Another article in the never ending debate about what's good for you and what's not. This one tackles juice and the "is it or isn't" debate about popular fruit drinks. The first few paragraphs are below and
full text can be found here. Remember, if you ever have a question about what you should or shouldn't be eating, please call one of our dieticians at 317-275-7010.
To many people, it's a health food. To others, it's simply soda in disguise.
That virtuous glass of juice is feeling the squeeze as doctors, scientists and public health authorities step up their efforts to reduce the nation's girth.
It's an awkward issue for the schools that peddle fruit juice in their cafeterias and vending machines. It's uncomfortable for advocates of a junk-food tax who say they can't afford to target juice and alienate its legions of fans. It's confusing for consumers who think they're doing something good when they chug their morning OJ, sip 22-ounce smoothies or pack apple juice in their children's lunches.
The inconvenient truth, many experts say, is that 100% fruit juice poses the same obesity-related health risks as Coke, Pepsi and other widely vilified beverages.
I don't think this article is really "breaking news" but it shows that serious implications that being overweight can have on your overall health.
Obese patients taking medications to lower their blood pressure and cholesterol levels are less likely to reach recommended targets for these cardiovascular disease risk factors than their normal weight counterparts, according to new research presented at the 2009 Canadian Cardiovascular Congress hosted by the Canadian Cardiovascular Society and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
Dr. Vineet Bhan, a resident at the University of Toronto, sought to determine whether there were differences in reaching guideline-recommended targets for blood pressure and cholesterol levels according to body mass index (BMI) in a large number of individuals deemed to be at high risk for heart disease and stroke.
"In Canada, these high risk patients frequently do not reach their blood pressure and cholesterol targets," says Dr. Bhan. "The goal of our study was to see if obesity could be a factor."
To learn more,
click here.
A very startling article that I found in the November issue of the Obesity Action Coalition's online newsletter. Childhood obesity is certainly something we need to focus even more attention on in the coming years...we need to stop the cycle!
More than one in five teenagers has at least one risk factor for heart disease such as obesity and high cholesterol, a jump from just six years earlier, suggests new research.
Researchers partnered with a group that has been following the heart health of thousands of teenagers in the Niagara region of Ontario for more than two decades. They found that between the years 2002 and 2008, the number of Grade nine students with one or more cardiovascular risk factors rose to 21 percent from 17 percent. The number of obese teens went from 11 percent to 13 percent, while those with elevated cholesterol almost doubled from 9 percent to 16 percent.
The only figure to buck the trend was the number of students with high blood pressure, which dropped slightly from 19 percent to 17 percent. The figures mirror what's going on in Canadian society overall, said Dr. Brian McCrindle, a pediatric cardiologist at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
To learn more,
click here.
If you have been anxious to learn more about how bariatric weight loss surgery can change your life, then join Clarian Bariatrics' Indianapolis surgeons and staff on Saturday, November 7 for a FREE informational seminar.
You, and your family and friends, are invited to learn more about the different types of weight loss surgery procedures (Gastric Bypass and Lap Band), learn about the insurance process and ask questions about the health risks caused by obesity.
The seminar is from 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. and we cannot wait to meet you! Learn more and RSVP,
by clicking here!
You have chosen a new way of life with weight loss surgery, a new way that isn’t supposed to include a lot of unhealthy eating. But as Halloween approaches, and other holidays follow
close behind, your sense will be assaulted more and more with holiday treats. Are they really treats? When you look at a piece of candy and think, “Oh that looks good! One won’t hurt,” you are not contemplating treating yourself, you are contemplating sabotaging yourself.
If you really don’t want to eat things that are unhealthy for you around the holidays, think of the candy as the damaging force it really is. No matter how much we love it, sugar is NOT good for us. Eating candy is like digging a hole. One bite can be the first shovel-full of dirt. Do you really want to risk falling into that hole?
Action for the day:Treat yourself by putting those unhealthy foods out of sight as best you can, and resolve to eat only satisfying, healthy foods today.
The following is from WebMD the Magazine.
Nearly 800,000 new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in the United States each year. Yet many people with type 2 diabetes don’t realize they have it. Do you know if you’re at risk for getting diabetes? 5.7 million Americans have diabetes but don’t know it.
1. How old are you?
2. Are you overweight? Yes No
3. Do you have a family member with diabetes? Yes No
4. What is your ethnic background?
5. Do you exercise at least three times a week?
Answers: #1 Risk goes up with age: type 2 diabetes s more likely for people age 45 and older who are overweight. However, greater numbers of people younger than 40 – including teens and people in their 20’s are getting the disease because of rising U.S. obesity rates.
#2 Being overweight can hamper your body’s ability to use insulin properly, which can lead to type 2 diabetes.
#3 Having a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes raises your risk.
#4 Certain ethnic groups have a higher risk. Native Americans, Alaska Natives, African-Americans, Latinos, Asian-American, and Pacific Islanders are more prone to getting type 2 diabetes.
#5 Being inactive – for example, exercising fewer than three times a week – can increase your chances of developing type 2. Talk to your doctor about starting or increasing a fitness plan to get more exercise into your life.
Clarian Bariatrics can help. If you are, overweight with type 2 diabetes and have tried diet control without success call us at 317-275-7010 for more information.
Below is another popular educational video that we produced to help potential patients understand the risks and rewards of Indiana weight loss surgery. Remember, if you have additional questions, please call us at 317-275-7010 to sign up for a FREE weight loss surgery seminar.
This article is just another reminder of how important it is to talk with your dietician to ensure that you are getting all the proper nutrients you need post-operatively. If you ever have a question about supplements, please call us at 317-275-7010.
Full text of this Reuters article can be found by
clicking here.
Weight loss surgery can help you lose weight, but it's also likely to leave you unable to absorb iron, a new study suggests: Iron deficiency is a common problem after stomach bypass surgery to treat severe obesity -- and standard iron supplements may not be enough to prevent it in some patients.
Researchers found that among 67 Chilean women who had undergone the most common form of weight-loss surgery, 39 percent developed low blood counts, also known as anemia, within 18 months of surgery. That anemia was most often due to a deficiency in iron, which the body needs to produce healthy red blood cells that carry oxygen.
In contrast, less than two percent of the women had been anemic before surgery, the researchers report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
WebMD the Magazine featured in its September issue a segment called “Ask the School Nurse.” There were four sections under "Make the Grade – Get Kids Off to a Healthy Start This School Year," with these tips for good nutrition, reduced stress, regular exercise and healthy habits. I have put them below:
Lunchbox Lessons
Primary colors. Load up their lunchboxes with a colorful mix of fruits and vegetables to keep them energized and ready to learn. Apples, pears, berries, dried fruit, baby carrots, cauliflower and edamame are easy to pack – and fun to eat.
Fluid motion. Drinking plenty of fluids helps active children stay hydrated. But not all drinks are created equal. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, kids who drink one can of soda a day increase their obesity risk by 60 percent. Offer water and limit soft drinks (some can pack 150 calories per 12-ounce can).
The whole truth. Whole grains are an important part of a health diet for kids. Offer whole-grain, low-sugar cereals at breakfast and low-sodium whole-grain snack bars or crackers in their lunch box. Try making sandwiches with whole-grain bread (look for “100 percent whole wheat” to get the most grains).
Dairy queen. Strengthen their bones and brains with non- or low-fat dairy foods, including yogurt and flavored milk (choose products with no more than 30 grams of sugar.)
Do you have any tips to share?
I saw this editorial in the Pensacola News Journal and thought it was full of excellent information. The first few paragraphs are below and full text can be found by clicking on the
link.
Obesity causes all sorts of health-related problems ranging from high-blood pressure to diabetes to heart disease. New research now shows that being fat is quickly becoming the second-leading cause of cancer behind smoking.
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The news is especially bad for women in Western countries in coming years as the obesity epidemic continues to put them at higher risk. Colorectal cancer, breast cancer in menopausal women and endometrial cancer accounted for 65 percent of all cancers linked to being fat.
Scientists still aren't sure why being fat boosts cancer risks, but suspect it is connected to hormones. As people become fatter, they produce more hormones like estrogen that help tumors grow. People with big bellies also have more acid in their stomachs, which can lead to stomach, intestinal or esophageal cancer.
September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, so I thought it was a great time to share this news article discussing the links between obesity and prostate cancer. When detected early, prostate cancer is very curable. If you are a man over 40 have you had your yearly PSA? If not, visit
ACallToChange.org to learn about FREE upcoming screenings in your area.
Below are a few paragraphs from the article.
Please click the link to view full text.
A new look at a large database of prostate cancer patients shows that obesity plays no favorites when it comes to increasing the risk of recurrence after surgery: Being way overweight is equally bad for blacks and whites, say researchers at Duke University Medical Center.
Studies have shown that obesity is linked to generally worse outcomes in many cancers, including prostate cancer. Because blacks are more likely than whites to develop and die from prostate cancer - and because there is a higher prevalence of obesity among black men with prostate cancer, compared to whites - some studies have suggested that obesity might be a more ominous risk factor for blacks than whites.
A short read from the New York Times that I wanted to share with you all.
Children born to women who had bariatric surgery for obesity may face a lower risk of severe obesity themselves, a study suggests.
The study, of 111 children born to 49 mothers who had a type of weight-loss surgery called biliopancreatic diversion, found that babies born after the operation had lower birth weights than those born before, and their risk of becoming severely obese as children was one-third the risk of those born before. Only 11 percent of the children born after surgery were severely obese, compared with 35 percent of the others.
Children born after the operation also had better cholesterol levels and improved insulin sensitivity, indicating they might be less likely to develop heart disease and diabetes later in life, the researchers found.
Two notes of caution about the paper, to be published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism: The findings are based on observation of the children (the study was not randomized and controlled), and bariatric surgery can lead to complications like anemia, malnutrition, loss of bone density and, rarely, death.
An author of the paper, Dr. John Kral, a professor of surgery and medicine at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, said the benefits to the children might be due to metabolic and hormonal changes in the wombs of women who have had the operation.
This story is very personal as my grandmother has been battling this disease for the past two years. Although she was never obese during her lifetime, it shows that Alzheimer's is indiscriminate in whom it can affect. I simply want to share this article in the hopes that it can raise awareness of this horrible disease. The first few paragraphs are below, and the full text can be
found here.
Obesity is on a rampage, with the World Health Organization pegging the numbers at more than 300 million worldwide, with a billion more overweight. With obesity comes the increased risk for cardiovascular disease, Type II diabetes, and hypertension.
Now comes more discouraging news. In the current online edition of the journal Human Brain Mapping, Paul Thompson, senior author and a UCLA professor of neurology, and lead author Cyrus A. Raji, a medical student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and colleagues compared the brains of people who were obese, overweight, and of normal weight, to see if they had differences in brain structure; that is, did their brains look equally healthy. If you would like to learn more about Indiana weight loss surgery, causes of obesity and how bariatric surgery can change your life, please join us at a FREE informational seminar. Click on the image at the right of this post to learn more.
Benefits of weight loss surgery are lower blood pressure, remission of diabetes, decreased risk of heart disease, lower blood cholesterol level, etc. as we all know, every benefit has a potential risk. A recent article in the Journal of Urology looked at the risk of kidney stones and gastric bypass surgery.
4,639 patients who underwent bypass surgery and 4,369 obese patients in a control group who didn’t have bariatric surgery were followed for four years. Of those, 4.6 percent of the control group developed kidney stones versus 7.7 percent of the bypass surgery group developed stones. This is a slight increase risk of developing kidney stones after bariatric weight loss surgery.
Prevention of kidney stones requires staying hydrated by drinking at least 64 ounces of fluid each day. This will prevent concentrating your urine which will decrease risk of kidney stones. If possible learn what type of kidney stones that you may be at risk of developing –calcium based kidney stone may require you to watch your intake of dairy products or if it is oxalate based may require you to limit your intake of dark green vegetables (spinach, kale,) and herbal teas. Consult with your primary care doctor if you suspect you are at risk of kidney stones.
Did you know that lack of sleep can be related to weight gain? According to the July/August 2009 issue of
WebMD magazine, women sleeping five or fewer hours per night are 32 percent more likely to gain weight. One study showed as much as 33 pounds over 16 years. They are also 15 percent more likely to become obese than women who sleep at least seven hour per night.
Although a study published by Columbia University and cited in "Sleeping off the Pounds" by
Holly F. Lofton, MD, in the Obesity Action Coalition’s quarterly magazine, shows those numbers as 73 percent more likely to become obese with five hours of sleep then those getting seven to nine hours a night. They found that even increasing to six hours there is still a 27 percent chance of becoming obese over the adults who receive seven or more hours of sleep a night.
In addition to being the cause of weight gain, a consistent lack of sleep raises the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, heart attack, and stroke. Michael Breus, PhD, WebMD Sleep Expert, has the following recommendations to help increase your nightly hours of sleep:
- Avoid any caffeine after 2:30 in the afternoon.
- Balance your life especially between career and family.
- Be sure family time includes quality time with them and some for yourself as well, you time should include physical activity and maybe some pampering as well. Avoid the computer and TV for at least an hour before bed, dim the lights, and relax.
- Avoid napping during the day, maintain a regular bedtime routine, and stick with the same waking and sleeping times seven days a week.
- Avoid nicotine, alcohol, and stimulant medications close to bedtime, along with the above-mentioned caffeine.
- Do your more vigorous exercise in the morning or late afternoon and more relaxing exercises at night.
- Avoid large meals at bedtime; keep evening snacks in the 100-200 calorie range.
- Try not to read, eat or watch television in bed, also keep your sleep environment comfortable, pleasant, and climate-controlled.
- For those on the night shift and the elderly be sure to get good light exposure during the “daytime” from indoor lighting, also close the blinds at least 1-2 hours before bedtime to help set the Circadian rhythm.
If you would like to learn more, a copy of this magazine is available at
Clarian Bariatrics clinic. Getting a good nights sleep should help you on your weight loss journey in keeping the pounds off and maybe even assist in losing a few.
Previously, I wrote about how patients feel that they have an abundance of energy post operatively and part of that is of course due to their weight loss; however, another reason for such a dramatic change in energy may be in part that they are sleeping better.
A more restful, sound sleep will definitely allow you to awaken feeling more refreshed, and energized. Many patients tell me they are sleeping better once they have lost weight and are surprised that their obesity affected their sleep.
Then there are patients who are on C-PAP at night to sleep and as they loose weight, they are able to come off the C-PAP. This group is aware that their sleeping issues are a result of obesity related problems and are so relieved to watch their health improve as a benefit of their weight loss surgery.
Want to learn more about how weight loss surgery can change your life? Then join us at a FREE informational seminar.
Click here for more information.
Did you know that blueberries contain phytochemical’s anthocyanin, proanthocyanidins, flavonols and tannins, which inhibit mechanisms of cancer cell development and inflammation? Other studies have found that blueberry consumption lowered blood cholesterol and total
blood lipid levels, which may decrease risk of heart disease.
Half a cup or 3 ½ ounces of blueberries contain 60 calories, a very small amount of fat and protein, 2.4 grams dietary fiber, and 10 mg vitamin C. Choose fresh blueberries over blueberry juice – juice is a concentrated sweet that may cause dumping in Roux-en-Y patients. Also, avoid the snack foods that contain blueberries (muffins, pie, etc) since those foods are high in calories.
Blueberries may not be a part of your meal plan depending on where you are at in the process of weight management. If you decide to incorporate fruit into your meal plan limit to ½ cup a day and discuss any questions or concerns with a dietitian.
A patient should be concerned of a nutritional problem after bariatric surgery if any of the following occurred:
- Hair loss continued more than one year after surgery
- Hair loss started more than six months after surgery
- Patient has had difficulty eating and/or has not complied with supplementation
- Patient has shown low values of ferritin, zinc or protein on lab results
- Patient has had more rapid then expected weight loss
Iron: Iron is the sing nutrient most highly correlated with hair loss. While new research is conflicted as to the significance of ferritin as a diagnostic tool in hair loss, it has still been found that a significant number of people with hair loss respond to iron therapy. Optimal iron levels for hair health have not been established.
Zinc: Zinc deficiency has been tied to hair loss in both animal studies and human cases. Based on studies done and their results, it can not be definitely said that zinc would prevent hair loss after weight loss surgery and further studies would be needed to make this connection. A note on zinc: The tolerable upper intake level for zinc is 40 mg in adults. These levels can cause gastrointestinal distress. Chronic toxicity can start at intakes of 60 mg/day. Some patients have heard on chat rooms and list serv forums that “high dose zinc will prevent hair loss after weight loss surgery.” Patients should be advised that high dose zinc therapy is unproven and should only be done under supervision due to the risks associated with toxicity. A lab test to check for zinc deficiency would be best before giving a high dose such as this.
Protein: Low protein intake is associated with hair loss. Limited studies suggest that patients with the most rapid or greatest amounts of weight loss are at greatest risk. Pancreatic enzymes that would help aid in protein digestion are redirected to a lower part of the small intestine. Based on this, it is likely that maldigestion, rather than malabsorption, is responsible for many hair loss cases.
Biotin: To date, there is no science that would support supplementing with, or topically applying biotin will prevent hair loss or improve hair regrowth. While biotin deficiency can cause dermatitis, hair loss is only known to occur in experimentally induced states in animal models or in extreme cases of prolonged diets composed exclusively of egg whites.
Hair loss can be distressing to bariatric surgery patients and many will try to nutrition themselves to see if they can prevent it. Unfortunately, there is little evidence that early hair loss is preventable because it is most likely caused by surgery and rapid weight loss. However, later hair loss can be indicative of a nutritional problem.
Reference: Bariatric Times. “The Latest on Nutrition and Hair Loss in the Bariatric Patient” by Jacqueline Jacques, ND. 9/08
The following article brief came across on the Obesity Action Coalition's August e-newsletter. Highlights are below with a link to full text of the article:
Short-term complications and death rates were low following bariatric surgery to limit the amount of food that can enter the stomach, decrease absorption of food or both, according to the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS-1).
Results are reported in the July 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Less than 1 percent (0.3 percent) of patients died within 30 days of surgery, further supporting the short-term safety of bariatric surgery as a treatment for patients with extreme obesity.
Bariatric surgery can have dramatic health benefits--such as improved blood sugar control or even reversal of type 2 diabetes. But it also carries serious risks, including death. The LABS-1 study aimed to evaluate the short-term safety of bariatric surgery to help doctors and patients understand the risks.To view this article,
please click here.
A common fear for patient’s who have undergone bariatric surgery is hair loss. For most of us, our hair is important as part of our self-image but is not very important to our bodies. After surgery, the body is forced to make a choice on where to send the nutrition that is going into the body. After surgery, the body will shift nutritional stores to vital organs like the brain and heart and away from hair thus resulting in hair loss.
Hair loss has many causes. The most common type of hair loss after weight loss surgery is a loss known medically as telogen effluvium, which can have both nutritional and non-nutritional causes.
For most of our life, we are always in the process of growing and losing hair. Human hair follicles have two states: a growth state and a dormant state. All hairs begin in the growth state and then shift to the dormant state, which lasts 100-120 days. After this many days, the hair will fall out. At any given time, about 90 percent of hairs are in growth state and 10 percent are in a dormant state.
Specific types of stress can result in a shift of a higher percentage to the dormant state. These stresses include: high fever, severe infection, major surgery, acute physical trauma, chronic debilitating illness (such as cancer or end stage liver disease), acute weight loss, crash dieting, hormonal disruption, anorexia, low protein intake, iron or zinc deficiency, heavy metal toxicity and some medications.
Bariatric surgery patients have two major risks for hair loss: major surgery and rapid weight loss. These two are likely to account for much of the hair loss after surgery. In the absence of a nutritional issue, hair loss will continue until all hairs that shifted into the dormant phase have fallen out. Hair loss will rarely last for more than 6 months in the absence of a dietary cause. Patients can be reassured that with time, patience and keeping up good nutritional intake, hair will grow back.
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