Obesity
Obesity Epidemic leads to Bariatric Surgery and Post Bariatric Surgery
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The American obesity epidemic statistics are staggering. Nowhere else in the world is there a country with such a wide spread obesity problem. Approximately 11 million Americans are morbidly obese. Obesity and related problems are the leading cause of death in America. According to the American Heart Association at http://www.americanheart.org, 71% of non-Hispanic white men and 57.6% of women are overweight and of these 30.2% of men and 30.7% of women are obese. Of non-Hispanic blacks 67% of men and 79.6% of women are overweight and of these 30.8% of men and 51.1% of women are obese. Of Mexican Americans 74.6% of men and 73% of women are overweight and of these 29.1% of men and 39.4% of women are obese. Because of these staggering statistics, the prevalence of bariatric surgery is very high.
The benefits of bariatric surgery often outweigh the risks. Patients typically lose well over a hundred pounds. The health benefits are astounding, though the risks are high. With recent technological advances and changes in the way surgeries have been performed, the risks are slowly decreasing, but with old methods, serious problems exceeded 30% of those who underwent surgery. For those without complications though, bariatric surgery is a life giving procedure.
After losing over a hundred pounds, patients tend to notice the way their skin hangs in empty folds.
L.A. obesity summit will feature Schwarzenegger, Clinton
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Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former President Clinton are scheduled to attend a summit on health, nutrition and obesity in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
The governor, a former bodybuilder who has long advocated healthy living and exercise, will join with health professionals, educators and others to discuss ways California can combat obesity and promote physical fitness.
In a statement, the governor cited several efforts he has supported to combat obesity in California, including requirements that some vending machines include healthy foods, that larger restaurant chains have nutritional information on menus and that some junk foods be removed from school campuses.
Obesity, Lack of Exercise Heighten Arthritis Risk for Women
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Higher levels of obesity and inactivity, especially among women, explain why arthritis is more common in the United States than in Canada, according to a new study.
Researchers at the Toronto Western Research Institute analyzed 2002-03 data from both countries and found that the prevalence of arthritis in the United States was 18.7% and the prevalence of arthritis-attributable activity limitations (AAL) was 9.6%. In Canada, the rates were 16.8% and 7.7%, respectively.
Women in the United States had a higher prevalence of arthritis (23.3%) and AAL (13%) than Canadian women (19.6% and 9.2%, respectively). Men in both countries had similar rates of arthritis (14%) and AAL (6%).
How to wage war against obesity
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Dr. Valerie Taylor doesn’t believe that most people with a weight problem would say, “This is not my fault,” or, “This is because of McDonald’s.”
“Absolutely, they take responsibility,” says Taylor, an assistant professor in psychiatry and behavioural neuroscience at McMaster University in Hamilton, and director of the Canadian Obesity Network mental health program. Many people feel guilty about their weight, she says, “and they struggle to accept treatments like surgery because they really feel they should be able to control this problem themselves.
“Some don’t even think they deserve the kinds of treatment and care that other medical conditions receive.”
Obesity and Diabetes–The Missing Link?
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As some of you may recall from an earlier post here, inflammation appears to be a common link in the body between obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. There are substances in the body called pro-inflammatory cytokines that, as their name implies, promote the inflammatory process. This can be helpful when a foreign organism such as a bacterium or virus is the target; however, sometimes things go awry and these same cytokines may involve themselves in an assault on healthy tissue.
It appears that fat cells may be one of the primary culprits here. The thinking is that the more fat cells you accumulate, the greater your inflammatory cytokine level will be. Inflammatory cytokines in turn have been shown to be a risk factor for coronary heart disease (by promoting the development of plaque in the walls of the coronary arteries) as well as for diabetes. In the latter, it seems that they bind to insulin receptors on cells, blocking the action of insulin.
Which Comes First, Obesity or Depression?
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People who are obese are often diagnosed with clinical depression, but which comes first - the increased weight gain or the depression symptoms? Researchers from Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands have found that it is actually a two way street and each condition influences the other.
Floriana Luppino MD and colleagues reviewed medical literature up to March 2008 on overweight and obese conditions and their link to depression. In total, the researchers screened almost 3,000 articles. They performed a more intense meta-analysis on 15 of those studies which covered 58,745 subjects.
They found that those subjects already overweight or obese were more likely to be clinically depressed and that those who were depressed had an increased tendency to become obese.
Bill Clinton fights childhood obesity after his 2nd heart surgery: South Florida schools fight too
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“More than ever, we as parents and a nation must do something about the growth of obesity in our children. We must do more than just talk, we must be concerned enough to act.”—Lee Haney
Former President Bill Clinton received a second wake up call three weeks ago warning him to change his lifestyle and eating habits. After an emergency trip to the hospital and an hour long, life saving heart surgery to unclog his blocked arteries, he is doing amazingly well. Six years after a quadruple bypass heart surgery, Ex-president Clinton was given a second chance at life that he is now taking very seriously.
Clinton stated, “I have been working too hard and sleeping too little and not exercising too little.” So what will he change? The former president stated, “I’m exercising more, I’m sleeping more and I’m trying to be even more rigorous about the diet… Lots of fruits and vegetables and salads.”
Obesity treatment in family members should be contagious
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The Framingham Heart Study is perhaps the most famous long-term medical study. As every medical student learns, starting in 1948, the lifestyle habits of thousands of residents of Framingham, Massachusetts were followed to determine important risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
It is because of this study that your physician can, with a few keystrokes, predict with great accuracy your risk of having a heart attack within the next 10 years and what you can do to reduce that risk. I’ve found the “Framingham calculator” to be a terrific educational tool in my practice, especially to illustrate the typically underestimated heart benefits of quitting smoking versus taking costly drugs for high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
Obesity and physical inactivity poses arthritis risk, especially for women
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Researchers from the Toronto Western Research Institute noted a higher prevalence of arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitations (AAL) in the U.S. versus the Canadian population. The authors attribute the higher prevalence of arthritis and AAL to a greater level of obesity and physical inactivity in Americans, particularly women. Full findings of this study are published in the March issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.
Arthritis is the leading cause of physical disability, and one of the most frequently reported chronic conditions in the U.S. and Canada. Those in mid to late life are particularly vulnerable to this disabling condition, which is expected to increase in both countries due to the aging baby boomer population. According to a 2005 figure from the National Arthritis Data Workgroup more than 21% of American adults (46 million) have arthritis or another rheumatic condition and over 60% of arthritis patients are women. The 2008 Canadian Community Health Survey reported 15.3% (4.3 million) of Canadians have some form of arthritis, with more women then men affected.
This study is the first to provide a direct comparison of U.S. and Canadian data in search of between-country disparities associated with the prevalence of arthritis and AAL. The authors analyzed results from the Joint Canada/United States Survey of Health (JCUSH) conducted in cooperation by Statistics Canada and the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics during 2002-2003. Data were obtained for 3,505 Canadians and 5,183 Americans with an overall response rate of 65.5% and 50.2%, respectively.
Striking number of obesity risks hit minority kids
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The odds of obesity appear stacked against black and Hispanic children starting even before birth, provocative new research suggests.
The findings help explain disproportionately high obesity rates in minority children. Family income is often a factor, but so are cultural customs and beliefs, the study authors said.
They examined more than a dozen circumstances that can increase chances of obesity, and almost every one was more common in black and Hispanic children than in whites. Factors included eating and sleeping habits in infancy and early childhood and mothers smoking during pregnancy
Startling obesity risks hit minority kids and troubling inflammation seen in obese 3-year-olds
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The odds of obesity appear stacked against black and Hispanic children starting even before birth, provocative new research suggests.
The findings help explain disproportionately high obesity rates in minority children. Family income is often a factor, but so are cultural customs and beliefs, the study authors said.
They examined more than a dozen circumstances that can increase chances of obesity, and almost every one was more common in black and Hispanic children than in whites. Factors included eating and sleeping habits in infancy and early childhood and mothers smoking during pregnancy.
A DNA Link between Diabetes and Obesity
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There is no known reason for what causes diabetes. There are certainly risk factors that make the likelihood of you being diagnosed with the disease higher. One of the only risk factors that you have control over is your weight. If you are obese, the single best thing you can do for your health and the prevention of diabetes is to lose weight. Even in small increments, when you shed pounds you are increasing your health benefits.
These may be easier said than done. There are new studies that are now showing that there is a genetic factor or mutation for people who are obese and have diabetes. This genetic malfunction affects how the bodies use energy and insulin two key elements in the functioning of your body and the cause of diabetes and obesity.
The studies also state that this is not a cause and effect case. If you carry this defective gene you are not guaranteed to be obese or have diabetes. But the link is there and it can be prevented.
Takeaway ban near schools to help fight child obesity
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Councils pledge to limit growth of fast-food outlets as nutritionists bid to make meals healthier – without customers noticing.
Councils across England are banning new takeaways from opening within 400 yards of any school, youth club or park, in an attempt to tackle the growing toll of obesity, strokes and heart disease.
Waltham Forest in east London was the first to begin turning down applications from people who want to set up takeaways near schools or young people’s facilities and now at least 15 other local authorities either have, or plan to, follow the example.
Obesity and Diabetes
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The health dangers of severe obesity are well documented and can researched everywhere from the internet. Words like globesity and diabesity are evidence that show of the growing impact of the body-fat disease. Moreover this statistics also show that severely obese patients only have little chance of opportunity to losing weight using conventional diets. But, this does not mean that the surgery or treatment will be a solution for obesity. Long term studies have show that patients have fail to maintain any significant weight loss, and many patients regain all the weight they lose.
Always keep in mind that the weight loss surgery must be taken serious undertaking. You should clearly understand the pros and cons associated with the procedures before making a decision Patients who have realistic expectations, a positive attitude and, above all, a genuine commitment to making lifelong changes in their attitude to food and exercise, typically achieve much better results.
Albemarle obesity, smoking rates high
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Roughly a fifth of Albemarle area residents don’t have health insurance and are considered to be in either poor or fair health, according to a recent analysis of state health data.
The analysis, compiled by the University of Wisconsin Population Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, also found that roughly a third of area residents smoke and a third are obese, while about 13 percent are considered binge drinkers.
The analysis, “County Health Rankings: Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health,” examined health data for every county in the United States and then ranked counties according to two categories: overall health outcomes and health factors.
