Tag Archive for 'Obesity'

Hypertension may be a culprit in developing dementia

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on January 27, 2010
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New research has found that one of the best ways to keep from getting dementia is to control your blood pressure.

During the study, scientists scanned the brains of people to reveal that hypertension causes some kind of scarring that is related to the development of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. The scars can begin to form in middle age, years before memory problems are apparent.

The new evidence is so strong that the National Institutes of Health is planning on studying thousands of people with hypertension to see if vigorous treatment will help protect their hearts and their brains. This aggressive treatment will involve getting blood pressure lower than normal recommendations.

The largest factor for Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia is age. Dementia affects about one in eight people who are 65 and older.

For a long time now, scientists knew that many of the triggers for heart disease such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes appear to increase the chances for getting dementia. This said, they thought that the link was with “vascular dementia”, which are memory problems related to small strokes; not the frightening Alzheimer’s disease. Now, specialists are finding that many patients have a mixture of both types of dementia.

Having hypertension, which is a blood pressure reading of 140 over 90 or higher, weakens arteries and  also seems to spur Alzheimer’s disease-like activity. One culprit could be the scarring known as white matter lesions. White matter works like the brain’s telephone network with a system of  nerve fibers that permit the brain cells to communicate with each other. Unfortunately even small increases in blood pressure can cause harm to the tiny blood vessels that sustain the white matter. This damage causes interruptions to those signals.

The new studies found that MRI scans revealed that women 65 and older with hypertension had notably more white matter lesions in their brains eight years later. The journal Stroke just published comparable evidence from a John Hopkins University-led study that observed 983 people for more than 15 years, beginning in middle age. The results showed that the more time people spent with uncontrolled high blood pressure, the more white matter harm they incurred.

All this said, hypertension by itself doesn’t mean one is condemned to get dementia. There are far more people with hypertension than dementia; about one in three adults in the U.S.

New scar-free obesity surgery is being tested

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on June 4, 2009
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Doctors are currently working on a cutting-edge type of obesity surgery that does not require any cuts in the abdomen. It is performed by feeding a tube about the thickness of a garden hose down the throat in order to snap staples into the stomach. 

This preliminary, scar-free method fabricates a more slender passage that slows the movement of food as it goes from the top of the stomach to the bottom part of the stomach. This helps patients feel fuller faster, so they end up eating less. 

Doctors are happy with the encouraging experimental results so far from 200 patients in the U.S. and 100 in Europe.

Dr. Gregg Nishi, a Cedars-Sinai Medical Center surgeon in Los Angeles, said that an average of around 45 percent body weight has been lost from obese European patients, after only 18 months. He talked about the studies this week during a conference for digestive disease specialists in Chicago. Currently the procedure is only being performed in studies. The enrollment for this new study has just recently ended.

Nishi indicated that the results up to this point are moderately better than the usual stomach stapling method. One of the risks is perforation of the esophagus, which actually occurred in a patient at one of the centers. Apart from that, he said that there are no other complications.

An administrative coordinator at Cedars-Sinai, Lillian Gomez, was one of the first Americans to have the new scar-less surgery last year. She was going to have the surgery that is usually performed, until she learned that doctors at her hospital were experimenting with the innovative technique.

Gomez had her surgery in August and has lost 40 pounds since then, going from a size 22 to a size 16. She is still obese according to body mass index standards, but she has reduced the size of her meals by more than half and still feels full. She is confident that she will continue to lose weight.

This new scar-free surgery is part of a medical progression to conduct surgery through body openings instead of making incisions. The goal is to reduce recovery time and decrease the risks for infection.

Initially, Gomez had thought about getting a gastric bypass operation, which is a more complex and invasive procedure that raises the risk for malnutrition, because it repositions where the stomach attaches to the intestines. There is another popular weight-loss surgery option in which an adjustable band is applied to the top part of the stomach to help the patient feel fuller faster.

Although surgery is usually a last resort option for obese patients, more than 200,000 Americans are predicted to undergo the conventional types of obese surgery this year, according to the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery.

Get kids to bed earlier, to ward off obesity

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on May 10, 2009
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Everyone knows that diet and exercise are very effective ways to keep childhood obesity at bay. The latest research indicates that getting kids to go to bed earlier can help too. A study done by the University of Montreal showed that more than 25% of children who slept less than 10 hours a night were overweight by age 6, as compared to 15% who got 10 hours of sleep and only 10% who slept 11 hours. The difference may be from an increase in the production of a hormone that triggers appetite and a decrease in the hormone that decreases food intake – both resulting from loss of sleep. The good news for adults is that similar results were found in them as well.

Also, researchers in a Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center study found that kids who are overweight are possibly at an increased risk for chronic headaches. It was found that as kids lost weight, they came down with fewer headaches.

So what does a parent need to do? Well, first of all, urge your kids to get active by riding their bikes or getting involved in sports. As long as they are kept busy and active during the day, they’ll definitely be more ready to hit the sack at bedtime. Once they are in the habit of going to bed at a certain hour, they will be more tired and ready to go to bed at that time because their internal clock has changed.

Brown fat may be key element in future obesity treatments

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on April 15, 2009
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We all know that there is both good and bad cholesterol. Now, it seems, there is good and bad fat as well. Scientists have long believed that this good fat was usually gone or inactive once adulthood is reached.

So what is so special about this fat? Well, it induces the body to burn calories so it can create body heat. This fat is important in infancy, because it helps to keep the newborn warm.

Recently researchers performing three separate studies – from Boston, Finland and the Netherlands – have found that some of the good fat remains in adulthood. This good fat affects metabolism and could possibly help people lose weight in the future.

An endocrinology and metabolism researcher at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Dr. Francesco Celi, announced that the studies reveal that this certain kind of fat burns substantial amounts of energy. He also said that this fat could be used in a pill that could rev up the fat. 

Dr. Louis Aronne, former president of the Obesity Society and a weight control expert at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, proclaimed that the discoveries are the most convincing proof of the function of this fat in regulating body temperature and weight. He said that because the fat seems to be eliminating calories, it could possibly be used for a sort of ‘exercise-in-a-pill’ treatment. He also said that any treatment for obesity that is developed from this special fat could also be a possible treatment for diabetes.

This good fat is brownish in color, while the more prevalent fat is whitish or yellow. The neck and under the collarbone are the areas in which the brown fat is mostly stored. The waistline is the area that the white fat is mostly found. There it stores excess energy and releases chemicals that control metabolism and insulin use.

The existence and occurrences of the brown fat was recorded by the three research groups by looking at tissue samples taken from patients. High-tech imaging was used to reveal how much sugar and calories that the fat burned.

The New England Journal of Medicine published the results of these studies on Thursday, April 9, 2009.

Too much protein and fat could increase risk for developing diabetes

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on April 8, 2009
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About 550,000 people suffer from diabetes and approximately 300,000 have pre-diabetes in North Carolina. People over age 65 and blacks tend to be more prone to this chronic disease. North Carolina has the 10th highest ratet of diabetes in the U.S.  The national average is 7.3 percent and it is 8.5 percent in North Carolina. The main killers of people with this disease are heart attacks and strokes. Diabetes also can cause kidney failure, blindness, depression, amputations, nerve damage and periodontal disease.

Even though diabetes has extensively increased in North Carolina and the U.S. over the last ten years, doctors are just now starting to figure out the mystery behind the intricate cycle of cellular occurrence that trigger the development of this persistent disease. Although a cure is not yet on the horizon, researchers are developing new targets for drug therapies.

Diabetes occurs when the body doesn’t make or successfully use insulin. Insulin is a hormone created in the pancreas which enables cells to convert sugars and starches for energy. People who are overweight have an increased chance of getting diabetes, because eating too much, and not exercising enough can exhaust the body’s capacity to use insulin. But important to mention is that not everyone who is heavy will develop the disease and not everyone with diabetes is overweight.

On April 7, a paper was published revealing that Duke University researchers have a new discovery that suggests that diabetes could be affected by protein and not sugary carbohydrates, which has long been thought of as the main culprit. The Duke researchers found that overweight people actually metabolize protein differently than leaner people, especially when it is part of a high-fat diet.

When too much protein and fat are eaten, the metabolic byproducts can not be totally absorbed, so they surge into the bloodstream. One of those byproducts is an enzyme that affects insulin sensitivity. A diet that is predominantly heavy in fat and protein causes the body to change to a different way of becoming insulin resistant.

Christopher Newgard, the director of the Sarah W. Stedman Nutrition and Metabolism Center at Duke and lead author of the study, said that protein is usually viewed as a good nutrient and it can be when people exercise and eat in moderation. The problem, she suggests, is the typical U.S. and Western society, where 65 percent are overweight due to a sedentary lifestyle and a diet that is too heavy in fat and protein.

Study compares the risks of smoking with being overweight

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on March 10, 2009
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When the risks of obesity were compared with those of smoking, a substantial study performed in Europe over several decades has found that young overweight men at 18 were as likely to die at 60 as light smokers. Even more alarming is that obese teens, like heavy smokers, were at twice the risk of dying early.

While obesity is said to cause many health problems, these new discoveries conflict with a multitude of recent studies that revealed that people who are just overweight are not necessarily at an increased risk for an early death.

This new study, which was published in last week’s British Medical Journal, traced the death rates of 45,920 Swedish men over a period of 38 years. The researchers discovered that the obese men who signed up for the Swedish army in 1969  and 1970 were more than two times likely to be at risk of dying by age 60, than those of normal weight. This is almost the same accumulation in risk confronting those recruits who were of normal weight but smoked half a pack of cigarettes or more per day.

The study found that overweight recruits who did not smoke were about a third more likely to die early, an increase in risk that is almost the same as that for normal- weight men who smoked up to  10 cigarettes a day.

Martin Neovius, the first author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, said “We know that health behaviors are established early on in life” so the message for teens is “If you already are smoking, then smoking cessation combined with weight maintenance counseling would probably be a good idea.”

Regardless of the expansiveness of the new study, some experts say that the findings may overemphasize the risks of being overweight. The researchers alluded to the fact that the weight of the men was known only when they enrolled in the military at age 18. Dr. David Williamson, a visiting professor at Emory University who has studied obesity and it’s effect on health, said that because most people gain weight as they get older, the overweight teens most likely went on to become obese adults, so their deaths may be attributed to being obese, not overweight earlier in their life.

Study finds cholesterol drugs not needed for most teens

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on February 23, 2009
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A new study provides some encouraging news concerning childhood obesity. It found that less than 1 percent of American teens are anticipated to need cholesterol drugs.

Alarming new guidelines were announced last year by the American Academy of Pediatrics: Doctors were called on to consider cholesterol medicine for more kids, sometimes as young as 8, if they had elevated levels of “bad cholesterol,” or LDL, accompanied by other health issues such as obesity and high blood pressure.

the academy did not talk about the amount of children that be included in that group. A study that was announced on February 16 in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation helps diminish anxiety about many children that might need to be on cholesterol medicine, according to Dr. Stephen Daniels, who is the main author of the pediatric guidelines.

He said that there was a worry that a rising amount of obesity cases would lead to an increase in cholesterol levels. He said that they don’t seem to be increasing.

The new pediatrics guideline was established from indicators that damage leading to heart disease starts in early life. Simultaneously, current research has revealed that drugs used to lower cholesterol are basically safe for children.

Dr. William Scott, a cardiologist and pediatrics professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said that as long as a child does not have an inclination to high cholesterol, regular exercise and a healthy diet should keep the cholesterol under control. Scott said, “You really are empowered by your diet and activity.

More sufferers of back pain in N.C.

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on February 23, 2009
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Do you live in North Carolina and have back pain? Well, the amount of people in North Carolina has more than doubled in the last 14 years. These findings definitely have a huge effect on health care expenditures.

Statistics from the Archives of Internal Medicine claim that 80% of people will have lower back pain at some point in their life, 95% will get better in a few months, and 85% will have a repeat occurrence.

Sufferers of back pain go to the doctor frequently, spend money on massages, pain medicine, physical therapy, chiropractic appointments and surgeries.

According to a study conducted last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association, treating back pain costs about $86 billion in the U.S.

In the study, researchers from UNC Chapel performed a statewide phone survey of about 5,300 people in 2006 and discovered that 10.2 percent suffered from back pain that continued for more than 3 months. That’s more than two times the amount in 1992, when a survey of more than 4,400 revealed that 3.9 percent said that they were sufferers of back pain.

There is one treatment that is not used much or respected enough by doctors and patients, even though it is totally  free. Although it is not a cure, people who exercise regularly under a doctor or physical therapist’s care tend to feel better and are able to do more.

So it is not a surprise that there has been an increase in back pain and obesity at the same time. Doctors who have treated back pain have noticed the parallel between the two. Dr. Kenneth Carnes, who works at Raleigh Neurosurgery Associates, claims that being overweight puts extra stress on the spine. Carnes says “all the extra weight and pressure is being centered in the low back and spine.” “That puts a lot of wear and tear on tissues – bone and ligaments and soft tissues. The end result is pain.” Because of this, he usually suggests exercises to help make a patient’s abdomen and back stronger. He says people just need to use their common sense by eating a balanced diet, watching their weight and exercising.

Kids’ TV watching can influence eating habits in later years

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Jana
on February 9, 2009
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Can watching TV make you fat? There are some increasing amount of indicators that link too much TV viewing to becoming overweight or obese.

The most recent study on eating habits has revealed that kids who watch more TV than other kids in middle and high school have diets that are not as healthy 5 years later. During this time, these kids tend to eat more fast food, fried foods and sugary drinks and eat less fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

The lead researcher of this study, Daheia Barr-Anderson said that they don’t know what exactly links TV and diets, but she knows there is a definite connection. She said that there are a lot of commercials for snacks and soda on TV that target children, and this tends to affect their food choices. Also, many lifelong habits are shaped in the adolescent years, such as a tendency to snack and watch TV.

American adolescents definitely play a role in the obesity upswing. Fewer than 5% of 12-19 year olds were overweight in the mid-1960s, but today there are about 17% who are overweight and another 17% who are obese.

In earlier studies, Harvard researchers found that for each hour of TV watching, kids ate an extra 167 calories a day, mainly because they usually eat more junk food. The University of Missouri-Columbia advocates that the combination of family meals and less TV can help kids to avoid getting overweight.

This most recent study was conducted on a survey of 2000 middle and high school children in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. This study was different, because it compared the subjects’ behavior in two separate time periods instead of at the same time. It can be found in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

Diabetes reversed in teens with obesity surgery

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on December 31, 2008
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About a third of America’s youth are either overweight or obese. More and more obese children are being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, which is the most common form of the disease and the one that is linked with obesity. In the past, it was rarely seen in kids.

On the positive side, a small study has shown that obesity surgery can reverse  diabetes in teens like it does in adults. There were 11 patients in the study who were aged 14 to 21 and all were severely obese, ranging from 250 to 403 pounds. They were taking diabetes pills and one was on insulin. They had gastric bypass surgery or stomach stapling at five different medical centers. At Cincinnati Children’s Hospital,they were compared to 67 teens who were mostly obese and had diabetes. Their blood sugar was being controlled with diet and medication.

After a year, those who had surgery had lost between 72 and 218 pounds, but none had reduced to a normal weight. Diabetes disappeared within a year for all but one of the 11 severely obese teens in the study, after under going weight- loss surgery, according to the researchers. The 11th patient still had diabetes, but was able to stop taking diabetes pills and needed much less insulin.

All of the teens who did not have surgery still had diabetes after a year and there was no change in their weight or their medication usage, but their blood sugar levels showed improvement.

The researchers said the reason wasn’t clear why diabetes wasn’t reversed in one patient who had been through the surgery, but they mentioned that his mother and a sibling had Type 2 diabetes. The teen still needed to take insulin but was no longer overweight three years after the surgery. Another reason could be that his diabetes was more advanced than the other teens in the study. Previous adult studies have found that the chances of reversing diabetes are better when the surgery is done soon after a being diagnosed. The others were most likely successful because their surgery was done while the patients were in the early stages of the disease.