Medical Weight Loss Blog

This blog gives fast and easy to read summaries of the latest news in the field of weight loss. This come from various sources, including scientific journals, which is interpreted and written so that anyone can understand it. You will also get updates on additions and changes to the web site.

Click on the orange RSS button to get started. You can also visit the News Archives to see older articles.

Jan 1, 2009, Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all the readers of the Medical Weight Loss Blog. People are making their new year's resolutions. Once again, losing weight is at the top of the list (see link below).

For scientifically accurate information about weight loss, refer to www.medical-weight-loss-guide.com when embarking on new weight loss plans.

Good luck to everyone in 2009!

Dec 23, 2008, FDA Warning on Some Weight Loss Products

The FDA has determined that some weight loss products marketed as "dietary supplements" may have undeclared amounts of active pharmaceutical ingredients. These ingredients may include "sibutramine (a controlled substance), rimonabant (a drug not approved for marketing in the United States), phenytoin (an anti-seizure medication), and phenolphthalein (a solution used in chemical experiments and a suspected cancer causing agent). Some of the amounts of active pharmaceutical ingredients far exceeded the FDA-recommended levels, putting consumers' health at risk."

A list of the possibly tainted products is as follows:

Click on the link below to read the full FDA news release.

Dec 22, 2008, Paying People to Lose Weight Works .....At First

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked to see if people were more likely to lose weight if money was at stake. This is a concept called behavioral economics. They compared two financial reward systems to a control group. The first system was a lottery were as long as participants were losing an appropriate amount of weight, they had the chance to win money. In the second system, people "invested" money and had the chance to make a return on their investment depending on how well they were losing weight.

What the researchers found was that after 16 weeks, the two financial incentive groups lost more weight than the control group. However, after three months, these people had regained a substantial amount of their weight lost. After 8 months, the weight loss between the financial incentive groups and the control group was nearly the same.

One caveat of this study is that it was done on mostly white males. How financial incentives would work with other social groups and in women may differ. It does hint that paying people to lose weight may work, but research into long term financial incentives needs to be done.

Nov 29, 2008, Apple Cider Vinegar | Medical-Weight-Loss-Guide.com

Apple Cider Vinegar for weight loss: There are no studies on apple cider vinegar and weight loss, but there may be some health consequences to taking it.

Nov 22, 2008, Bariatric Surgery Again Proved Safer with Experienced Hospitals and Surgeons

It is already known that the more procedures that are performed by bariatric surgeons and having them performed at hospitals that host a large volume of these procedures is associated with better patient outcomes. Researchers in Pennsylvania examined data from 1999-2003 on bariatric surgery patients in their home state. They confirmed the finding that more experience leads to better outcomes.

A procedure done in a hospital that performs less than 100 surgeries per year results in twice the risk of dying in the hospital or 30 days later compared to hospitals that perform more than 100 procedures per year. Similarly surgeons' experience levels also correlated with better outcomes. Compared to those who do more than 100 surgeries per year, those that did 50-100 and less than 50 per year had mortality rates of 2.7 and 3.6 times more, respectively. Keep in mind that the risk of dying is small in the first place. These researchers also found that being male or African American also increased risk of dying within 30 days after leaving the hospital.

In 2004 in Pennsylvania, institutions began to become accredited as Bariatric Centers of Excellence. This accreditation could be something to look for in choosing a facility. The criteia are:
- Institutional requirements for bariatric equipment
- A registry to monitor patient outcomes
- Designated bariatric surgical wards
- Immediate availability of critical care and other specialists
- Surgical leadership
- Clinical pathways
- Continued nursing education
- Minimum volume requirements

Nov 16, 2008, Lap Band vs. Gastric Bypass

Researchers examined studies comparing the lap band procedure to gastric bypass. These are the two most common weight loss surgeries, the lap band being most common in Europe and gastric bypass winning out in the US. Overall, there are not that many great studies comparing the two. Only 14 studies could be found, and only one of those was a randomized controlled trial, which is considered the highest quality type of clinical research. The average patient in these studies was 40 years old, and 80% were female. The average time for follow-up was less than one and a half years, which makes them unable to evaluate the strue long term side effects.

All that being said, the studies did agree that people lose more weight with the gastric bypass procedure than with the lap band. More patients were cured of their obesity related diseases (diabetes, sleep apnea, etc.) with gastric bypass. Statistically, for every fourth person who opted for gastric bypass, one of them would be cured from a disease that the lap band would not have cured. More people surveyed were happier with gastric bypass than those who had the lap band.

These studies seem to favor gastric bypass over lap banding. However, as the the researchers point out, there are several caveats. There needs to be more long term studies. People who have gastric bypass may have more potential for compilations down the road, especially because they cause less absorption of nutrients. There also needs to be more high quality studies comparing the two.

Nov 14, 2008, Your Waistline Can Predict Your Risk of Dying

The BMI is generally used to measure how obese or overweight a person is. Less used are waist size and waist to hip ratio. These too are associated with adverse health effects. Researchers looked at data from 359,387 people from Europe. They found that a higher BMI was associated with a higher risk of death. They also found out that waist size was associated with a greater risk of dying.

For men whose waists are 5 cm (2 inches) larger than others, there was a 17% greater risk of death. It was 13% for women. When the researchers just looked at people with normal weights, the risk of dying from having a larger waist was nearly two times that of having a normal waist size.

They also found that a larger waist with a lower BMI was worse than the same waist size at a higher BMI. This makes sense because a person who is lean and muscular will have a higher BMI but smaller waist.

Nov 13, 2008, A Gene that Controls the Pleasure of Eating

When we eat food, a chemical signal called dopamine is release in a part of our brains called the dorsal striatum. People who are obese have fewer dopamine D2 receptors than thin people. The theory is that dopamine triggers a reward center in the brain, and since obese people have fewer D2 receptors, they need to eat more to get the same sense of reward.

Researchers published a study in the journal Science in which they looked a blood flow to certain parts of the brain while study subjects (all female) ate either a milkshake or a "tasteless substitute". They watched blood flow on MRIs in parts of the brain including the dorsal and ventral striatum. In addition, these scientists checked for a gene called TaqIA. This gene come in two forms, A1 and A2. A person with an A1 from one or both parents is more likely to be obese.

They found that those who had higher BMIs had less blood flow to the striatal areas, suggesting that there are fewer D2 receptors there. The A1 form of TaqIA was also associated. In the end, this study indicates that the A1 form of TaqIA may cause a reduced amount of D2 receptors in the reward centers of the brain which in turn means people need to eat more to get the same sense of reward from food as people who have only the A2 form of the gene. The researchers also point out that this could extend to other types of addictions.

Nov 12, 2008, About Us | Medical-Weight-Loss-Guide.com

Explains what the Medical Weight Loss Guide site is about. Gives Its mission and purpose.

Nov 6, 2008, Pfizer Stops Work on an Obesity Drug

CP-945,598 is a chemical that works on the endocannabanoid system. Its function is similar to another weight loss drug, Rimonabant (European brand name Acomplia). Rimonabant and CP-945,598 block the cannabanoid type 1 (CB1) recptor. When this receptor is activated, it causes increased food intake in animals.

CP-945,598 was in phase 3 development when Pfizer decided to discontinue work on it. The company believes that CP-945,598 "has the potential to be a safe and effective treatment for weight management," but in light of regulatory issues and Pfizer's portfolio refocusing, they are no longer perusing this compound as an obesity medication.