatric surgery patients in the Veterans Administration system is 1.4%, with a 19.7% overall rate of complications. Superobese patients have a 2.3% mortality rate and a 29% morbidity rate.
The surgical risks associated with superobesity are both physiologic and technical. The physiology involves several comorbidities: diabetes mellitus, sleep apnea, congestive heart failure, hypertension, degenerative joint disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Technical challenges include excess visceral fat, an enlarged liver (hepatomegaly), and a thickened abdominal wall.
The goal of the present study was to “evaluate changes in obesity-related comorbidities, liver size, and visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue volumes following preoperative weight loss with a…VLCD program, and relate these changes with postoperative outcomes,” said Dr. Eid.
“The kind of medical weight loss we use in this study is called very-low-calorie diet. This is a mostly high-protein liquid diet with balanced electrolytes,” Dr. Eid told Medscape Surgery. “My understanding is it’s only FDA [US Food and Drug Administration] approved for a 3-month period.”
Even without the US Food and Drug Administration regulation, medical weight loss is rarely successful in the long-term.
“Medical weight loss has a high incidence of failure over the long period of time,” Dr. Eid told Medscape Surgery. “If you follow a patient at 6 and 12 months they regain their weight, and maybe gain more weight….Studies have been done showing over 1 to 2 periods of follow-up in a medical weight loss patient that you have a high percentage of weight regain and going back to square one.”
Data were collected prospectively from 30 consecutive patients (27 men and 3 women) with a BMI of more than 50 kg/m2 who were seen between August 2004 and April 2007 and were invited to take part in a supervised VLCD program. Participants received 5 servings of a high-protein liquid diet totaling 800 calories per day and were seen weekly for medical and behavioral follow-up. The targeted weight loss was 10% of body weight for patients with a BMI between 50 and 55 kg/m2. For patients with a BMI of more than 60 kg/m2, the goal was a BMI of less than 55 kg/m2.
Mean patient age was 53 years (age range, 34 – 65 years), mean baseline BMI was 56 kg/m2 (range, 51 – 69 kg/m2), and average period on the VLCD was 9 weeks (range, 4 – 13 weeks). To assess the physical changes that accompanied weight loss, computed tomographic scans of the abdomen were done at the beginning of the VLCD program and after its completion.
The scans determined liver volume in cubic centimeters, the depth of the abdominal wall in centimeters, and the subcutaneous adipose tissue and visceral adipose tissue in centimeters squared at locations 12 cm and 20 cm from the xiphoid process. The second scan showed significant improvements in BMI, liver volume, depth at 12 cm and 20 cm from the xiphoid process, total subcutaneous adipose tissue at 12 and 20 cm from the xiphoid process, and visceral adipose tissue (each P < .001).
Preoperative weight-loss with VLCD improved poorly controlled diabetes mellitus in 10 (62.5%) of 16 diabetic subjects. It also improved poorly controlled hypertension in 8 (40%) of 20 of affected patients, and improved degenerative joint disease with limited mobility in 12 (57%) of 21 of patients with this problem. “Some even stopped using their wheelchair and were able to do limited activity by walking,” observed Dr. Eid.
No deaths occurred in the patients who experienced weight loss with VLCD before their bariatric surgery, even with 1-year follow-up. There were 2 postoperative complications: a questionable pulmonary embolism that was examined and had a good outcome, and a minor bleeding episode. Historical data from the same institution report 0% mortality and 6.7% morbidity rates. National Veterans Administration data for superobese patients, as noted previously, show 2.3% mortality and 29% morbidity rates.
Dr. Eid and his colleagues conclude that “bariatric surgical outcomes in superobese patients are optimized through preoperative VLCD.” The significant reductions in liver volume, abdominal wall depth, and visceral adipose tissue and subcutaneous adipose tissue (technical factors) improve the surgical procedure. Improvements in diabetes, hypertension, and degenerative joint disease (physiologic factors) enhance the health of the patient.
“I had two factors. I had the technical factors and those had to do with decreasing the amount of fat and the size of the liver so we had better access to our organ and we can do a better job,” Dr. Eid told Medscape Surgery. “But also we had improvement in their medical condition with diabetes and everything, so it’s a two-pronged approach. On the one hand, you improve technical factors, but on the other hand you improve their comorbidities so you have less risk of complication and postoperative problems.”

20 October 2008 Diabetes UK
The number of people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK has risen by more than 167,000 since last year, bringing the total diabetes population to almost 2.5 million according to new data from GP practices. This rise is more than double the 2006 to 2007 increase of 83,000.

In England, a 6.4 per cent increase means the number of people diagnosed with diabetes has broken two million for the first time. In Northern Ireland and Wales, the increase was 6.8 per cent and 6 per cent respectively, with diabetes prevalence now standing at 60,822 and 138,988. Improved recording in Scotland contributed to the biggest rise (16.9 per cent) with the recorded diabetes population now standing at 200,669 compared to 171,513.

The figures also show that there are now 5 million people registered obese in the UK compared to almost 4.8 million last year.

Truly alarming figures
“These are truly alarming figures,” said Douglas Smallwood, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK.

“Part of why we have seen such a huge increase can be attributed to improved screening from healthcare services and greater awareness amongst those at high risk of Type 2 diabetes. However, there is no getting away from the fact that this large increase is linked to the obesity crisis.

“Diabetes is one of the biggest health challenges facing the UK today. It causes heart disease, stroke, amputations, kidney failure and blindness, and more deaths than breast and prostate cancer combined.

One million pounds an hour spent on diabetes
“The NHS already spends one million pounds an hour on diabetes. The soaring diabetes prevalence will continue to put a massive strain on an already struggling NHS and unless it can respond, people’s health could spiral downwards. We need to do all we can to raise awareness of the seriousness of diabetes and help people understand how a healthy lifestyle can help reduce their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.�