The first 12 months after gastric surgery tend to be euphoric as patients see rapid weight loss and develop a new self image. The severe eating restriction that must be monitored for life can become increasingly difficult to follow, however, especially for those who might have turned to food for comfort in time of emotional stress. Dr. George W. Cowan, Jr., Professor of Surgery at the University of Tennessee, speaking at the annual meeting of the American College of Nutrition [November, 2003], said that physicians must be alert for depression that occurs in 25 to 30 percent of patients after gastric bypass surgery and to treat it promptly. Dr. Cowan also recommended 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), an amino acid that helps control sugar cravings for about 60 percent of patients. Because it causes drowsiness, 5-HT should be taken at night. 
[SOURCE: Nicholas Mulcahy, "Depression Often Pops Bariatric Surgery Euphoria," Family Practice News, November 15, 2003]

Millions and Millions Qualify as Obese 
                                                                                   

About 97 million Americans are now obese, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above, roughly 30 pounds or more over ideal body weight. About 6 million Americans are considered severely obese. Obesity is responsible for an estimated 300,000 deaths each year in the United States. 
[SOURCE: Doug Brunk, "High Obesity Rate Behind Bariatric Surgery Boom," Family Practice News, July 15, 2003]

 Obesity Increases Women's Risk                                                                                                


A premenopausal woman who is clinically obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more is twice as likely to get colorectal cancer as a woman with a lower BMI, according to data from the Canadian National Breast Screening Study of 89,835 women. After menopause, the risk for obese and non-obese women is about the same. 
[SOURCE: "Obese Women Face Higher Colorectal Cancer Risk," Cancer Weekly, October 15, 2002; "Obesity in Women Can Double Risk of Cancer," GP, July 22, 2002]

 Obesity Trims 6 to 7 Years from Life                                                                                     


The health risks of obesity are well known, but a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine confirmed that it creates a significant risk of early death. Using data on 1550 men and 1907 women from the Framingham Heart Study followed for 40 years, researchers in the Netherlands found that those who were obese at the start of the study had a decreased life expectancy of six to seven years. The increased risk of death attributed to obesity was similar to that caused by smoking. 
[SOURCE: A. Peeters et al, "Obesity in Adulthood and Its Consequences for Life Expectancy: A Life-Table Analysis, Annals of Internal Medicine, January 7, 2003]

 Overweight Patients Benefit
                                                                                               

Overweight persons are at high risk of complications following coronary artery bypass graft surgery, but the incidence of these complications was reduced by half among patients having beating heart or off-pump surgery, according to one recent study. Gianni Angelini, M.D. of the University of Bristol (England) and his colleagues studied 4,321 patients undergoing CABG from 1996 to 2001. They found that among overweight patients, those having the beating heart procedure had shortened intensive care and hospital stays and a reduced risk of stroke and the need for blood transfusions. 
[SOURCE: "'Off-Pump' Surgery Reduces Complications in Overweight Patients," Heart Disease Weekly," October 20, 2002]

Treating Obesity Can Improve Health 
                                                                                   

Severe obesity is associated with numerous health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and sleep disorders. Even a relatively small weight loss of 10 percent of body weight results in a 20 percent lower risk of heart disease. For obese patients with type 2 diabetes who undergo gastric bypass surgery, symptoms of diabetes improve within two to three months. One study showed that improvement was greater in those who had diabetes for five years or less and was less dramatic in those who had diabetes for 10 years or more. 
[SOURCE: Tracy Martinez Owens, "Morbid Obesity: The Disease and Comorbidities," Critical Care Nursing Quarterly, April-June, 2003]

Turn off TV To Fight Fat 
                                                                                                                       

A recent study confirmed what many couch potatoes suspected but didn't want to admit: too much television watching makes you fat. Data from the Nurses' Health Study showed that for every two-hour increase in time spent watching television, the risk for becoming obese increased by 23 percent. But the damage can be undone. If you start walking, you'll decrease your risk of obesity by 24 percent for every one-hour increment of brisk walking daily. 
[SOURCE: F.B.Hu, et al, "Television Watching and Other Sedentary Behaviors in Relation to Risk of Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Women.