Weight loss surgery works better than weight-loss drugs or diets

Recent research from the Institute for Cardiovascular Research, Amsterdam, revealed that 80% of obese people suffering from diabetes were able to come off their medication following a gastric bypass. The Institute also revealed that 62% needed no further treatment following gastric banding. Spire Manchester Hospital recently became the first hospital in the North West to be awarded ‘Centre of Excellence’ status from the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO). The Spire Manchester Hospital had to prove to an independent committee that its bariatric surgeons each had a minimum of five years experience performing weight loss procedures, alongside a dedicated team who effectively treat and manage morbidly obese patients from initial consultation to life-long aftercare.



Bariatric surgery is not only cost-effective for treating people who are severely obese, but also for those who are mildly obese, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The findings support making bariatric surgery available to all obese people, the researchers say.

Source: Private Health

Babies should exercise, to avoid obesity later in life

In a new campaign against obesity, the British government issued guidelines on Monday recommending that children under the age of five exercise every day. The guidelines recommend children under five be physically active for at least three hours per day, they also say that babies should be doing tummy time or in-swim lessons with their parents to help them gain strength. The goal is to avoid obesity when the children become adults. Doctors say exercise prevents heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers later in life. More than one in 10 children ages 2 to 10 are obese, according to the U.K. Department of Health. Now, for the first time, exercise recommendations released by the agency aim to prevent and reduce obesity, not just among the pub-going masses, but among a much-younger group: children under age 5. Wales’ chief medical officer Dr Tony Jewell yesterday said: “For the first time we’re giving parents advice on how much exercise or activity their under fives should be doing – three hours a day when they’ve learnt to walk. “When you are talking about babies, it’s about having them on a mat reaching for things – have some tummy time. “You can do baby yoga, you can do baby gyms – but you don’t have to. “If you have a mat or a towel on the floor you can just let them play. Toys are always great but you don’t need them.

Source: BBC

People with type 2 diabetes should eat nuts, olive oil and avocados

They conclude that mixed, unsalted, raw, or dry-roasted nuts have benefits for both blood glucose control and blood lipids and may be used to increase vegetable oil and protein intake in the diets of type 2 diabetic patients as part of a strategy to improve diabetes control without weight gain,” the researchers write. Researchers found that when people with type 2 diabetes replaced some of their usual carbohydrates with about a half-cup of mixed nuts each day, the study participants' blood sugar and "bad" cholesterol levels dipped slightly over three months. “There are two important factors in caring for diabetes: blood sugar control and heart health,” study researcher Cyril W.C. Kendall, PhD, of the University of Toronto, says in a news release. For people who are not crazy about nuts, there are other sources of monounsaturated fat, like olive oil and avocados. While this study did not look at those foods, Kendall said it would be a wise move to replace some carbs with those fats. The findings are published in the journal Diabetes Care.
Source: Reuters

Blueberries in your daily diet helps your skin look younger

Recent studies showed that people who ate 1 cup of blueberries a day performed 5% better in motor function skills than those who ate no blueberries. They are packed with flavinoids, tannins, antioxidants, phytochemcials, iron, manganese, Vitamin C, and vitamin E - all of which can help prevent serious illness and disease. When it comes to looking younger, blueberries can‘t be beat! It seems that inflammation is a major cause of skin aging and wrinkling so, once again, the powerful anti inflammatory properties of blueberries come into play. In fact, the world renowned dermatologist Dr. Nicholas Perricone recommends including blueberries in your daily diet in order to help you skin look younger.

Adult obesity rates increased in 16 states during the past year

The new report breaks down obesity rates and anti-obesity initiatives by state, regions, and ethnic groups and also documents the rise in obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. In the past year, obesity rates rose in 16 states and fell in none, according to the eighth annual "F As In Fat" report, prepared jointly by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Twelve states now have obesity rates of 30% or more, led by Mississippi at 34.4%, the report says. That's up from a single state over 30% four years ago. But the report does offer a glimmer of hope: It marks the first time that there were fewer than 20 states with increasing adult obesity rates. Source: WebMD

Death of an Arizona resident is linked to Europe's sprout-related Escherichia coli O104:H4 outbreak

The CDC confirmed that the Arizona patient had the same strain of E. coli that has swept Europe. More than 4,100 people in Europe and North America have been infected in two outbreaks of E. coli infection, one centered in northern Germany and one focused around the French city of Bordeaux. Five of the US patients had traveled to Germany before they got sick, and one was a close contact of a Michigan patient who had HUS, a serious kidney disorder. The Arizona Department of Health Services had previously said that the patient is a man older than 65 who died in mid June after he was hospitalized for HUS, according to a Jun 24 report from the Arizona Republic. An imported lot of fenugreek seeds which was used to grow sprouts imported from Egypt by a German importer is the most common likely link," the European Food Safety Authority said in a statement this week.

Strict 600 calorie-a-day diet reverses Type 2 diabetes in a week

According to study leader Rod Taylor, he and his colleagues studied 11 patients who had had diabetes for several years after developing the condition later in life. At the beginning of the study, patients weighed an average of 220 pounds. At the end of the eight-week period, they had dropped an average of 33 pounds and were diabetes free. Prof Taylor explained that too much fat "clogged up" the operation of the pancreas at a cellular level, preventing normal secretion of insulin which regulates blood sugar. When this fat was removed - by way of the diet - normal function resumed. He said: "This is a radical change in understanding Type 2 diabetes. It will change how we can explain it to people newly diagnosed with the condition. "While it has long been believed that someone with Type 2 diabetes will always have the disease, and that it will steadily get worse, we have shown that we can reverse the condition."

Source: Telegraph.co.uk