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Bariatric Surgery Stories

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Signs of a Good Bariatric Surgery Candidate

If you're obese and have tried every diet imaginable, sticking to it faithfully, and still can't lose the excess poundage, you might be a candidate for weight-loss surgery.

But bariatric surgeons don't choose just anyone. To qualify, a prospective patient must satisfy certain criteria. First, a person's body mass index, or BMI, must be at least 40 - or he or she must weigh at least 100 pounds more than his or her ideal weight.

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Researchers Control "Hunger Hormone"

Investigators may have found a novel route to weight loss by controlling the hormone that produces appetite.

The hormone, ghrelin, is produced by the fundus, or upper part of the stomach. Since ghrelin requires a rich supply of blood to be created, the scientists shut down the blood supply to that area of the stomach by chemically blocking the main artery there.

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Chocolate Milkshakes Shed Insight on Obesity

The journal "Science" reports on the impact of chocolate milkshakes on obese people versus non-obese people.

The Oct. 17 issue of the journal "Science" reports on the impact of chocolate milkshakes on obese people versus non-obese people. Chocolate milkshakes in particular were studied because: "There are very few things that excite the brain as much as chocolate." So says researchers at the Oregon Research Institute and the University of Oregon, where the study was conducted.

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Know if you are at Risk for Heart Disease

Want to know whether you're at risk for heart disease? Pull out a tape measure. A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that body mass index (BMI) alone may not be reliably linked to cardiovascular disease risk. Researchers say the best indicator for health and heart disease risk is the waist to hip ratio, which means if you're a apple shaped person and tend to carry weight around the middle you may need to cut back inches, even if your BMI is in the healthy range.

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Beth Israel Medical Center - Dr. Elliot Goodman a Bariartic Surgeon

Video interview Dr. Elliot Goodman who discusses bariatric surgery, procedure options, risk factors, important things for patients to know, and frequently asked questions.

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Link Found Between High Fructose Corn Syrup and Diabetes

A study conducted by researchers at Rutgers University found that soft drinks containing high fructose corn syrup had high levels of reactive compounds that have been shown by other studies to potentially trigger diabetes. High fructose corn syrup is the primary sweetener found in numerous foods and beverages such as non-diet soda, baked foods, and condiments. Many food manufacturers prefer the syrup because it is economical, sweeter and easy to blend into beverages.

Head researcher, Chi-Tang Ho, conducted chemical tests among 11 carbonated drinks containing high fructose corn syrup. He found high levels of reactive carbonyls that are believed to cause tissue damage through unbound fructose and glucose molecules. By comparison, table sugar does not have reactive carbonyls because its chemical compounds are bound and stable.

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Bariatric Surgery Found to Lower Risk of Death

Obesity is on the rise, and so are associated health risks like diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and sleep apnea. Although once believed to be a risky and rare procedure, bariatric surgery is becoming a prevalent option for people who suffer from morbid obesity. Over 175,000 patients underwent bariatric surgery last year and the number is expected to grow this year. Although there are risks in undergoing these procedures, the surgery death rate has fallen over the years as the technique becomes more sophisticated and less invasive.

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Waist To Hip Ratio Is the Best Indicator for Heart Disease Risk

A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that body mass index (BMI) alone may not be reliably linked to cardiovascular disease risk. Researchers say the best indicator for health and heart disease risk is the waist to hip ratio. Adding inches to the waistline can greatly increase a person's risk for heart disease, even if their BMI is in the healthy range.

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Obesity May Be Contagious

According to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, if someone in a social network becomes obese, those closely connected to them have a greater propensity for becoming obese as well. The strongest demonstration of this effect occurs among friends, not within a family or among those sharing a household. There was no apparent consideration of groups of otherwise strangers who come together in organized settings for the purpose of weight loss. With some diet programs, social support has been shown to be beneficial.

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Obesity Rates Expected to Soar in the US

Obesity is still on the rise. A new study released by the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health finds that by 2015, 75% of adults will be overweight, 41% will be obese. The study was a meta-analysis (comprehensive overview) of 20 different journal papers, reports, online data sets, and 4 different national surveys from 1960-2004. The study found that the obesity rate between those years had risen from 13% to 32%.

The lead author of the study, Youfa Wang MD, PhD called obesity a public health crisis, and said, "The obesity rate in the United States has increased at an alarming rate over the past three decades. We set out to estimate the average annual increase in prevalence as well as the variation between population groups to predict the future situation regarding obesity and overweight among U.S. adults and children."

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Obesity Surgery Manhattan, New York City
 Columbia University Medical Center for Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery

Columbia University Medical Center for Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery

Columbia University Medical Center | Center for Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery

The Herbert Irving Pavilion,161 Fort Washington Avenue, 6th Floor, Room 620
New York City, NY 10032

Call: 888-857-1803

The exact causes of morbid obesity are still a mystery today. Morbid obesity is a condition involving many factors, and is probably influenced by genetic, environmental, social and/or cultural problems. Surgery has increasingly become one of the most effective and accepted solutions for treating morbid obesity. At the Center for Obesity Surgery at Columbia Medical Center they provide obesity surgery that helps save lives.