News Updates
Even light alcohol consumption linked to higher risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome in study of 27 million adults
Consuming more than half a standard alcoholic drink a day (equivalent to 7g of pure alcohol) is associated with an increased risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome in both men and women, and the risk rises in proportion with alcohol intake, according to a nationwide study involving nearly 27 million adults (aged 20 years and older) from South Korea, being presented at The European and International Congress on Obesity (ECOICO), held online this year.
The Underused Weight Loss Option: Bariatric Surgery
For those who can overcome fears of surgery and perhaps do battle with recalcitrant insurers, there remains another very successful option that experts say is currently vastly underused. That option is bariatric surgery, an approach that is now simpler, safer and more effective than in its early days in the 1990s.
Major weight loss—whether from surgery or diet—has same metabolic benefits
Gastric bypass surgery is the most effective therapy to treat or reverse type 2 diabetes in severely obese patients. Many achieve remission of diabetes following surgery and no longer require diabetes medications.
High-intensity lifestyle treatment beneficial for obesity in underserved communities
For an underserved primary care population, a high-intensity lifestyle-based treatment program for obesity results in significant weight loss at 24 months, according to a study published in the Sept. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Facts and myths about obesity, emerging as a key factor in COVID-19 hospitalization
With so much misinformation surrounding obesity, Dr. Catherine Varney is careful with her words. First of all, she clarifies that her patients are not obese, but rather have obesity, which is a disease and not a lack of willpower.
Weight loss surgery may alter gene expression in fat tissue
Altered gene expression in fat tissue may help explain why individuals who have regained weight after weight loss surgery still experience benefits such as metabolic improvements and a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. The findings come from a study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine.
Mental, physical health of people with obesity affected during COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic is having a significant impact on people with obesity as they struggle to manage their weight and mental health during shelter-in-place orders, according to research led by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and UT Southwestern.
Obesity not related to how close you live to fast food or gyms, new study says
A new study from Lund University in Sweden has shown no correlation between obesity and how close you live to fast food restaurants or gyms. Studies from other countries have previously indicated that these factors may be important in adult obesity.
Coronavirus linked to greater risk of life-threatening infection in people with obesity
As worldwide coronavirus-related deaths tip a quarter of a million, a concerning trend is surfacing in the medical literature: high rates of obesity in groups of patients with severe or life-threatening COVID-19.
Delaying bariatric and metabolic surgery during COVID-19 pandemic puts patients at risk, experts warn
New guidance identifies patients with the greatest need for bariatric and metabolic surgery as experts warn delaying treatment could put them at a greater risk of complications from their disease as well as from COVID-19.