Fast fix or recipe for disaster?
THE diet has gone viral but is it a fast track to eating disorders?
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
obesity
The following articles have the tag obesity
‘Shared care’ approach no solution to child obesity
A ‘SHARED care’ approach to managing childhood obesity, in which hospital-based specialists and GPs together treat patients, has proved ineffective, a clinical trial has found.
Safe prescribing in pregnancy needs more evidence
NOW more than ever, data is needed on drug effects and optimum dosages in pregnant women, experts say.
Dogs help lower heart risks
THE ‘man’s best friend’ moniker has taken on new significance with the American Heart Association advising that owning a pet, particularly a dog, might lower your risk of heart disease.
Dementia
THIS Update discusses the diagnosis and management of dementia.
BPA linked to obesity in girls
EXPOSURE to bisphenol A is linked to obesity in girls at puberty, research suggests.
Kids with Middle-Eastern and Asian backgrounds more overweight
NSW children from Middle-Eastern and Asian backgrounds are more overweight than English-speaking children and have lower levels of physical fitness, a study has found.
NHMRC bariatric guidelines ‘dangerous’
AN expert has labelled the bariatric surgery section of new NHMRC obesity guidelines as “misleading, dated and dangerous”.
Adjust meds to smoking status: experts
ABRUPT smoking cessation, particularly on admission to hospital, can leave patients at risk of adverse drug reactions, experts warn.
Vax ban could turn doctors into ‘police’
BANNING unvaccinated children from school could become a “serpent’s egg” policy that becomes dangerous once hatched, with doctors and teachers forced to become “police”, a former state health minister has warned.
Which diet is best for gestational diabetes?
HOW important is a low GI diet in women with gestational diabetes?
Adjust meds according to smoking status, experts say
ABRUPT smoking cessation, particularly on entering hospital, can leave patients at risk of serious adverse drug reactions, experts warn.
When more is not better: ACCORD trial
THE Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) blood pressure (BP) trial investigated the effect of intensive antihypertensive treatment.
Study shows risk of obesity increased in boys with ADHD
BOYS diagnosed with ADHD are at increased risk of obesity in adulthood, a 33-year study has found.
Overweight patients prefer shopping for their doctor
OVERWEIGHT and obese patients are more likely to ‘doctor-shop’ than normal weight patients, US research shows.
Myelodysplastic syndromes
This Update summarises the various myelodysplastic syndromes and their treatments.
Vax ban could turn doctors into police
BANNING unvaccinated children from school could become a “serpent’s egg” policy that becomes dangerous once hatched, with doctors and teachers forced to become “police”, a former state health minister has warned.
Overweight patients prefer shopping for their doctor
OVERWEIGHT and obese patients are more likely to ‘doctor-shop’ than normal weight patients, US research shows.
GPs have less rapport with obese patients
GPs build less rapport with overweight and obese patients compared with normal weight patients, a US study suggests.
Obese patients may be missing out on weight loss advice
TIME pressure, the focus on chronic disease and a lack of support for GPs means patients may miss out on weight loss advice, research suggests.
Weight Watchers beats DIY diets
WEIGHT Watchers works, with participants losing on average five times more weight than those on a DIY diet, according to research.
Obese patients may be missing out on weight loss advice
TIME pressure, the focus on chronic disease and a lack of support for GPs mean patients may miss out on weight loss advice, research suggests.
Sexual health and the heart
A MAN with erectile dysfunction presents an opportunity for cardiovascular review.
Open minds needed on workforce
WORKFORCE underpins all that we do in healthcare — who we use to deliver services, train our current and future healthcare professionals, drive research and innovation, and importantly make it all happen in a coordinated fashion.
Study shows better memory linked to bariatric surgery
BARIATRIC surgery is associated with improvements in memory function up to two years after the procedure, according to findings from a small study.
Obesity case leaves mark on GP
A GP who successfully overturned a court order to pay $364,000 to a patient whose obesity led to cancer has told how the case has permanently affected the way he conducts his practice.
Australia really is the lucky country
AUSTRALIANS live longer, healthier lives than people in almost every other country, according to a major international study.
Mediterranean diet preserves cognitive function
A MEDITERRANEAN-style diet packed with fish, chicken and olive oil and low on fatty dairy products and meat may lower the risk of cognitive impairment later in life, a large US study says.
Early adulthood obesity predicts disease or death by middle-age
MEN who are obese in their early 20s are three times more likely to develop serious ill health by middle age, research suggests.
A healthy world without inequality
THE social determinants of health have long predicted poorer morbidity and mortality for the marginalised and those on lower incomes.
Good record keeping critical in appeal win
DOCTORS continue to have a responsibility to provide advice to patients about altering health-harming lifestyle habits, but we are not responsible if a patient fails to take our advice.
Exercise boosts vax response
A FLU expert wants GPs to urge patients to help improve the success of influenza vaccination by exercising before and after shots.
Laryngopharyngeal reflux
This Update looks at current concepts in the diagnosis and management of laryngopharyngeal reflux.
Weight and disease paradox
DON'T expect a simple solution to a complex problem like obesity.
GP hails appeal victory in $364k obesity case
A GP who successfully appealed a $364,000 damages payout to a morbidly obese patient says the decision showed “we’re still accountable for the consequences of our own lifestyle choices”, as lawyers for his former patient contemplated a High Court challenge.
Bariatric surgery saves on drug costs
SAVINGS on pharmaceuticals are greatest for diabetes medications after bariatric surgery, Australian data shows.
‘Win for common sense’: GP speaks of appeal victory
A GP who successfully appealed against a $364,000 damages payout to a morbidly obese patient has hailed the result as a “win for common sense” that shows patients are still ultimately accountable for their own choices.
GP wins appeal against $364K payout to obese man
A GP ordered to pay a morbidly obese man $364,000 in negligence damages for failing to refer him to a weight loss clinic or for bariatric surgery has had the ruling overturned.
Link between kids’ stress and obesity
CHILDREN who have poor responses to stressors may be at increased risk of becoming overweight or obese, according to a study of 43 children who participated in a stressor experiment.
Aussies fail to see obesity link with diabetes
AUSTRALIANS appear ignorant of the link between weight gain and type 2 diabetes and do not rate the condition high among their health concerns, a survey has found.
Diabetes dismissed as a major health concern: study
AUSTRALIANS appear ignorant of the link between weight gain and type 2 diabetes and do not rate the condition high among their health concerns, a survey has found.
What makes people fat?
Decreasing obesity is as simple as reversing society’s mechanisms to increase the epidemic
GP prepares for appeal against $364k obesity payout
A GP ordered to pay an obese man $364,000 for failing to refer him for specialist weight loss treatment will seek to overturn the court ruling on the grounds the omission did not constitute negligence.
Call to ban junk food makers from public health discussion
MANUFACTURERS of unhealthy food and drinks should be banned from partnering with government to develop public health policies, Australian researchers say.
Negligence payout to obese man stokes precedent fears
LAWYERS for an obese man awarded a $364,000 negligence payout from his GP have backed the controversial court ruling, saying the condition was a “serious disease” that warranted the full range of medical treatment.
Obese man sues GP and wins $364k
DOCTORS could be forced to rethink their treatment of overweight patients, after a court ordered a GP to pay a morbidly obese man $364,000 for failing to refer him to a weight loss clinic or for laparoscopic surgery.
Obese people worse off in car accidents
PEOPLE with obesity face a much higher risk of dying in a car crash than people of normal weight, researchers report.
Lap band effective a decade on
HUNDREDS of obese patients who had lap-band surgery maintained significant weight loss more than a decade after the procedure, an Australian study shows.
First-time mums older but caesarean rates plateau
THE average age at which women have their first child continues to rise, but the rate of caesarean sections appears to have plateaued, according to a report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Most in need missing out on bariatric surgery
OBESE Australians most in need of bariatric surgery are missing out, new research shows.
One in four Australians at risk of OSA
MORE than a quarter of Australians are at risk of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), according to a new study, and specialists are concerned the health system will not be able to cope.
Lack of exercise leading cause of childhood obesity over poor diet
CONTRARY to popular belief, fatter children do not eat more than their lean peers but are overweight because they do not get as much exercise, Australian research suggests.
Dangers of weight cycling
REPEATEDLY losing and regaining weight may increase the risk of endometrial cancer among women who have ever been obese, according to an Australian study.
Obesity best tackled in childhood
EARLY intervention for overweight children may be key to preventing adult obesity, with new studies suggesting sustained effects of therapy, researchers say.
Increased stroke at younger age leads to greater ‘life time disability’
ISCHAEMIC stroke incidence has increased in younger age groups since the early 1990s, with almost a fifth of these patients now aged under 55, research suggests.
Controversial review backs restricting sugar
ADVICE to restrict sugar intake should be a routine part of clinical care, particularly when patients are being counselled about cardiovascular (CV) risk, a provocative review suggests.
Obesity in kids has adult sequelae
CHILDREN with obesity exhibit early signs of worsening cardiometabolic health including end organ effects such as increased left ventricular mass, a meta-analysis shows.
Sleep apnoea not cured with bariatric surgery
BARIATRIC surgery marginally improves but does not cure obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), Australian research shows.
Baby boomers: chronic conditions double in a generation
PRELIMINARY findings from a major project on baby boomers' health underscore the dramatic rise in chronic disease among Australians, researchers say.
BPA, obesity link? Maybe it’s just due to fat
A STUDY of American children has found an association between the ubiquitous endocrine-disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) and obesity.
Push for food portion size restriction
A PUSH for government control of portion size of food items sold to the public might be next on the obesity prevention agenda.
Breast cancer risk higher in postmenopausal women with diabetes
POSTMENOPAUSAL women with type 2 diabetes are 27% more likely to get breast cancer than other women at the same stage of life, a meta-analysis has found.
Population obesity shift to blame for increase in disease
AUSTRALIA has seen a whole-of-population shift towards obesity since the mid-1990s, underlining the nation’s rising risk for diabetes and kidney and cardiovascular disease, research shows.
Diet quality deteriorates in overweight and obese pregnant women
QUALITY of diet in overweight and obese pregnant women in Australia decreases throughout pregnancy and is maintained at a poor level in the early post-partum period, new research reveals.
Weight-loss pill maker denies dodging TGA
SYDNEY based weight-loss company Undoit has rejected suggestions from activist Dr Ken Harvey that it has effectively sidestepped a TGA disciplining action regarding its product.
Low education leads to obesity
NEARLY half of Australian adults with low levels of educational attainment could be obese by 2025 whereas people with degrees will continue to have a better chance of having a healthy weight, researchers say.
Adolescence, not childhood, is when obesity is a problem
OBESITY causes few health problems in toddlers but really starts to bite in adolescence, Melbourne researchers say.
Australia second in world for male obesity
AUSTRALIANS are eating badly and getting fatter – but still 85% rate their own health as good or excellent.
Obesity epidemic threatens world food supply
Increasing worldwide obesity could hold the same threat for global energy requirements including food supply as an extra 473 million people suddenly arriving on the planet, researchers say.
Aussies back Disney’s junk food ad boycott
AUSTRALIAN obesity campaigners have welcomed a decision to ban junk food advertising during children’s programs on Walt Disney television networks.
Aussies throw weight behind Disney's junk food ad boycott
AUSTRALIAN obesity campaigners have welcomed a decision to ban junk food advertising during children’s programs on Walt Disney television networks.
Is it time to rethink calories?
How much real value is there in counting calories?
Register will track bariatric surgery data
THE long-term impact of bariatric surgery on diabetes and other obesity-related comorbidities will be tracked using a new registry.
Choice reveals ‘irresponsible’ weight loss chains’ advice
AUSTRALIAN diet clinics are dispensing inconsistent and sometimes irresponsible advice to people seeking to lose weight, according to an investigation by the consumer group Choice.
Instead of blaming gaming, use it as a tool to promote good health
GAMING and interactive media should be capitalised on as health promotion tools rather than being avoided, experts say.
Low vitamin D leads to obesity
PEOPLE with low serum 25(OH)D levels have a greater risk of developing obesity, and in particular greater waist circumference, researchers warn.
Sugar not as bad as alcohol: experts
AUSTRALIAN scientists have condemned calls for sugar to be targeted, like alcohol, with measures to curb its consumption.
Experts divided on cholesterol testing in children
NEW US guidelines recommending routine cholesterol testing for children have received a mixed reaction from both US and Australian experts.
Weight gain impact on prostate cancer
MEN who keep their weight down as they age may be less likely to develop more aggressive prostate cancer, Australian researchers suggest.
Diet guru calls for schoolchildren’s fat to be graded
FRANCE'S top diet guru and GP Dr Pierre Dukan is urging the French government to grade students on their weight in a bid to curb growing obesity.
Sleep apnoea slipping under radar in diabetes
OBSTRUCTIVE sleep apnoea (OSA) may be under-diagnosed in patients with type 2 diabetes in primary practice, researchers say.
Regulate junk food marketing, consumers say
SOUTH Australia's Health Minister John Hill says phone surveys show most consumers want the government to regulate the way junk food is marketed to children.
Childhood obesity odds doubled in larger babies
BABIES who cross upwards two or more major weight-for-length percentiles on the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) growth chart before the age of two, double their odds of obesity by the age of five years, researchers say.
Appetite hormones sabotage weight loss
PEOPLE with obesity who pile the kilos back on after a period of successful weight loss are probably not just being slack in their habits, they are victims of a surge of hormones that encourage weight gain, researchers say.
Obesity linked to cognitive defects
COGNITIVE therapy aimed at improving planning, reasoning and problem solving should be considered in people who are obese, a controversial Australian review suggests. Researchers from the University of NSW school of psychiatry reviewed 38 studies on the link between obesity and cognition, finding high BMI is associated with cognitive defects, particularly executive function. They also found evidence of a “vicious cycle” in which cognitive dysfunction exacerbated weight gain, to exert a negative influence on the brain via biological mechanisms. Lead author Dr Evelyn Smith said the finding was controversial, but what it didn’t mean was that ...
Study links obesity and influenza complications
OBESITY has been linked for the first time to a higher rate of hospitalisation for seasonal influenza, prompting calls for patients with high BMI to be vaccinated. Canadian researchers found that patients with a BMI >30 kg/m² were 45% more likely to be hospitalised for respiratory illness – and severely obese patients (>35 BMI kg/m²) were twice as likely – compared to people in the normal weight range. The figures came from a study covering 12 influenza seasons, from 1996–2008, and 82,500 adults aged up to 64 years who responded to nationally representative population health surveys. ...
Study links obesity and influenza complications
OBESITY has been linked for the first time to a higher rate of hospitalisation for seasonal influenza, prompting calls for patients with high BMI to be vaccinated. Canadian researchers found that patients with a BMI >30 kg/m² were 45% more likely to be hospitalised for respiratory illness – and severely obese patients (>35 BMI kg/m²) were twice as likely – compared to people in the normal weight range. The figures came from a study covering 12 influenza seasons, from 1996–2008, and 82,500 adults aged up to 64 years who responded to nationally representative population health surveys. ...
Overweight kids lack basic movement skills for exercise
OVERWEIGHT children often lack the ability to perform the basic movement skills required to boost exercise, such as kicking, sliding and hopping, an Australian study shows. A total of 153 overweight and obese children from Newcastle and Wollongong, mean age 8.3 years, were video-assessed for fundamental movement and ball skills, including underhand roll and strike, leap and jump, dribble and kick, and throwing and catching. Each child was given a demonstration of the correct technique before each skill test. For all skills, across all age groups, the prevalence of mastery was significantly lower among the study ...
Gender sways obesity advice to patients
OBESE male patients who visit male doctors are more likely to receive weight-related counselling than obese female patients seeing female doctors, a study has found. US researchers believe male doctors may be able to successfully tap into a deep-seated belief that physical fitness is linked to masculinity. Data from clinical encounters between 5667 obese adult patients and their doctors was analysed to look at the association between patient-doctor gender concordance and diet/nutrition, exercise and weight reduction. Obese men in concordant pairs had 58% higher odds of receiving diet/nutrition counselling ...
Farmers need educating in emergency medicine
CARDIAC risk factors are rife among farming men and women but few know the best thing to do when experiencing acute chest pain, a pilot study shows. The study of 186 farming men and women from 20 agricultural communities in rural Victoria found 74% of the women and 61% of the men were overweight or obese. Around half of the respondents had hypertension and a fasting blood glucose level equal to or more than 5.5 mmol/L. When asked to name their nearest emergency department (ED), one in 10 nominated health services or towns where no ED ...
Obesity and reproduction
Introduction THE prevalence of obesity is increasing at alarming rates in Australia. Obesity is associated with increased risk of metabolic complications such as hypertension, dyslipidaemia and insulin resistance (IR). IR is often inextricably linked with ovarian function, leading to clinical reproductive manifestations such as subfertility and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) with these presentations preceding metabolic complications of IR. Reproductive and metabolic health implications Lifestyle-related metabolic diseases are underpinned by inadequate physical activity and excess dietary intake, and often form a continuum of health consequences across the lifespan. Women who are ...
Cholesterol falling in Australia, but we’re fatter than ever
CHOLESTEROL levels fell faster in Australia and New Zealand than in any other region in the world in the last 30 years, a new global study shows. But obesity is still rising, with Australians having the third biggest increases in BMI in the world over the past two decades. Researchers from the US, UK and WHO estimated trends in cholesterol, obesity and blood pressure using health surveys and epidemiological studies from 199 countries between 1980 and 2008. The data showed that total cholesterol levels fell in the global high-income regions of Australasia (Australia and New Zealand), ...
Barriers block GP efforts to prevent obesity
GPs rate obesity as the most neglected area in preventive healthcare, a Medical Observer survey reveals. Thirty per cent of GPs surveyed nominated obesity as the issue most needing attention, followed by mental health (27%) and substance abuse (19%). Dr Rick Kausman, a Melbourne GP specialising in weight management, said the results from 491 respondents reflected barriers preventing doctors from tackling the obesity epidemic. These included inadequate medical training in weight management, and financial disincentives under Medicare for longer consultations with patients with obesity, he said. The survey showed 19% of GPs ...
Obesity crisis inflated: researcher
THE obesity epidemic has been exaggerated and may, in fact, have peaked more than 10 years ago, a researcher argues. Despite extensive claims of an impending crisis, Associate Professor Michael Gard, of the School of Human Movement Studies at Charles Sturt University in NSW, says obesity in the Western world has essentially levelled off since the late 1990s. Having studied global statistics for his new book, Professor Gard is now taking aim at the “apocalyptic” predictions of obesity experts, which he says have diverted attention away from other important public health issues. “The obesity epidemic began ...
Risk factor profiles of kids with obesity mirror those of adults
Obese children have similar cardiovascular and metabolic risk factor profiles to those observed in obese adults, research suggests. A longitudinal study of 7589 UK children (average age 10 years) found an incremental, linear relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and biomarkers similar to those in adults with obesity. Children with obesity had more than 10 times the risk of hypertension and three times the risk of dyslipidaemia compared to their peers in the healthy weight range. The study also showed graded associations with biomarkers including apolipoproteins A1 and B, interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein. Professor Louise Baur, from ...
Risk factor profiles of kids with obesity mirror those of adults
Obese children have similar cardiovascular and metabolic risk factor profiles to those observed in obese adults, research suggests. A longitudinal study of 7589 UK children (average age 10 years) found an incremental, linear relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and biomarkers similar to those in adults with obesity. Children with obesity had more than 10 times the risk of hypertension and three times the risk of dyslipidaemia compared to their peers in the healthy weight range. The study also showed graded associations with biomarkers including apolipoproteins A1 and B, interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein. Professor Louise Baur, from ...
Obesity reduces fertility in men
MALE obesity can have a dramatic effect on an infertile couple’s chances of having a baby, a world-first Australian study shows. Scientists from the University of Adelaide and Repromed have shown that the more overweight a man is, the less likely it is he will father a child. Lead author Dr Hassan Bakos (PhD) said results from a cohort of 305 patients undergoing assisted reproductive technology showed a highly significant linear reduction in implantation rates with increasing paternal BMI. The study is also the first to assess the impact of paternal obesity on live birth rates, ...
Discussing child obesity often difficult for GPs
GPs may be avoiding the awkward topic of childhood obesity for fear of offending a child’s parents, Australian research shows. Others avoided the subject because of a lack of clear guidance on how best to approach it, or because of uncertainties about how to calculate BMI in the young, a survey of 170 Queensland GPs found. Just 32% of the GPs said they “mostly or always” discussed weight in consults with overweight children, with 29% routinely using BMI charts to aid the conversation. More than 90% of GPs said they had never used any formal clinical ...
The need for sleep
Just what is the optimal amount of sleep and how does too little or too much affect us? Lynnette Hoffman finds out.
Forget eating like a king, the key to good health is eating like a peasant
WHILE the lifestyle of medieval European peasants wouldn’t be one that many people today would wish to experience, their diet could offer a clue to reducing the obesity epidemic. British educators and child health experts are kicking off a project where they will travel to different schools teaching the beneficial aspects of the medieval diet. Dr Iona McCleery, lecturer in medieval history at Leeds University, UK, said in a university media release that in the past it was usually the rich who had unhealthy diets, whereas today it was largely the poor who were prone to obesity. ...
Weight loss between pregnancies may prevent pre-eclampsia
THE RISK of a recurrence of pre-eclampsia may be reduced by weight loss between pregnancies, research suggests. A US study of 17,773 women diagnosed with pre-eclampsia during their first pregnancy found those who decreased their BMI before their second pregnancy had lower rates of pre-eclampsia (12.8%) compared to women who maintained their weight (14.8%) or gained weight (18.5%). The authors recommended that women with pre-eclampsia should be encouraged to engage in a postpartum weight management program. “The recommendation to lose weight for all but underweight women before conceiving the next pregnancy can be made with assurance,” ...
Addiction therapy combo weighs in as obesity treatment
A COMBINATION of two drugs used to treat addictive disorders is showing early promise for weight reduction in overweight and obese adults. Researchers found a fixed-dose, sustained-release combination of the opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone and the antidepressant bupropion led to a loss of at least 5% body weight among obese individuals. The US phase three trial assessed the efficacy, safety and tolerability of two doses of the combination therapy over a year in 1453 patients with obesity, including some with dyslipidaemia or hypertension. The higher dose combination (32 mg naltrexone plus 360 mg bupropion daily), along ...
Losing kilos but gaining stress
SIGNING up to the latest calorie-cutting diet might seem a surefire way to drop a few kilos and boost your self-esteem. But new research suggests the opposite: dieting is so stressful it might do more harm than good. US scientists found that dieters lost an average of 0.9 kg over three weeks but reported feeling significantly more stressed than their non-dieting counterparts. Moreover, they actually had measurably greater amounts of the stress hormone cortisol in their saliva, with levels higher after three weeks than before starting the diet. “Dieting may be deleterious to psychological wellbeing ...
How green is your lifestyle?
There is little argument that the environment influences health. But can our health also impact on the environment?
Kids’ anti-obesity programs not working
AUSTRALIA’S heavy investment in community anti-obesity programs has received a mixed verdict, with researchers finding that targeting schoolchildren has little impact on their weight. Programs focusing on children younger than five, however, were more successful, and experts say we should do more to target the very young before their behaviours become entrenched. Deakin University researchers evaluated three community programs in Geelong, Victoria. The most successful was a project targeting 12,000 under-5s across preschools, day care, homes and child health services. After three years – and with a relatively small budget of $100,000 – there was a ...
Upsize anti-obesity efforts in infants
AUSTRALIA’S heavy investment in community anti-obesity programs has received a mixed verdict, with researchers finding that targeting schoolchildren has little impact on the prevalence of obesity. Programs focusing on under-5s were more successful however, prompting expert calls for a renewed focus on infants. Deakin University researchers evaluated three community programs in Geelong, Victoria.The most successful was a project targeting 12,000 under-5s across preschools, day care, homes and child health services. After three years there was a 3% drop in the prevalence of overweight or obesity in the intervention group. Lead researcher Professor Boyd Swinburn, director of ...
Obesity a govt policy failure
EMPHASIS on encouraging people to eat less and exercise more has allowed government and industry to avoid responsibility for the obesity epidemic, an Australian expert believes. Professor Martin Silink, head of paediatric endocrinology at the University of Sydney, said the focus on personal responsibility meant governments, the food and advertising industries, and society in general, were inadvertently absolved from “accepting their part in the policy failure that has allowed an obesogenic environment to flourish”. “The danger of reducing the complex problem of obesity into a simple statement is that it holds back the development of rational ...
Cardiovascular risk factors rife in Scotland
NEARLY all Scottish adults have at least one major lifestyle risk factor for cardiovascular disease, with more than half burdened with three or more risk factors. A recent health survey of 6574 Scottish adults revealed only 2.5% had no risk factors at all. This compared to around 6% or 7% in nations with similar socioeconomic profiles, said lead author, Professor David Conway of the University of Glasgow. He said Scottish people were “living dangerously”. The survey analysed the prevalence of five cardiovascular risk factors; smoking, heavy drinking, lack of exercise, poor diet and obesity. The most ...
GPs shed light on barriers to obese cancer screening
OBESE women are missing out on vital cancer screening because doctors find physical examinations challenging, and lack the appropriate equipment, a survey of American GPs suggests. Pap smears were particularly problematic, with 11% of survey respondents saying they did not perform office-based smears on extremely obese women. Difficulties performing breast examinations were also common, reported by 80% of GPs.It is well known that obese women are more likely to develop and die from cancer, yet previous studies have shown lower screening rates in that population. To understand why, researchers from the University of Medicine and Dentistry ...
US Childhood Obesity to Rise
NATIONAL forecasts over the next decade show obesity rates among American children will continue to climb, while adult obesity rates will stabilise. The study, published in the journal Medical Decision Making, used a simulation model to project BMI distributions based on gender, age and race from national figures from 2000 to 2004 and 2005 to 2006. Researchers predicted that over the next decade, obesity rates would surge in children, predominantly in boys aged six to nine years. Obesity was also expected to rise in the African American population, specifically in children aged 10 or older and ...
Australian ban on trans fats urged
PUBLIC health officials are calling for Australia to follow the lead of other Western nations in banning trans fats from the nation’s dinner table. Despite apparent lower levels of consumption in Australia, Professor Mike Daube said there was “no room for complacency”. “I’m not aware of any benefits that trans fats have brought to humankind,” said Professor Daube, president of the Public Health Association of Australia. “If they can do it in New York then we can do it in Australia. It just needs some determined action by Governments.” Trans fats are banned in Denmark, Austria, ...
Junk food restrictions proposed
WHOLESALE government initiatives that tackle the prevalence, placement and advertising of fast-food outlets are the only way to combat the rising tide of obesity, public health experts say. Writing in the MJA, Dr Bebe Loff (PhD) and Brad Crammond from the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University argue that the existing approach of investing piecemeal in therapeutic or public health measures is flawed. “If we continue to ignore the vastly altered market in food that has developed over recent decades, we may be deluding not only the public, but ourselves,” they said. As ...
Obesity plan heavy on public appeal but light on for evidence
THE Rudd Government’s obesity strategy is excessively focused on “emotionally-driven” community projects that lack scientific evidence and are not properly evaluated, experts claim. Health Minister Nicola Roxonlast week announced $4.9 million in grants to 12 local government projects under the $72 million Healthy Commun-ities program. The projects include the expansion of walking groups and community kitchens in Central Goldfields Shire, Victoria, and the start of a 12-week exercise and diet education scheme in Wanneroo, WA. But there are fears that the money may be wasted without over-arching leadership and central coordination.Associate Professor Nuala Byrne, president of the Australian ...
Start child obesity prevention in pregnancy
THE battle against obesity may need to start during pregnancy, experts believe. Speaking last week at the inaugural Obesity Summit in Sydney, Professor Berit Heitmann of Denmark’s Copenhagen University Hospital, said very few dietary determinants had been identified that caused childhood (or adult) obesity. The few possible exceptions include sugar-sweetened beverages and milk formulas. Instead, there was “increasing evidence that … prevention of childhood obesity may have to start with the pregnant woman,” she said. “Several studies show that the more weight mothers put on during pregnancy, the higher the risk that the child would be obese ...
United front needed to make obesity a ‘national priority’
A LEADING health economist has called for a united front from individuals, doctors, insurers and governments in order to tackle Australia’s obesity problem. Addressing the inaugural Australian Obesity Summit in Sydney last week, Dr Paul Gross said there were too many reports, too much confusion over the data, and not enough collaboration on fixing the problem. He called on health insurers and Medicare to provide better incentives for weight loss, and for the Government to “get serious” about data collection by creating population-based data registries. “We’ve had endless reports on obesity and we’ve been extolled to do ...
Walking to school beats the bulge
WALKING to school is associated with significantly reduced levels of overweight and obesity, Australian research has confirmed. A cross-sectional survey of 1362 NSW children aged 10 to 13 years has found those who walked to school daily were 80% less likely to be obese. One-third of those children classified as obese or overweight were driven to school daily. Children whose TV or computer game screen time was more than two hours per day were also more than three times more likely to be obese than those who had less than an hour per day of screen time. ...
Push for Govt action to combat climate threats
MORE than 300 leading medical and health practitioners have written a letter calling for urgent Government action to combat the rise of obesity and health threats from climate change. The authors, including 40 professors of medicine or health sciences, said health gains were being imperilled by market excesses that seriously threatened the health of “our planet and our children”. “We are now seeing the emergence of health risks caused by excesses in market-driven consumerism (including the consumption of energy-dense processed foods), energy-subsidised exertion-free living, an overarching preoccupation with gross domestic product and (particularly relevant to climate change) ...
IVF: are we strict enough?
Europe is considering tightening access to fertility treatment if applicants don’t make healthy lifestyle changes. Lynnette Hoffman asks if Australia should follow suit.
CVD risk markers identified in toddlers
OBESE children as young as three may have inflammatory markers for future cardiovas-cular disease. A US cross-sectional study, of 16,335 children aged one to 17 years, found some obese children aged three already had elevated levels of c-reactive protein (CRP). Other markers – absolute neutrophil count and ferritin/transferrin saturation – were also elevated in six- and nine-year-old obese children. Obese children aged three to five years had a two-fold increased risk of having CRP levels over 1 mg/L and obese adolescents (aged 15 to 17 years) had almost five times greater risk of abnormal CRP levels ...
Obesity epidemic costs blow out to $21 billion a year
AUSTRALIA'S bulging waistlines are costing an annual $21 billion, substantially more than previously recognised, according to experts in metabolic health. Researchers say estimating the cost of diseases attributable to obesity alone fails to measure the true impact of the population with higher-than-normal BMI and waist circumference. A substantial burden of direct healthcare costs and government subsidies was caused by people who fitted the definition of overweight, co-author Professor Ian Caterson said. Professor Caterson, Boden professor of human nutrition at the University of Sydney, said analysis of participants in the AusDiab study showed that, based on BMI, ...
Canada urging doctors to monitor kids’ growth
IN a bid to tackle the growing obesity crisis, Canadian health associations are urging all primary healthcare practitioners to regularly monitor children’s growth. The group, comprising the Dietitians of Canada, Canadian Pediatric Society, College of Family Physicians of Canada, and Community Health Nurses Association of Canada, recently released a collaborative statement advising clinicians to monitor children according to WHO standards. The WHO growth charts were based on a range of international populations, making them ideal for Canada’s multi-ethnic society, and a good tool for identifying children at risk for obesity, the group said. They recommended that ...
Call for kids’ food marketing code
AN internationally agreed code on marketing food to children would assist efforts to prevent childhood obesity, a leading Australian researcher says. Professor Boyd Swinburn, director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, Melbourne, said international codes for controlling tobacco and marketing baby formula might be suitable models. Despite a decade of efforts to prevent obesity, advocates were “still virtually at the starting line”, he said, adding it took more than 50 years to rein in cigarette marketing. In a commentary, Professor Swinburn warned obesity prevention was underfunded compared to other health problems. “The ...
Gastric banding trumps lifestyle change in obese teens
GASTRIC banding is much more likely to be successful than lifestyle interventions among teens who are severely obese, Australian research shows. A trial among 50 Melbourne adolescents aged 14-18 years found the surgery led to losses of 50% or more of excess weight over the next two years, compared to only 13% in those assigned to a supervised regimen of diet and exercise alone. The study, conducted by the Centre for Obesity Research and Education at Monash University, recruited participants who had a BMI >35 plus medical complications including hypertension, abnormal lipids, asthma, back pain or psychosocial ...
Junk food placement rife in movies
NEARLY two-thirds of top grossing movies feature product placements for energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods, a study shows. As concern grows about childhood obesity, US researchers have demonstrated that soft drinks, chips and fast food brands are rife in movies aimed at young people. Of 200 box office hits reviewed, 138 contained at least one branded food, beverage or food retailer, with R-rated movies the most likely to have brand placements. However, a third of G-rated movies and more than half of PG-rated movies also featured well-known brands, they found. Sugar-sweetened beverages composed the largest proportion of ...
Confusion over TGA advice on weight loss drug
THE TGA has rejected claims in the national media that it advised GPs to stop prescribing the weight loss drug sibutramine (Reductil) based on safety concerns. Reports in weekend newspapers claimed patients were turning to the Internet to order supplies of the drug after the TGA circulated a directive to doctors on Christmas Eve stating new clinical trial evidence had found the drug to be unsafe. However, a spokesperson for the TGA has told MO that while the TGA proposed some added precautions be included in Reductil product information, it did not recommend prescribing restrictions. ...
After-school exercise scheme fails cost-benefit test
A KEY component of the Federal Government’s strategy for tackling childhood obesity has come under fire, with a new study questioning the cost-effectiveness of its multi-million dollar after-school exercise program. Just months after state and federal health ministers renewed their commitment to the Active After-School Communities scheme, researchers claim it is not a cost-effective way to prevent obesity. Despite the scheme’s annual costs of some $40 million, children who take part are losing less than 0.1 BMI units a year on average, they reported. “It just shows that the Government often does things without any evidence ...
New approach to drug treatment for obesity
THE gastrointestinal peptide hormone agonist, liraglutide, already showing promise as a diabetes treatment, may also have a role to play in weight management. A 20-week randomised controlled trial in patients using the drug found it induced weight loss, improved obesity-related risk factors (mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure), and reduced pre-diabetes, compared to placebo. However, nausea and vomiting were more frequent with liraglutide, the researchers found. The drug offered “a new mode of action for the treatment of obesity and improved efficacy compared with currently available therapies,” the authors said. A glucagon-like peptide-1 analogue, liraglutide ...
Multiple sclerosis risk doubles for obese young adults
OBESE adolescents may have a greater risk of future multiple sclerosis (MS), US researchers have found. Analysis of data from the Nurses Health Study and Nurses Health Study II revealed over a combined 40-year follow-up there were 593 cases of MS among 230,000 women. Those who were obese at 18 years of age (BMI ≥30 kg/m 2 ) were more than twice as likely to develop MS, the authors found. Heightened risk of MS remained for those with a large body size at age 20. However, no significant association could be found between childhood or adult ...
Kids’ lipids up before ruled overweight on BMI
LIPID abnormalities might appear in children whose weight is below accepted BMI cut-offs for overweight and obesity, US research suggests. Data from 8000-plus children aged between six and 17 years revealed the presence of significantly elevated cholesterol began in children at the 80th BMI percentile, whereas the cut-off for overweight was the 85th percentile. After controlling for age, race, ethnicity and income, the researchers found the risk for high cholesterol was greater at the 80th percentile, low HDL at the 85th percentile and high LDL and high triglycerides at the 90th percentile. “Our findings indicate that ...
Recent weight change linked to diabetes risk
BARIATRIC surgery dramatically reduces the risk of developing diabetes or needing diabetes medications in obese patients, new research shows. A prospective study by Swedish researchers, presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes 45th annual meeting in Vienna recently, found obese patients who underwent bariatric surgery had a 75% reduced incidence of diabetes compared to those who did not have surgery. The researchers analysed the impact of bariatric surgery in 2010 middle-aged obese patients with an average BMI of 41.8 kg/m2 recruited from 1987 to 2001, compared with 2037 matched nonsurgical controls. In the ...
Life-threatening necrosis
An elderly man presents with a non-healing leg ulcer. CASE STUDY AN 88-year-old man presents with a two-month history of a non-healing ulcer on his right lower limb. The lesions started insidiously as multiple red nodules that progressively became ulcerated and painful. The patient has hypertension and is on warfarin due to his atrial fibrillation. On examination, he is found to have extensive necrotic ulceration of his shin, covered by black haemorrhagic crust (Figure 1). Figure 1: Extensive necrotic ulceration of the shin, covered by black haemorrhagic crust. ...
Obesity epidemic to blame for increase in oesophageal cancer
THE rise in obesity may be driving a steady increase in adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus, experts are warning. And with one-year survival ranging from 48% for local disease to 12% with distant spread, more needs to be done to address the disease, they say. Data spanning 30 years in NSW showed a sharp spike in incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma in the 1980s, followed by a rise of about 4% every year since, with higher rates in males, researchers from the Cancer Institute found. Diagnosis was significantly associated with living in regional areas compared to cities. ...
Resources boost needed for GPs to lead preventive health revolution
PRICE hikes on cigarettes and alcohol to improve population health have won broad support from the medical profession, but GP groups and academics say doctors will need far more support to take on preventive health. Released just one day after the draft National Primary Health Care Strategy , the 307-page National Preventative Health Strategy outlines a series of measures to tackle illness associated with obesity, alcohol and smoking. While much of the strategy focuses on population-wide health measures, GPs have also been asked to take a greater role in preventive ...
Controls needed for digital fast food ads
CONSUMERS are opposing moves by the fast food industry to extend its advertising contact with young people through digital media. A survey of 800 adult consumers, undertaken by the Obesity Policy Coalition, has found overwhelming support for regulations on the use of SMS, email, Internet and pay TV junk food marketing. In total, 91% of respondents wanted regulations to restrict the use of Web-based games and competitions to promote unhealthy foods. Almost all respondents (96%) called for regulations on SMS and email junk food advertising, with 81% calling for a complete ban on these practices. A ...
The endothelium and chronic disease
The link between lifestyle and chronic disease may now be undisputed, but where is the biological connection? INACTIVITY, smoking and bad diets are all known causes of heart disease. Some risk factors such as high cholesterol and hyperglycaemia provide a window to what’s going on, but there’s more to it than that. In the early 1990s, a clue was found when Harvard researchers associated obesity with a form of chronic, low-level systemic inflammation, which they called ‘metaflammation’ because of its link with the metabolic system. This suggested that obesity might need to be reframed as an inflammatory ...
Cash for weight loss schemes reap slim gains
CASH incentives do not help obese and overweight people to lose weight, US researchers say. An analysis of workplace-incentive schemes, involving 2407 employees, found 76% of participants dropped out of their program in less than a year. In one scheme, where employees received steady quarterly rewards – US$15 (A$19) for losing 5% of their body weight over three months – annual weight loss was only 0.6 kg. In another scheme participants paid an initial bond of US$110 (A$137), refunded at year’s end if they lost more than 5% of their baseline weight, with a bonus of ...
Chronically ill hit hardest by swine flu
PEOPLE who are asthmatic or obese are at especially high risk of developing complications from swine flu, a leading virologist warns. Professor John Mackenzie, a pandemic adviser to the World Health Organization and professorial fellow in infectious and emerging diseases at Curtin University, WA, said most hospitalised cases worldwide involved people aged 20 to 40 years who had an underlying medical vulnerability. “Most of the serious cases are in people with asthma, the morbidly obese, and those with diabetes,” he said. Professor Mackenzie said others at risk were young to middle-aged people with COPD or underlying cardiac disease, and ...
In the mood for lifestyle advice
Appropriate treatment of mood disorders is vital to improve health and for prevention and treatment of lifestyle-related disease. LIFESTYLE-related disease is underpinned by physical inactivity and unhealthy weight gain. In women, this often manifests during the reproductive years as disturbances including obesity, menstrual disturbances, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and gestational diabetes (GDM). It then progresses to pre-diabetes, diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) as women age. Lifestyle-related diseases such as PCOS, type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) or CVD increase the risk of depression, while depression is a risk factor for lifestyle-related disease. 1 Anxiety is ...
Lifestyle blamed for rising colorectal cancer in young
OBESITY and poor diet may be contributing to rising rates of colorectal cancer among people aged younger than 50. Data from 13 US cancer registries revealed colorectal cancer rates rose by 1.5% per year in young men and 1.6% per year in young women between 1992 and 2005. At the same time rates in older people had dropped. The largest annual percentage increase in incidence was in the youngest group, aged in their 20s (5.2% in men and 5.6% in women). Obesity, greater meat consumption and reduced milk consumption could be factors, the researchers said. ...
Huge costs predicted for obesity care plans
EXPERTS have cautiously welcomed a new push to classify obesity as a chronic disease, but have voiced concerns it could result in massive costs to the health system if millions of patients become eligible for MBS-funded care plans. Last week the House of Representatives standing committee on health and ageing recommended obesity be given the same chronic illness status as diabetes or asthma, which would enable GPs to draw up chronic disease management plans for patients. Professor Ian Caterson, director of the Institute of Obesity, Nutrition and Exercise at the University of Sydney, said while such a ...
Junk food’s consolation prize
THERE may be some truth to the adage “eat, drink and be merry” as new research shows children who consume junk food may be fatter, but they are also happier. The US and Taiwanese study surveyed the consumption of fast foods and soft drinks in 2366 Taiwanese children aged two to 12 and related this to their body weight. Children who consumed higher quantities of French fries, pizza, burgers, and sugar-laden drinks were more likely to be overweight. But when their level of happiness was measured, the authors found those children with the highest fast food ...
Finding sleep solutions
The effect of sleep on disease risk is becoming clear. IT’S a common statement, often made to shock the uninitiated: “If you live to 80, you’ll spend 27 years of your life sleeping.” But that’s probably not true, particularly in this day and age. A more accurate ending to the statement might be: “You’ll spend 27 years of your life in bed .” Of course, being in bed, even without sleep, has nice connotations for some. However, for many people it’s not that simple; bedtime signifies tossing and turning, uncontrollable twitches, midnight worries, night tremors, ...
Carotid abnormalities seen in young obese
ADOLESCENTS with obesity or type 2 diabetes have dangerous abnormalities of their carotid arteries, leading to an increased risk of stroke and myocardial infarction. US researchers found evidence of increased thickness and stiffness in the carotid arteries of 136 obese youths (aged 10 to 24 years) and 128 youths of the same age with type 2 diabetes, compared with lean peers. The authors said the most important finding was that increased thickness of the common carotid artery and bulb could be found in patients of such age with uncomplicated obesity, demonstrating early changes in vascular structure in ...
Paediatricians see one in five for ADHD
ALMOST one in four consultations by a paediatrician are for children with developmental-behavioural problems. An analysis of 3222 consultations undertaken by 201 Australian paediatricians showed 18.3% of the consults led to a diagnosis of ADHD, with another 7.5% resulting in a diagnosis of learning difficulties. They also revealed surprisingly low rates of diagnoses for asthma (6.6%) and obesity (less than two per cent). Lead researcher, Dr Harriet Hiscock of the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, said 88% of the ADHD/ADD diagnoses included a medication prescription. “Paediatricians see a range of physical and mental health problems... but ...
Food glorious food-like substances
I LOVE buying wholegrain bread, free-range eggs and heritage tomatoes at the local monthly farmers’ market. I want to eat these foods every day, just like my great-grandmother did. These days supermarkets offer tomatoes designed to travel 1000 km before they arrive on your plate, and preservative-laced sliced bread made from refined flour, but boosted with “nutrients”. The trouble, as Michael Pollan wrote in In Defense of Food (Penguin Press), is that we have let food scientists instead of farmers and grandmothers direct what we eat. At the recent Heart Foundation conference in ...
Lifestyle changes key to colorectal cancer prevention
MODERATE changes to five key lifestyle factors could have more impact on reducing deaths from colorectal cancer than screening, researchers say. Researchers from the United Kingdom say small shifts in diet and exercise habits population-wide could prevent nearly a third of the colorectal cancers in men and 18% in women. The UK faecal occult blood screening program is expected to prevent about 15% of these cancers. The five keys to better bowel health include: reduced consumption of red meat and processed meat; increased fruit and vegetable intake; reduced alcohol consumption; increased exercise; and better weight control, ...
Rethink on CKD progression in Aborigines
THE increased risk of end-stage kidney disease experienced by Indigenous adults is not seen in Indigenous schoolchildren, researchers have found, raising hopes that progression of the disease may be preventable. A study of 2266 NSW children (mean age 8.9 years), 55% of whom were Aboriginal, found no difference in the prevalence of persistent chronic kidney disease (CKD) risk factors between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. At baseline, 2%-7% of the children had CKD risk factors such as obesity, albuminuria 3.4 mg/mmol, haematuria (25 red blood cells/µL), systolic or diastolic hypertension. However, besides obesity, the persistence of these ...
Unlocking OSA
Could androgen supplements solve the riddle of treating sleep apnoea in men? Australian researchers are trying to find out. Chris Brooker reports. YOUR patient is male and obese, and sleep studies have confirmed he has obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). The problem is, despite his knowing the consequences of not using his CPAP machine, several disastrous nights strapped to the device have left him sitting in your office point-blank refusing to use it. The options seem limited. But imagine if you had a plan B up your sleeve and it was as simple as a ...
World report - 6 March 2009
• UK VETO FOR ECSTASY DOWNGRADE THE UK government has rejected recommendations to downgrade ecstasy from a class A to a class B drug. The UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs advised that, based on a review of more than 4000 papers, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) was no more dangerous than other amphetamines, which are listed as class B drugs. As a class A drug, ecstasy is ranked alongside heroin, crack cocaine, cocaine and LSD. Downgrading it to class B would have meant lighter sentences for supplying and possession. The council said that, while ecstasy ...
Antenatal obesity linked to birth defect risk
OBESITY during pregnancy doubles the risk of spina bifida and increases the odds of other neural tube and cardiovascular defects in offspring, a meta-analysis shows. Mothers who were obese had a two-fold increased risk of a baby affected by spina bifida, and the risk of all neural tube defects (NTDs) was increased, the researchers found. In addition, obese women had increased odds of pregnancy affected by anencephaly when compared with women who maintained recommended weight. Other anomalies linked to obesity included cleft lip and palate, hydrocephaly and cardiovascular defects, such as septal defects. The review ...
Public health opportunity
PUBLIC health is one area which could benefit from the current economic crisis if government spending is channelled into health-related infrastructure, experts say. They argue that economic stimulus funds should be diverted to projects with health benefits, such as footpaths, bicycle paths, parks and sporting facilities. This would also offset an expected decline in nutrition and increase in obesity. Professor Ian Caterson, director of the Sydney-based Institute of Obesity, Nutrition and Exercise, said such projects were happening piecemeal in Australia. He said policies were needed to ensure healthier foods were cheaper, such as a diesel allowance ...
Obese at risk of vitamin deficiencies
WHILE their overall energy intake may be greater than most, many obese and overweight patients are not consuming adequate amounts of essential dietary nutrients. The poor intake could be resulting in deficiencies going unrecognised and untreated, Australian researchers say. Even when patients were trying to lose weight, they might “unwittingly further reduce an already inadequate nutrient intake”, the Sydney researchers added. Children, teenagers and older people were particularly at risk. Many patients were deficient in key macronutrients such as iron, calcium, vitamin C and vitamin D. Advising them to choose nutrient-dense foods, such as dark-coloured ...
World report – 23 January 2009
• $200M WASTED ON US TEEN ABSTINENCE PLAN THE Bush administration’s abstinence-only sex education campaign has been woefully ineffective, experts say, after research showed teenage virgins who pledged abstinence until marriage actually had similar rates of premarital sex to non-abstinent youths. A national study of 3440 teenagers aged 15 or older revealed those who had pledged abstinence until marriage five years earlier did not differ from other teenagers in the number of sexual partners, or in the age of first sex. They were also less likely to practise ‘safe sex’. Eighty-two per cent of pledgers denied ...
Take a hard line on soft drinks: experts
ENOUGH evidence already exists linking soft drinks and obesity for the federal government to formally recommend Australians cut their consumption, an expert argues. Dr Tim Gill (PhD), principal researcher at the Institute of Obesity, Nutrition and Exercise at the University of Sydney, said although the evidence for the benefits of limiting sweetened beverages was not yet strong from a scientific perspective, it was sufficient to warrant a change in public policy. “Public health policy is made on a precautionary principle,” he said. “If there is a significant suggestion to prove that [a policy] will improve health, ...
Control pants a hidden hazard
BODYSHAPING ‘control pants’ worn to flatten bulging stomachs may actually be a health hazard, according to British experts. While endorsed in Bridget Jones’s Diary and recommended to women by UK makeover gurus Trinny and Susannah, the underwear, which “hides” bulging stomachs, could be causing women to ignore underlying weight issues. The International Obesity Taskforce, the research arm of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, said the popular underwear hid pot bellies and ‘muffin tops’ where stomach spilt over a waistband. “Hiding behind” bodyshaping garments meant women weren’t tackling their weight and related ...
Excess weight takes years off life
UNPUBLISHED Australian research presented at the Obesity: The Reality Check symposium last week in Sydney has revealed the effect obesity can have on a normal lifespan. Associate Professor Bruce Neal, a senior director at The George Institute for International Health at the University of Sydney, said a meta-analysis of 900,000 patients revealed people with a BMI of 30-35 kg/m 2 would lose three years of life compared to those with a BMI of 24 kg/m 2 . Those with a BMI between 40 and 50 kg/m 2 would lose a decade on average.
Mobiles: the new fat fighters
MOBILE phones may be the next weapon to be co-opted in the battle of the bulge. US researchers have created two new mobile phone applications that can help maintain an exercise routine. The applications automatically track workouts, ascertain whether the user is travelling via eco-friendly transportation, and display motivational pictures. The application logs a trip involving walking, jogging or cycling and uses mobile phone tower signals to indicate vehicular transport. A green bar and number display how much carbon dioxide each green trip saves. In US trials presented at a recent climate change conference in ...
Trial obesity drug shows initial promise
A NEW drug to tackle obesity has produced double the weight loss of existing approved treatments in a phase II trial. Danish researchers said while needing confirmation in phase III trials, tesofensine, an inhibitor of pre-synaptic uptake of noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin, had to date proven safe and efficacious in obese patients. The researchers randomised 203 obese patients (BMI between 30 and 40 kg/m 2 ), on an energy-restricted diet, to receive either tesofensine 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg or 1 mg, or placebo, once daily for 24 weeks. The tesofensine groups had a mean weight loss ...
Obese kids at risk of large left atrium
OBESITY is causing structural changes to the heart in children as young as five and it is unknown whether the changes are reversible, according to Australian research. Dr Julian Ayer, a paediatric cardiologist from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, compared ultrasound measured changes in the left atrium with BMI among almost 1000 children aged between five and 15 years. Increased left atrial size was a known risk factor for hypertension, acute MI, stroke and atrial fibrillation in adults but the risks associated with its enlargement in children were unknown, he said. After adjusting for height, ...
NSW to start funded obesity surgery soon
BARIATRIC surgery funded by the NSW government should be available by the end of this year, the NSW health department says. A spokesperson for the department said a clinic would be operating in the Sydney South West Area Health Service by the end of 2008 and would be staffed by a multidisciplinary team, including endocrinologists, diabetes nurses, psychologists and physiotherapists. The department anticipated clinics would be operating in all eight NSW area health services and at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead by 2012, the spokesperson said. People would be referred to the clinics by a GP ...
Experts debate lowering PSA threshold for biopsy in obese
LOWERING the PSA threshold for prostate biopsy among obese men could improve their disease outcome, researchers say. A US retrospective cohort study of more than 3300 men found obese men with PSA-detected cancers who were treated with radical prostatectomy were at “significantly greater” risk of progression (40%) than those of normal weight. They also had a greater risk of progression than obese men who were diagnosed with an abnormal digital rectal examination. As many obese men had lower PSA levels, the researchers said this made early detection more difficult, therefore they “had two reasons for a poor ...
Low birth weight, high adult BMI worsen chronic disease
LOW birth weight followed by the development of obesity later in life is the “double hit” that puts Aboriginal people most at risk of chronic disease, a researcher says. Paediatrician Dr Gurmeet Singh, from Royal Darwin Hospital and the Menzies School of Health Research, said low birth weight was associated with higher blood pressure and greater rates of insulin resistance. In a population study of 2500 Tiwi Islanders aged 40 years or younger, presented at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ Indigenous Women’s Health Meeting in Darwin last week, Dr Singh found ...
Get tough on obesity with cancer pitch
RADICAL public health advertising measures highlighting the link between obesity and cancer, along the lines of successful anti-smoking campaigns, are urgently needed to halt the obesity epidemic, experts say. Writing in the Medical Journal of Australia , Cancer Council Australia CEO Professor Ian Olver argued restrictions to fast-food advertising should form part of a national obesity strategy that could also include taxing high fat, sugar or salt foods, and health insurance rebates. Professor Olver’s call has been backed by other leading obesity experts. Dr Ian Caterson, professor of human nutrition at the University of Sydney, ...
The BIG question
New studies are asking whether any diet can provide a solution to the obesity epidemic. Dr Kathy Kramer reports. YOU can’t go a day without seeing someone with a weight problem. Obviously prevention is better than cure but that’s no help for people who are already over a healthy weight. Options include diet, exercise, medications, psychotherapy, and surgery. Simply put, surgery is the only truly successful treatment 1 but few patients will benefit unless all state governments follow the lead of NSW, which has just announced the establishment of surgical clinics as part ...
Call to fund gastric banding nationally
OBESITY experts have backed a NSW government announcement that it will fund bariatric surgery but say similar funding should be made available nationally. The funding was announced last week as part of the $36 million NSW Health Obesity Strategy by state health minister Reba Meagher. Under the proposals, patients would be referred to a specialist clinic and assessed for bariatric surgery by a multidisciplinary team, after all medical options were exhausted. Patients would only be considered for surgery if aged between 20 and 55 years, with a BMI above 35, type 2 diabetes, and no other ...
Women to exercise an hour a day to keep weight off
WOMEN may have to exercise for longer bursts than was previously thought in order to maintain weight loss, research suggests. While moderate intensity physical activity is currently recommended for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week, a new study suggests this may be inadequate to sustain weight loss. Researchers randomised 200 overweight and obese women to four different physical activity groups and followed them for 24 months. They found those undertaking 275 minutes per week of physical activity (55 minutes per day for five days a week), in addition to reduced energy intake, sustained ...
World report – 1 August
• HOSPITAL SCORECARD POSTED IN UK THE UK National Health Service is to publish survival rates for four common surgical procedures for each hospital trust with the intention of assisting patients with treatment decisions. The NHS Choices website has begun posting survival rates for elective and emergency abdominal aortic aneurysm repairs, hip and knee surgery. The data will allow patients to compare different hospitals for a range of measures including survival, average hospital stay and rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Other measures include quality of service, hospital cleanliness and patient ...
World report - 25 July
• NEW DISEASE RESEMBLES CJD US researchers have identified a new fatal brain-wasting disease that resembles Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). A CBC News report said the disease, which robs patients of the ability to speak and move, had been identified in 16 people since 2002, 10 of whom had died from the infection. The new disease leads to brain tissue damage through the accumulation of prions, which are deformed versions of a brain protein. • FAT LOWERS SPERM COUNT Wearing tight briefs has been blamed for reducing sperm count, but men trying to ...
World report - 25 July
• NEW DISEASE RESEMBLES CJD US researchers have identified a new fatal brain-wasting disease that resembles Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). A CBC News report said the disease, which robs patients of the ability to speak and move, had been identified in 16 people since 2002, 10 of whom had died from the infection. The new disease leads to brain tissue damage through the accumulation of prions, which are deformed versions of a brain protein. • FAT LOWERS SPERM COUNT Wearing tight briefs has been blamed for reducing sperm count, but men trying to ...
The ‘dirty’ neck
PRESENTATION A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD girl of Polynesian descent presents with gradual darkening of the skin over the neck and armpits. She is asymptomatic but her mother is concerned that it looks unsightly and “dirty”. In addition to the hyperpigmentary change, the affected skin also shows a velvety textural change. Scrubbing the skin does not help. What is your provisional diagnosis? Figures 1 (above) and 2 (below): Darkening of the skin of the neck. Figure 3: Flexural hyperpigmentation in the axilla. DIAGNOSIS Acanthosis ...
Acanthosis nigricans
Skin tags, brown neck and a hormone problem...A 48-year-old overweight Caucasian woman with a history of adult acne and folliculitis presented for removal of skin tags on her neck, breasts and under her arms. She had no other significant past medical history, however she reported a strong family history of type II diabetes mellitus. A brown rash appeared around her neck. The patient also reported that a new silver necklace she had received for her birthday was causing a brown rash to appear around her neck. She wanted to ensure she wasn’t developing an ...