The presentation outlined the methods used to treat obesity from the 17th century through today, starting with the earliest recorded treatments for obesity, which included bleedings and recommendations such as drinking vinegar to dissolve fat and engaging in ‘violent exercise’. Hundreds of years later, during the time of World War II and beyond, quite a few weight loss drugs were developed. These drugs, however, were found to cause too many negative side effects, so their usage was intermittent or stopped completely. The next significant milestone in obesity treatment was in the 1990’s, with the drug Fen-Phen.  It had record-breaking sales, but was recalled in the late 1990’s when it was linked with heart valve problems. Since the recall of Fen-Phen, there have been numerous efforts to create safe and effective obesity drugs; however, currently there are only two drugs that are approved for obesity treatment. The challenge in developing and getting obesity drugs to the market, explains Dr. Mark Fusco, a bariatric surgeon in Florida, is that “they need to demonstrate a significant safety profile to win approval from governmental agencies that are increasingly risk averse.”

Because of the challenges in finding pharmaceutical treatments, surgery and procedures, like POSE, continue to be the most effective in treating obesity. POSE is a new minimally invasive weight loss procedure designed for patients that want to lose 20-70 pounds. The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are at the forefront of this new technology and are amongst the most experienced at the procedure in the world. Dr. Michael Thomas explained that no matter what procedure you choose, POSE or surgery, “the most important thing patients can do is go to an experienced bariatric surgeon to get the best results. After that, it’s very important that they follow-up with their doctor to make sure they stay on track and have life-long healthy weight loss.”

Surgical Specialists of Louisiana offers a comprehensive weight loss program that involves life-long care for the whole continuum of patients whether they want to lose 20 pounds or 400 pounds.

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Adolescents who got the least amount of sleep had a 4.2 times higher risk of becoming obese. Those who slept during the week but stayed up late on weekend nights tripled their risk.

Coupled with lack of sleep is the question, “What are kids doing when they’re not tucked between the sheets?” The answer, not surprisingly, is that they’re playing video games (a sedentary activity), watching TV (another sedentary activity), and eating high-calorie junk food, which are all associated with higher childhood obesity rates.

Researchers believe that sleep deprivation affects metabolism and the endocrine system, especially when the body is young and growing. It also negatively affects two hormones that regulate hunger and appetite, causing overeating. And if that isn’t enough, lack of sleep throws off the body’s biological clock… particularly the mechanism that controls glucose and insulin. When this regulatory mechanism is out of balance, it causes weight gain, heart disease and diabetes. And finally, lack of sleep increases the levels of the hormone cortisol, which regulates how the body uses energy. High levels of cortisol have been linked to insulin resistance and a higher BMI (body mass index).

So how many hours a night should the average child sleep? The NIH (National Institutes of Health) recommends 9 to 10 hours a night. Dr. David Gozal, one of the University of Chicago’s lead researchers and chair of the pediatrics department at the University of Chicago in Illinois said, “Adequate sleep can help reduce obesity as well as other health problems like cardiovascular disease and diabetes now and in the future.”

The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana is committed to helping you lose weight and obtain a healthy lifestyle. Our nutritionists are available for one-on-one consultations. Whether you need to lose 15, 50 or 150 pounds, SSL can help you. Our medically supervised weight loss program, MyWeight, combines nutrition therapy, physical activity and physician prescribed medication, if necessary. Minimally invasive weight loss surgery (gastric banding, gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy) and the new incisionless procedure, POSE, are options for those who need to lose 50 or more pounds. Schedule your free weight-loss surgery seminar today to learn more!

Contact the Surgical Specialists of LA for more information at 1-877-691-3001 or www.whyweight.com.

On March 26, 2010, a resolution was unanimously passed in the Senate to designate September 2010 as “National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month”, bringing national attention to a growing epidemic among youth in the United States. The resolution requests that the president issue a proclamation calling on the federal government, states, tribes and localities to observe September with programs that promote healthy eating and physical activity. Activities planned in September are important steps to improving kids’ wellness and educating families on how to live healthier.

The obesity crisis and unhealthy lifestyles are contributing to the growth of health care costs in America. First Lady Michelle Obama is making childhood obesity one of her top priorities.  Since the mid-1970s, obesity rates in the U.S. have increased dramatically for both children and adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate the annual expenditures related to overweight individuals and obesity to be more than $264 billion.  This is greater than the cost of tobacco-related illnesses!  In 2007, spending on health care in the U.S. reached $2.2 trillion or $7,421/person, or 16.2% spending share of gross domestic product.

Facts of appalling proportion:

•    31.8% or 23,000,000 children and teenagers 2-19 are obese or overweight.  This is a statistic that health and medical experts consider an epidemic.

•    The financial implications of childhood obesity pose a tremendous threat to our economy and health care system, carrying up to $14,000,000,000 per year in direct health care cost.

•    People in the U.S. spend about 9% of their total medical costs on obesity-related illnesses.

•    Obese young children have an 80% chance of being obese adults and are more at risk for associated adult health problems including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, stroke, several types of cancer and osteoarthritis.

•    In part due to the childhood obesity epidemic, 1 in 3 children born in the year 2000 will develop type 2 diabetes at some point in their lifetime if the current trend continues.

Source: Read The Bill: S. Res. 412 – GovTrack.us.  Text of S. Res. 412: A resolution designating September 2010 as “National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month”.
Source: Senate Passes Resolution to Designate September “National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month”.  http://gillibrand.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/?id=C6CC2288-3D15-4856-8E70-982

The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are committed to helping our patients achieve a healthy lifestyle and a healthy weight. Whether you are interested in weight loss surgery or medically supervised weight loss counseling, we can help you take control of your eating and your weight. Join us for a free seminar or take a weight loss quiz to help you get started.

Childhood obesity is a serious and growing problem. Over the past 30 years, obesity rates among children have tripled. A recent study In the Journal of American Medical Association shows that gastric banding surgery, such as LAP-BAND^®, can and have been, more effective than traditional weight loss programs promoting diet and exercise.

The February 10th issue of JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) reported that gastric banding may be more effective for achieving weight loss than lifestyle changes¹.

The randomized controlled trial conducted by Paul E. O’Brien, M.D, FRACS, and colleagues of Monash University and the Centre for Adolescent Health, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, included 50 adolescents between the ages of 14 and 18, with a BMI higher than 35. Twenty five patients underwent laparoscopic gastric banding, while the remaining 25 entered a program of lifestyle intervention. This program included increased activity level, behavior modification and reduced calorie intake. Participants in both groups were followed for two years. (May 2005-September 2008).

Twenty four of the patients in the surgical group completed the study while 18 in the lifestyle group completed the program.

The study revealed that the gastric banding group lost an average of 76 pounds. This is an overall average loss of 28 percent of total body weight and 79 percent of excess weight. The lifestyle group lost an average of 6.6 pounds or an average of 3.1 percent total weight loss and 13 percent excess weight loss.

“At entry, 9 participants (36 %) in the gastric banding group and 10 (40%) in the lifestyle group had the metabolic syndrome. At 24 months, none of the gastric banding group had the metabolic syndrome compared with 4 of the 18 completers (22%) in the lifestyle group,” the authors noted.

“In this study, gastric banding proved to be an effective intervention leading to a substantial and durable reduction in obesity and to better health. The adolescent and parents must understand the importance of careful adherence to recommended eating behaviors and of seeking early consultation if symptoms of reflux, heartburn, or vomiting occur. As importantly, they should be in a setting in which they can maintain contact with health professionals who understand the process of care. This study indicates that, in such a setting, the laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding process can achieve important improvements in weight, health, and quality of life in severely obese adolescents,” the researchers concluded.

You can get more information on weight loss surgery such as gastric banding, gastric bypass or medically supervised weight loss programs by contacting one of our patient advocates today. The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are committed to helping you reach your weight loss goals. Register for a free seminar and see which one of our weight loss programs has proven to be the most effective for weight loss in adolescent patients in Louisiana.

1. O’Brien, Paul E., et al. (2010). Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding in Severely Obese Adolescents. Journal of the American Medical Association, 303(6):519-526.

The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are thrilled to share with you some exciting news out of Washington. The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) was one of the few select organizations to attend First Lady, Michelle Obama’s kick-off event for her National Campaign that will take a stand against childhood obesity. The new campaign, Let’s Move will get kids moving and will promote healthy weight loss in obese children. Below is an official Statement from the OAC.

Obesity Action Coalition Attends First Lady Michelle Obama’s Launch of her Childhood Obesity Initiative at the White House

Today was a step in the right direction when it comes to tackling the childhood obesity epidemic, giving it the National attention it needs. And, the OAC is proud to say that we were a part of this important step to help solve this growing problem.

This afternoon, First Lady Michelle Obama officially launched her National initiative to take on childhood obesity, unveiling her nationwide campaign – Let’s Move. The OAC was among the select few organizations to receive a personal invitation to the White House to attend the First Lady’s kick-off event for her National Campaign.

The goal of the Let’s Move Campaign is to solve the challenge of childhood obesity in our country through a partnered effort among communities, organizations, schools, government, parents and children. First Lady Obama mapped out many of the challenges that our country faces with this rising epidemic, along with the complex nature of solving this problem to positively impact the health of our nation’s children.

OAC was Proud to Attend

OAC President/CEO Joe Nadglowski was just rows away from the First Lady as she laid out her approach to help our country’s children. Joe was also accompanied by many high profile participants, including members of the President’s cabinet such as Health and Human Services Secretary Sebelius, Education Secretary Duncan and Surgeon General Regina Benjamin. In addition, the crowd also included members of Congress, Mayors from across the nation and leaders from the media, medical, sports, entertainment and business communities who have an interest in helping the childhood obesity epidemic.

The OAC is happy that our nation’s First Lady is making childhood obesity a priority and that she plans to include a variety of individuals in the discussion to solve this problem. We are honored that we were among the select few invited to witness this important announcement first-hand and plan to be included in future discussions on this issue with the White House.

The OAC encourages you to visit the Let’s Move Campaign Web site at www.letsmove.gov to learn more about this campaign and our nation’s childhood obesity epidemic and how you can start to make a difference.

Conclusion

Childhood obesity most often starts in the home so Louisiana based OAC encourages you, and your loved ones, to instill healthy eating, exercise and diet habits in children at a young age. By helping children develop good habits, you will help to make a difference in America’s childhood obesity epidemic. See what weight loss tools and information you can share with the people you love from the new Let’s Move Campaign today.

Reproduced with permission from Obesity Action Coalition. Please visit www.oac.org

The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are committed to helping our patients achieve a healthy lifestyle and a healthy weight. Whether you are interested in weight loss surgery or medically supervised weight loss counseling, we can help you take control of your eating and your weight. Join us for a free seminar or take a weight loss quiz to help you get started.

Childhood Obesity: The Link to Drinks

Childhood obesity rates have doubled throughout the past 30 years in the United States for children ages 2-5 and 12-19, and tripled in the age group of 6-11. Obesity for children is defined as a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile for similar age and gender youths¹.

Social and Environmental Pressures

Many social and environmental pressures lead to greater obesity in children. Chief among these influences is the wide variety and availability of sugar-sweetened drinks that contain little to no nutritional value. These beverages include:

•    Soft drinks
•    Sports drinks
•    Fruit drinks
•    Flavored teas and coffees
•    Energy drinks

Throughout the past 10-15 years, these drinks have exploded on to the consumer scene, flooding grocery stores, gas stations, convenience stores and vending machines.

Americans have doubled their consumption of soda pop in the last 25 years, a trend that closely follows the obesity epidemic. The average American drinks 1.6 cans of soda pop a day, more than 500 cans a year. Soda drinking is particularly rampant among teenagers. Data indicates that soft drinks account for 13 percent of a teenager’s caloric intake – by far the largest source of calories in his or her diet. For decades, milk was the most common beverage consumed by children, but by the mid-1990’s, boys and girls were drinking twice as much soda pop as milk.

One recent, independent peer-reviewed study from Harvard demonstrated a strong link between consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and childhood obesity². Although some studies conflict regarding the causality between sugar-sweetened beverages and obesity, a number of research studies confirm the Harvard group’s findings that increased soft drink and sugar-laden beverage consumption is a risk factor for obesity³.
Not only do sugar-sweetened drinks likely lead to obesity, they are also associated with tooth decay and weakening bones.

Energy Drink Emergence

In the past decade, energy drinks have exploded into the marketplace. In 2006 alone, 500 new energy drinks were launched. Energy drinks, which typically contain large amounts of sugar and caffeine, are equally if not more dangerous to children. Although the target market for energy drinks is young adults aged 18-35, teenagers are consuming significant quantities of these beverages.

Caffeine by the Can

The amounts of caffeine found in such drinks as Red Bull or Rock Star are about 10 grams per ounce. With that in mind, take a look at the amount of caffeine found in other beverages:

•    Red Bull (8.3 oz can) = 83 grams
•    Rock Star (16 oz. can) = 160 grams
•    Coca-Cola Classic (12 oz. can) = 34.5 grams
•    Pepsi-Cola (12 oz. can) = 38 grams
•    Coffee (8 oz. cup) = 57 grams

Most experts recommend that children consume well under 100 grams of caffeine per day.

Effects of Caffeine on Children

Pharmacologic effects of caffeine are notable in children, most commonly seen as hyperactivity, sleep disturbances and restlessness. Drinking large amounts of caffeine can also be associated with high blood pressure and frequent headaches.

Researchers have reported that a new practice among college-age students is the simultaneous consumption of energy drinks and alcohol, which allows greater consumption of alcohol since alertness is perpetuated by the energy drink⁴. In addition, the sugar content of energy drinks is comparable or higher than most soft drinks. For example, an 8 oz Red Bull contains 27 grams of sugar and a 16 oz Rock Star has 60 grams of sugar, while the typical non-diet soft drink contains 40-45 grams of sugar.

How to Combat the High-calorie Beverage Craze

So what can be done to limit the amount of nutritionally-poor liquid calories that children and adolescents are consuming? On an individual-basis, the best approach is simply to replace soda and sports drinks with water or low-fat milk in children’s diets. Water is the best hydrator available. Low-fat milk not only hydrates, but delivers calcium, protein and vitamin D.

Children should be monitored at home with their choice of liquids. A glass of 100 percent fruit juice per day is beneficial, but excessive soda, sport drinks or energy drinks is unhealthy. What happens at school may be out of the immediate control of a parent, but parents can petition the school to eliminate vending machines that sell soft drinks and energy drinks in favor of bottled water.

Moderation in guiding children, of course, is appropriate. Children who are constantly deprived of treats are more likely to binge eat or drink. Also, parental modeling is important. Studies suggest that children who are raised by parents who exert excessive dietary restraint may be more likely to become obese⁵.

Children possess the ability to internally regulate their caloric intake. If they see their parents struggle with alternating dis-inhibited eating (abandoning the effort to control food or drink intake) and restrained eating (conscious decision to restrict intake to control weight), they may pattern their own eating and drinking behavior after their parents instead of allowing their internal energy regulation to guide them. This in turn seems to lead to greater obesity in children.

Conclusion

Parents should adopt healthy eating and drinking patterns, limiting consumption of soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened drinks, and to do so without obsession. Helping children develop a love for the refreshing taste of water or a cold glass of milk will pay immediate health rewards for children as well as dividends for their future health and weight control.

This article first appeared in the OAC News Vol.5/ Issue 1 October 2009.  Reproduced with permission from Obesity Action Coalition. Please visit www.oac.org

The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are committed to helping our patients achieve a healthy lifestyle and a healthy weight. Whether you are interested in weight loss surgery or medically supervised weight loss counseling, we can help you take control of your eating and your weight. Join us for a free seminar or take a weight loss quiz to help you get started.

References:

•    Childhood Obesity in the United States: Facts and Figures, Fact Sheet 2004, Institute of Medicine.
•    Ludwig et al, Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: a prospective, observational analysis. Lancet 2001; Feb 17; 357 (9255):505-8.
•    Wolff et al, Medscape J Med 2008; 10(8):189.
•    Malinauskas et al, Nutrition Journal 2007; 6:35.
•    Hood et al, International Journal of Obesity 2000; 10:1319-1325.

Jeremy Poulton was one of the 17.6 percent. His weight problems started back when he was only 12 years old. He would frequently fall asleep in his fourth grade class causing his teachers and family much concern. And things only worsened each year. By age 19 he weighed 373 lbs and had several weight-related medical conditions: high cholesterol, sleep apnea and Type-2 diabetes. Jeremy knew he needed to take action.

When he learned about the effectiveness of laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery, sometimes called Roux-en-y gastric bypass surgery, he realized there was hope. Jeremy pushed his mother to call for more information, researched his options and, with the help of The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana, even fought his bariatric insurance denial.

Since the surgery, Poulton has lost over 105 pounds. But his weight isn’t the only thing that’s changed. His confidence has skyrocketed. He’s more outgoing; more willing to talk and socialize. He’s going to the prom. He’s flying comfortably in airplanes. He even made the tennis team only two weeks after weight loss surgery!

But perhaps the biggest change is the positive impact Jeremy’s surgery has had on his family. His mother, who suffered along with him while he struggled with childhood obesity, is thrilled to see her son in a healthier state. And Jeremy is happy his family won’t be worrying about him anymore.

Research shows that obese children and adolescents are more likely to become obese adults. One study found that nearly 80% of children who were overweight at 10 to 15 years of age were obese at 25. Another study showed that obesity is more severe if one becomes obese before the age 8¹.

Not all adolescents will qualify for surgical weight loss. But if you or your child believe there is a medical necessity please visit WhyWeight.com to learn about weight loss options, read more weight loss success stories and sign up for a free seminar.

1. Source: CDC: “Childhood Overweight and Obesity.” Available at http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood. Accessed Oct 16, 2009.