Austin Local Bariatric Surgeons

Bariatric Surgery Cuts Cancer Risks

A new Swedish study suggests that bariatric surgery reduces the cancer risk for women by 42 percent.

The study, conducted by researchers from the Swedish Institutes of Medicine and several Swedish universities, followed more than 4,000 obese persons during a 10 year period. About half underwent bariatric surgery with the other half tried a diet and exercise regimen alone. It reports that the 2,010 who underwent surgery loss about 44 pounds, whereas the 2,037 who did not undergo surgery and only lost 3 pounds.

During the course of the study, 169 people who did not have surgery developed cancer while 117 who did were diagnosed with cancer. More specifically, nearly 130 cancers were diagnosed in women who did not have surgery, compared to 79 found in the women who had surgery.

The report, however, did not find a drop in cancer rates for men who underwent bariatric surgery as separate studies have found similar results. Researchers note that this may be attributed to hormonal differences between men and women.

Another study by Dr. Nicholas Christou, the director of bariatric surgery and professor surgery at Montreal’s McGill University, found that men and women who underwent bariatric surgery were 78 percent less likely to develop cancer compared to other overweight individuals who did not have surgery.

What other risks does bariatric surgery cut? In some cases, health conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes and others caused by obesity have been eliminated. It doesn’t always take bariatric surgery to eliminate these types of risks. Any type of weight loss will help reduce health risks, especially for overweight and obese individuals.

Despite these great benefits, doctors still advise to consider weight loss surgery as a last resort because of its risks. Contact your Austin local bariatric surgeon to learn more about both the benefits and risks of the LAP-BAND® procedure.

Add comment July 9th, 2009

Nine Items to Avoid on Your Lap-Band® Diet

As an Austin bariatric or your local bariatric surgeon can tell you, the key to LAP-BAND® success is sticking to the diet. It might be tempting, but here are 9 foods and drinks to beware of.

1. High-fat Foods:
Foods with a high-fat content will push back any of your weight loss efforts. These threats include bacon, chips, chocolate, cream soups and sauces, fast food, fried foods, pastries, and pies.

2. Sugar and Sugary Foods
You’re not in much luck if you have a huge sweet tooth. Shrink your waistline by avoiding food products like cakes, candy, cookies, hone, jams, and syrups.

3. High-calorie Drinks
Although your diet may consist of a lot of liquids, that doesn’t mean you can have any drink. Milkshakes, soda, beer, fruit juice, and whole milk have more calories than you may think.

4. Starchy and White Flour Foods
Foods like pasta, rice, and doughy breads, which are starchy and made from white flour, can easily throw you off of your diet. As a last resort, opt for whole-wheat or whole-grain alternatives.

5. Fibrous Foods
Foods with high fiber pose a threat to your LAP-BAND®, as they can get stuck in your stomach opening. These foods include asparagus, celery, corn, dried fruit, pineapples, sweet potatoes.

6. Foods with Skins/Seeds
Fruits and vegetables are key to any diet, but those with skins and seeds may be hard to digest. Remove any skin or thin membranes or seeds from foods like apples, oranges, and grapes prior to eating.

7. Carbonated Drinks
Stay away from soda, carbonated water, champagne, beer, and other carbonated beverages. These quickly fill your already-reduced stomach pouch, causing discomfort.

8. Tough Meats
You’ll slowly be able to introduce solid foods into your diet, but tough meats like pork chops, hamburgers, and steaks could cause problems with your LAP-BAND®. Be sure to always chew carefully and slowly before digesting.

9. Alcohol
You may enjoy it, but your stomach sure won’t enjoy any alcohol. High in calories, alcohol will easily thwart your weight loss efforts. Consume any and all alcoholic beverage with caution.

Stay away from these nine products and you’ll be well on your way to weight loss success!

Consult your Austin bariatric or local bariatric surgeon and nutritionist for personalized diet recommendations or to get started on weight loss now.

Add comment July 9th, 2009

Lose Weight with a Friend

Trying to lose weight? Why not do it in a group? Engaging in new lifestyle changes with your close family members and friends will not only help you, but for your partner as well. Motivate and support each other, as you drop those pounds together.

Continue Reading Add comment June 10th, 2009

Are you exercising enough?

If you’re an overweight or obese adult, you may need to exercise more than was previously thought in order to lose significant weight.  Now, instead of exercising for just 30 minutes a day, it is recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) that you exercise for 50 minutes a day, 5 days per week.

While the ACSM does say that if you’re looking to maintain your weight, you may be OK with 30 minute blocks, you must increase your workload to 50 minutes to see weight loss results.  The ACSM is also recommending adding a strength training program to your workout in order to increase fat-free tissue and heart health.

Check out more information at WebMD

Add comment March 2nd, 2009

Weight Loss Improves Urinary Incontinence

According to a post over at Endocrine Today, a recent study shows that weight loss improves urinary incotinance in overweight and obese patients.  Participants in the study had a mean weight loss of 8%.  Read the full story by clicking on the link above, but this just goes to show that if you are overweight or obese, it’s time to start loosing weight and making healthy lifestyle decisions for your body and your future.

A typicall patient of gastric bypass surgery, or a similar procedure can expect to lose up to 50% of excess body fat.  Combined with healthy food decisions and lifestyle changes, a Gastric Bypass procedure can put you on the right path to a healthy lifestyle for the remainder of your days.

Add comment February 24th, 2009

Weight Loss Drug May Not Be Effective At Limiting Fat Intake

According to the results of a recent 3 year study, patients who used the weight loss drug Orlistat, (sold under the name of Xenical) ended up getting 33% of their calories from fat compated to 28% in those who did not use the drug.  What’s even more interesting about the study is that it was thought Xenical aided weight loss due to the unpleasent side effects involved with an increased intake of calories from fat.

It is said that more studies are needed to determine the true effectiveness of this drug.

Original Source

1 comment February 24th, 2009