|
|
      |
| The Lounge | Champions | The Wire | Schedule | Audio | Arcade | The Top Ten | Historical | Email | Video |
|
|
|
| The Lounge | Champions | The Wire | Schedule | Audio | Arcade | The Top Ten | Historical | Email | Video |
 |
Weight Loss Surgery May Add Years to Life
Stomach-Stapling Surgery As the number of obese people in the U.S. has soared, so has the popularity of the surgery. In fact, East Carolina University researchers estimated that the number of people undergoing weight-loss surgery increased from 40,000 in 2001 to 86,000 this year and will reach 140,000 next year. Past research has shown that gastric bypass improves diabetes, high blood pressure, and other diseases related to excess fat. But the effect on a person's life span has been unknown, until now To answer that question, researchers at New Hampshire's Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center first looked at data from previous research that showed how much a weight an average person loses after having the surgery. Then they looked at the average life expectancies of people at various heights and weights. In this way, they could estimate how much the change in weight caused by surgery would affect patients' life span. The results suggest that most people eligible for the surgery would benefit, says lead researcher G. Darby Pope, MD, surgery resident at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. "By undergoing the surgery, they will gain life years," he said. Pope presented the study this week at a meeting of the American College of Surgeons in San Francisco. People with a BMI, a measure of obesity that takes both height and weight into account, over 25 are considered overweight. But according to U.S. government guidelines, patients should have a BMI of at least 40, or a BMI of 35 with a related serious disease, to be eligible for gastric bypass surgery. Most such patients are more than 100 pounds overweight. The results varied according to the patients' age, gender, and body mass index (BMI). According to the researchers, a woman with a BMI of 45 at age 40 would gain three years of life. A man of similar age and size could expect to gain 3.9 years. These results are better than those obtained by heart disease surgery, Pope said. But he cautioned that no one should interpret these findings literally. The actual effects of the gastric bypass surgery will vary a lot from one individual to another. Questions about the benefits of gastric bypass surgery will be answered with more certainty by studies now under way on large groups of patients, Pope says. The surgery is getting more popular not only because more people are obese, but also because surgeons have improved their techniques. In earlier weight-loss surgery, doctors routed the digestive track past much of the intestines, resulting in malnutrition. In the kind of surgery in the Dartmouth-Hitchcock study, most of the stomach is stapled shut so that food can only enter a small pouch at the top. A branch of the intestines is connected to this pouch. (The unused part of the stomach is connected to this branch downstream in order to drain its fluids.) Patients vomit if they overeat, but feel full with much less food. Typically, they lose about three-quarters of their excess weight in the first year, then gradually gain some back. After ten years or more, most carry about half the excess weight they had before the surgery, says Pope. Patients must take nutritional supplements for the rest of their lives, and there is a chance of dying from complications of the surgery. But Pope and his colleagues took this risk of complications into account in their study and the results suggest that the risk of death from the procedure are much less than the risk of death from obesity. The main problem with this type of surgery is it is only a short-term solution. Usually overweight people have poor eating habits and do not exercise. Having surgery does not correct either. It is vital to have a change of lifestyle to undergo healthy weight loss. Without the change, the body remains in an unhealthy state. Source: WebMD You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated. About The Author
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
After WLS: How Much Weight Have You Lost? I had lost nearly fifty pounds before anyone mentioned my weight loss. Then, all of the sudden, everybody noticed! As soon as they noticed the questions began. Why Did I Do That? How to Deal with a Lapse in Your Weight Loss Efforts A bad day or even a bad week is not enough to "break your diet" unless you let it get you down. It's what you eat over the long run that counts. Weight Loss Methods: Its Advantage - Natural Therapy! Natural therapies uphold the importance of minerals, vitamins and herbs in your day-to-day life. People have popularized weight loss programs like diet plans, pills and surgeries but natural therapy still remains as one of the earliest and effective therapies for weight loss. Help to Reduce Belly Fat Can You Lose Weight Where You Want?If you have excess weight only in specific parts of your body, you still must look at yourself as a whole. It's not possible to spot reduce; in other words, you can't dictate that you only want weight to come off one place or another. NotOneOunce -- Junk at the Office After the post-Halloween sugar surge, everyone coaches you to get the candy out of your house. This is terrific, but many people solve the problem by taking it straight to the office. Be Aware Of Your Reasons You have decided that you want to lose weight and improve your health. What is the first step? Start by asking yourself what your reason(s)is for wanting to make this change. Lose Weight - Diet Tips For Fast Weight Loss Looking to lose weight quickly? The good news is that it's possible. The bad news is that fad diets and quick fixes have a tendency to not last. Weight Loss With Water It's calorie-free, inexpensive and easily obtained - yet few people follow the old fashioned advice to drink eight glasses of water a day.Most people drink when they are thirsty, but usually not enough and certainly not when trying to lose weight. Low Carb vs. High Low carb diets can be classified as food plans that require keeping carbohydrates as low as 3% and never more than about 25 to 30%. This is much lower than the 50 to 60% recommended by most good scientists and valid research. Fast Weight Loss Using Herbs And Spices I wonder how much it is generally known that the benefits of using herbs and spices can speed up your weight loss efforts, by quite a considerable amount actually.We all know that herbs and spices are used with cooking to varying degrees, and of course the primary reason for doing so is to make food much more tasty and interesting. Weight Loss, Exercise, and Bodybuilding Tips - Keeping Your Body-Fat Low: Part 7 of 10 People usually quit weightloss and exercise programs for one of two reasons: boredom or lack of results, maybe even both!I cannot explain this, nor did I learn this in a classroom, but twenty years in the field proves it to me all the time- after about ten weeks the body starts catching onto what your workout will consist of that day. I believe that your body knows after awhile exactly what you are going to put it through, adapts to it and stops progress. Weight Loss, Exercise, and New Years Resolutions - Why They Dont Work? We have all set them, and we will revisit them again around January 1st. For some reason each year we feel it will be different this time around - only to forget the new gym membership, new clothes and new found inspiration about six weeks into the year. Remembering The Titanic: Top Ten Weight Loss Mistakes Others Make But We Can Avoid Patrick Henry once said, "I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I have no way of judging the future but by the past. Weight Loss Doesnt Work Your brain has this really interesting system that is kind of like a search engine on the internet. It is called your RAS for short. Why Do We Cheat On Our Diets? If only we could solve this question, the world (for many) would be a better place! Well, the reality is that there are real answers to this question that will apply to many people. It will take a good dose of reality and a brave heart to stop denying what really happens. Fast Weight Loss for Special Occasions Losing weight quickly is not advisable as most of the loss will be muscle tissue and water; you put on the weight slowly (usually over years) so normally you should take it off slowly and then you will know that the majority of the loss will be body fat.But you have a problem here and the clock is ticking so you will have to diet pretty hard to meet your target weight loss. Fitness Wars: Revenge of the Girth As of the writing of this article, May 16, 2005, we are all almost 5 months into our New Year's Resolutions.Are you skinny yet?Did you find your six-pack?Does your butt look like you wanted it to in those jeans?For a lot of you, the answers to these questions are going to be "No, No, and, I took the jeans back to the store". What Obesity Debate? This is a perfect example of how on-line weight loss "experts" can confuse and harm the American consumer.. What is Your Healthy Body Weight Everywhere we look in the western world we are inundated with pictures, images, icons and inferences of the 'perfect' female shape! The truth is that many of these images are altered or enhanced in some way and do not depict the typical female form. The pressure to lose weight is immense when we are bombarded every day with media selling products based on slimness, sex appeal and fashion. Slim Hips and Thighs: Tips to Lose Weight from Hips and Thighs! Losing weight on hips and thighs has always been a dream. And yes, dreams come true! It is usually difficult to lose weight from thighs and hips as compared to abdomen.
|
Section Site Map - Submit News - Feedback - Comments - Advertise with Us Copyright © 2006 Luminati Inc. All rights reserved. 
|
