Most weight loss supplements are not effective Source - Science Daily
Melinda Manore reviewed the evidence surrounding hundreds of weight loss supplements, a $2.4 billion industry in the United States, and said no research evidence exists that any single product results in significant weight loss -- and many have detrimental health benefits.
A few products, including green tea, fiber and low-fat dairy supplements, can have a modest weight loss benefit of 3-4 pounds (2 kilos), but it is important to know that most of these supplements were tested as part of a reduced calorie diet.
Blood vessel function improved by weight loss Source - dailyRx
Weight loss, especially in the belly, is key to improved blood vessel function. The improved blood flow was noted regardless of whether the pounds were shed from a low-fat or low-carb diet.
They evaluated blood vessel health before and after the weight loss program by constricting circulation with a blood pressure cuff for five minutes and measuring the amount of blood that reached the fingertips before, during and after the artery was constricted. Investigators found that participants who lost more belly fat had better blood flow, suggesting better blood vessel function.
Obesity and pain linked, study of one million Americans shows Source:Science Daily
A clear association between obesity and pain -- with higher rates of pain identified in the heaviest individuals -- was found in a study of more than one million Americans published January 19 in the online edition of Obesity. In "Obesity and Pain Are Associated in the United States," Stony Brook University researchers Arthur A. Stone, PhD., and Joan E. Broderick, Ph.D. report this finding based on their analysis of 1,010,762 respondents surveyed via telephone interview by the Gallop Organization between 2008 and 2010.
"We wanted to explore this relationship further by checking to see if it was due to painful diseases that cause reduced activity, which in turn causes increased weight," says Joan E. Broderick, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science and School of Public Health at Stony Brook University, and lead investigator of a National Institutes of Health-funded study on how arthritis patients manage their own pain.
Lumbar disc degeneration more likely in overweight and obese adults Source:Medical News Today
One of the largest studies to investigate lumbar spine disc degeneration found that adults who are overweight or obese were significantly more likely to have disc degeneration than those with a normal body mass index (BMI). Assessments using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) show elevated BMI is associated with an increased number of levels of degenerated disks and greater severity of disc degeneration, including narrowing of the disc space. Details of this study now appear in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).
Stress can make you fat - and being obese can create stress. A new hypothesis seeks to explain how.
Diet and lack of exercise are not sufficient to explain the worldwide rise in obesity. Stress is one of many other factors which could contribute, according to human biologist Brynjar Foss from the University of Stavanger.
The researchers review a number of studies, which show that weight gain and cortisol (the stress hormone) levels are noticeably higher in people who became fatter because of stress.
A study published Online First by Archives of Surgery compared the effectiveness of two common forms of treatment for excessive weight gain: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP) and gastric banding (GB). The researchers found that for more sustainable and rapid weight loss, RYGBP is the better form of treatment.
In relation to the treatment of other comorbidities - other existing illnesses among the patients - RYBGP was also found to be more successful. Cholesterol levels in those who received GB remained unchanged, but those who received RYBGP saw a notable decrease. The lipid profile for those after RYGBP was "significantly better" after five years than for those in the GB group, as well as a lower mean fasting glucose level.
Vertical sleeve gastrectomy surgery—more commonly known as the gastric sleeve procedure—restricts food consumption through the removal of 70-85% of the patient's stomach. The remaining section of the stomach is stitched in the shape of a long tube or sleeve. Unlike gastric bypass surgery, the stomach is still connected directly to the lower intestine so the procedure does not induce malabsorption.
Gastric sleeve surgery often is performed prior to gastric bypass surgery or a duodenal switch procedure to help morbidly obese individuals with the first stage of their weight loss. Because the surgery is performed laparoscopically and does not involve rerouting the intestines, it is generally considered less risky than both the gastric bypass and duodenal switch procedure.
Researchers are learning, however, that the benefits of weight loss surgery (WLS) in obese patients biologically begin prior to dropping the pounds. Two new studies have been released this week explaining the reduction in risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
"It's clear that weight loss surgery, particularly gastric bypass, has a significant beneficial effect on glucose control," said Dr Carel le Roux, from the Department of Medicine, who led the study.
The American Society For Metabolic And Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) recently issued an Updated Position Statement on Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy as a Bariatric Procedure.
The ASMBS statement highlights the “substantial comparative and long-term data now published in the peer-reviewed literature demonstrating durable weight loss, improved medical comorbidities, long-term patient satisfaction, and improved quality of life after SG (Sleeve Gastrectomy).”
A recently published study highlights the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic bariatric surgery on extremely obese patients as well as the outcomes of different surgical approaches.
Although it would seem that the most likely candidates for bariatric surgery are those with the most weight to lose, they often do not qualify for bariatric surgery. Surgery of any type, including bariatric surgery, is generally associated with greater surgical risks in patients with a very high body mass index (BMI), due to technical difficulties and severe weight related comorbidities.
Future obesity clues could surface in 6-month-olds, study suggests
MONDAY, November 7, 2011 — Early signs of childhood obesity could be detected in the weight gains of infants as young as 6 months old, suggests a new study.
Babies were twice as likely to become obese by the age of 5, and 75 percent as likely to become obese by the age of 10, if their weight during their first two years jumped up two or more "percentiles," as measured on growth charts. The charts, called weight-for-length charts, show how an infant's weight compares to that of other babies of the same length,and are marked with lines that highlight the 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th and 95th percentiles for age and sex.
TUESDAY, November 1, 2011 — Daily exercise reduces the effect that the so-called "obesity gene" has on a person's chances of becoming severely overweight, according to a new study.
The reduced risk appeared to be the same across genders and races among carriers of that version of the gene, but the researchers found that the effect was more pronounced in North Americans than in Europeans.
Weight-loss surgery may help individuals not only shed pounds but improve their memory and concentration.
Obese people participating in a new study were tested on their mental abilities. They showed, on average, slightly impaired memory and concentration. Twelve weeks after surgery, subjects' scores registered in the normal range. Meanwhile, the obese study participants who did not undergo surgery actually showed a decline in their mental abilities over those 12 weeks, but the researchers aren't sure why this occurred.
Bariatric surgery benefits not just patients, but their family members too
MONDAY, October 17, 2011 — Obese family members of an obese patient who underwent bariatric surgery lose an average of 22 pounds (10 kgs) within a year of the operation, researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine reported in Archives of Surgery this week. The authors explained that bariatric surgery encouraged family members, and not just the patient, to adopt better healthy behaviors.
