REUTERS - People who had weight loss surgery reported greater alcohol use two years after their procedures, according to a U.S. study.

The researchers, whose findings appeared in the Archives of Surgery, said it's possible that some patients may turn to drinking if the surgery successfully stops their ability to overeat without addressing underlying issues.

In addition, the effect of certain stomach-shrinking procedures on alcohol tolerance may play a part.

"This is perhaps a risk," said Alexis Conason, who worked on the study at the New York Obesity Nutrition Research Center at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center.

"I don't think it should deter people from having surgery, but you should be cautious to monitor (alcohol use) after surgery," Conason told Reuters Health.

The study didn't show whether people were drinking in a dangerous way, and there was no clear increase in drug use or smoking after surgery.

Her team's study involved 155 people getting gastric bypass or gastric banding surgery, mostly women. Participants started the study with an average body mass index, or BMI, of 46 - equivalent of a 168 cm (five foot six inch) person weighing 129 kilograms (285 pounds).

Surgery is typically recommended for people with a BMI of at least 40, or at least 35 if they also have health problems such as diabetes or severe sleep apnea.

Alcohol use dropped immediately after surgery, from 61 percent of people who initially reported drinking to 20 percent at one month post-surgery. But by three months, drinking rates had started to creep back up.

And at two years out, people were drinking significantly more often than before their procedures.

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Weight loss surgery tied to increase in drinking: study

ScienceDaily (Oct. 15, 2012) Patients who undergo bariatric weight loss surgery may be at increased risk for substance use (drug use, alcohol use and cigarette smoking) following surgery, particularly among patients who undergo laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery who appear to be at increased risk for alcohol use following surgery, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Surgery, a JAMA Network publication.

"Studies have shown that drugs, alcohol, and food trigger similar responses in the brain and that bariatric surgery candidates whose condition has been diagnosed as binge-eating disorder (BED) display addictive personalities similar to individuals addicted to substances," the authors write as background in the study. "Therefore, alcohol and drugs (including nicotine) are likely to substitute for overeating following WLS [weight loss surgery.]"

Alexis Conason, Psy.D., of New York Obesity Nutrition Research Center, and colleagues, assessed questionnaire responses from 155 patients (132 women) who underwent weight loss surgery (WLS) and were recruited from an information session at a bariatric surgery center. Patients underwent laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (n=100) or laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery (n=55). Each patient completed questionnaires to assess eating behaviors and substance use prior to the operation and at one, three, six, 12 and 24 months after surgery.

Overall, the authors found that patients reported an immediate decrease in frequency of substance use following WLS, but these improvements were not maintained by 3-month follow-up, and there was a significant increase in the frequency of substance use from the time of surgery to the 24-month follow-up.

Participants reported significant increases in the frequency of substance use (a composite of drug use, alcohol use, and cigarette smoking) 24 months following surgery. In particular, the authors found that patients reported a significant increase in the frequency of substance use from the time of surgery to 24 months after surgery, as well as significant increases from one, three, and six months to 24 months after surgery.

Additionally, patients who underwent laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (LRYGB) reported a significant increase in the frequency of alcohol use from the time before surgery to 24 months after surgery.

"Based on the present study, undergoing RYGB surgery appears to increase the risk for alcohol use following WLS," the authors conclude. "Risks and benefits should be weighted when recommending LRYGB surgery to patients who may be at increased risk of developing problems with alcohol after WLS, such as those with a personal or family history of alcohol abuse or dependence."

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Weight loss surgery may be associated with increased substance use following surgery

People who had weight loss surgery reported greater alcohol use two years after their procedures than in the weeks beforehand, in a new study.

"This is perhaps a risk. I don't think it should deter people from having surgery, but you should be cautious to monitor (alcohol use) after surgery," Alexis Conason, who worked on the study at the New York Obesity Nutrition Research Center at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, told Reuters Health.

Researchers said it's possible some patients may turn to drinking if surgery successfully stops their ability to overeat without addressing their underlying issues. Or, the effects of certain types of stomach-shrinking procedures on alcohol tolerance may influence drinking habits.

Still, the new study can't show whether people were drinking in a dangerous way - and there was no clear increase in drug use or smoking after surgery.

"This does not mean that everyone who has gastric bypass surgery has problems with alcohol or becomes an alcoholic," said Conason.

Her team's study involved 155 people getting gastric bypass or gastric banding surgery, mostly women. Participants started the study with an average body mass index, or BMI, of 46 - equivalent to a five-foot, six-inch person who weighs 285 pounds.

Surgery is typically recommended for people with a BMI of at least 40, or at least 35 if they also have health problems such as diabetes or severe sleep apnea.

Alcohol use dropped immediately following surgery, from 61 percent of people who initially reported drinking to 20 percent at one month post-surgery.

But by three months, drinking rates had started to creep back up. And at two years out, people were drinking significantly more often than before their procedures, according to findings published Monday in the Archives of Surgery.

That was primarily the case for those who had gastric bypass surgery, not banding. On a scale from 0 to 10 of drinking frequency, where 0 represented never, 5 was sometimes and 10 always, gastric bypass patients reported an increase from 1.86 before surgery to 3.08 two years later.

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Weight loss surgery tied to increase in drinking

Obesity Control Center is the global leader in proven and safe weight loss surgery for long-lasting results, including gastric band (lap band), gastric sleeve, gastric bypass and gastric plication. Led by Dr. Ariel Ortiz and a team of Board Certified Surgeons, the Obesity Control Center has performed more than 10,000 weight loss surgeries and is recognized as an International Center of Excellence for its superior patient care standards.

Tijuana, Mexico (PRWEB) October 15, 2012

Based just minutes outside of San Diego, California, in Baja California, Mexico, Obesity Control Center is recognized worldwide as both a pioneer in the field of bariatric (weight loss) surgery and the unchallenged leader. Built and designed specifically for weight loss procedures, the Obesity Control Center helps change the lives of patients who struggle with constant weight gain and obesity.

For millions of people around the world, obesity is a debilitating problem that affects nearly every aspect of a person's life. More than just a health issue, severe weight gain can cause barriers and obstacles that lead to additional psychological, social and emotional disabilities. This creates difficult hurdles that stand in the way of people's lives and prevent them from enjoying life to the fullest. Those who face these issues cannot help but feel a complete sense of helplessness, especially after trying various diets unsuccessfully.

It's not uncommon for individuals with obesity to move from one diet to another, only to see their weight yo-yo back and forth and increase even higher, says Dr. Ariel Ortiz, the director of Obesity Control Center and Board Certified medical surgeon. Our center is a state-of-the-art facility that provides safe, effective weight loss solutions to those who feel they have no other options. We specialize in all the leading gastric procedures, and we are recognized for offering the highest levels of patient care and safety in the field.

The Obesity Control Center offers a wide range of the most common weight loss procedures, as well as plastic and cosmetic surgeries to further help patients achieve their desired transformations.

Gastric procedures offered by the Obesity Control Center include:

Gastric Band Surgery (also known as the Lap Band, Realize Band, adjustable gastric banding)

Dr. Ariel Ortiz is recognized as the leading expert on Lap Band surgery, having trained under the original designer of the Lap Band, Dr. Mitiku Belachew. Dr. Ortiz has also trained hundreds of surgeons around the world to perform the procedure safely and effectively. He has been recognized by Newsweek as one of America's top surgeons and was also featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show for his expertise on childhood obesity.

The Obesity Control Center has been recognized as an SRC International Center of Excellence, which is awarded only to hospitals that meet extremely rigorous standards for patient care, safety, competency of staff and advanced equipment. This prestigious distinction is held by only 5% of hospitals in the United States.

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Obesity Control Center Leads Field in Weight Loss Surgeries

Dieting often produces side effects like fatigue, mental dullness, and metabolic slowdown or "plateau". For these and other side effects of a low calorie diet, hCGTreatments / Diet Doc Weight Loss Plans created the prescription diet pill Slim Down, containing a physician designed mixture of potent fast weight loss ingredients to boost any diet and prevent frustrating side effects.

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) October 16, 2012

Diet Doc's prescription Slim Down contains an energy boosting 5000mcg of vitamin B12, which aids cellular metabolism throughout every cell in the body. Vitamin B12 has been found to help people feel less worn down, more mentally alert, and to speed up metabolism. Slim Down prescription diet pills from Diet Doc include other substance to aid the B12 in producing these desired effects. In addition to B12, Slim Down diet pills include herbal extracts like green tea, apple cider vinegar, hoodia, guarana extract, yerba matte extract, and grapefruit powder. Each of these ingredients works in unison to aid metabolic balance and increase metabolic function, ultimately leading to fast weight loss. Each of these ingredients were chosen for their unique ability to spur weight loss, while also promoting overall metabolic wellbeing. Diet Doc's physicians recommend prescription Slim Down to their clients on the hCG diet for its ability to block the absorption of sugar and suppress appetite. While Slim Down is a prescription diet pill, it contains no harmful stimulants like ephedra or phentramine; Slim Down does however contain about as much caffeine as found in 2 cups of coffee.

Slim down is a prescription diet pill, so Diet Doc's fast weight loss physicians must first medically evaluate clients, and then prescribe Slim Down diet pills accordingly. hCGTreatments / Diet Doc hCG Diet & Weight Loss provides free consultation to each new client. Diet Doc offers nationwide service, even to those outside of their examination area via the Telehealth system, which allows physicians to interact with clients over video conferencing software like Skype. With the use of this new technology, anyone who wants to lose weight fast can do so on a Diet Doc customized prescription hCG diet, and also receive invaluable supporting supplements like Slim Down to aid in fast weight loss. Diet Doc / hCGTreatments is available for teleconference 6 days a week, and new customers receive free shipping on first time orders. Diet Doc CEO Julie Wright adds, "We strive to maintain growth to meet the demand and hope to continue offering natural weight loss solutions that can be tried by anyone in the future."

Julie Wright Diet Doc Weight Loss 888-934-4451 Email Information

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hCGTreatments / Diet Doc hCG Diets & Weight Loss Plans Announces New Prescription Slim Down Diet Pills for Healthy ...

Safflower products promise fast weight loss in a bottle. But it seems that what dieters actually receive is another yo-yo diet that most often leads to regaining more weight then was initially lost. While on a prescription hCG diet from Diet Doc Weight Loss, clients routinely lose weight fast, on average of 1 pound per day.

Austin, TX (PRWEB) October 16, 2012

hCGTreatments / Diet Doc Founder and CEO Julie Wright warns that, "those looking to lose an extreme amount of weight, like so many of the obese population in America, have to be careful not to get caught up in fad or yo-yo diets. When looking to lose weight fast and keep it off, it is important to choose a product that will not place you into the common yo-yo cycle of temporary weight loss and eventual gain. Studies show that people who get caught in yo-yo diets often regain more weight than they initially lose.

A prescription hCG diet offers a solution to yo-yo dieting. An hCG diet is a healthy and effective diet plan that offers permanent and fast weight loss, and the necessary lifestyle changes to teach patients how to keep the weight off in the future. Diet Doc offers prescription hCG in three easy to administer forms: injections, sublingual drops, and tablets, all of which routinely produce fast weight loss results that are a staggering 33 times greater than safflower supplements. Using a combination of prescription hCG and a Diet Doc individually tailored, low calorie diet for 3 to 6 weeks has proven to be extremely successful for fast weight loss. It is not uncommon for patients to lose 1 pound or more per day while on Diet Doc's prescription hCG diet. Produced in the placenta of women who are pregnant, prescription hCG is naturally occurring, not manufactured in a laboratory, has little to no side effects, and is easily administered and monitored. hCG works by signaling the hypothalamus which in turn commands the body to release excess stored fat into the bloodstream where it is burned easily for energy. When used in conjunction with a low calorie diet, hCG generates very effective and fast weight loss. hCG triggers the release of excess fat without affecting structural fat and muscle tissue, so patients do not lose much-needed muscle mass. When using hCG, patients lose fat in trouble areas like hips, thighs, waist, and underarms.

Julie Wright Diet Doc Weight Loss 888-934-4451 Email Information

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hCGTreatments / Diet Doc hCG Diet & Weight Loss Announces Better And Healthier Weight Loss Using Prescription hCG than ...

Follow these best rules of thumb when youre eating for weight loss.

No carbs after 5pm or no carbs at all? Low fat or Low GI? When it comes to dieting there's a world of contradictory information out there. If you're struggling to shed kilos it pays to keep it simple.

"The safe rate of weight loss is 0.5-1kg/week on average. Fad diets and quick fixes may sound appealing but you're unlikely to learn new healthy habits. And, in most cases, you are mainly shifting body fluid (water) not body fat. This can have unwanted side effects like headaches, irritability and bad breath," says Emma Stirling, consultant dietician for Weight Watchers Australia.

"Surround yourself with a supportive environment and don't try to go it alone. Support should come from a range of areas, like a partner or friend who comes along for the journey or tools such as an iPhone app tracker that makes sticking to plan easier and helps you track your goals." Try websites such as My Fitness Pal or Calorie King.

Emma says that stress management is also becoming increasingly recognised as an important part of weight management. "Not just the obvious things, like keeping control of emotional eating, but watching for elevated hormones such as cortisol that may lead to more central body fat being deposited."

"The best motto you can have is 'Just Keep Going'". "Plateaus in a weight loss journey - when your weight stays the same for a period of time - are to be expected. Weight loss is not a perfect down ward graph each week - look at the average loss over time and you'll be amazed at your progress."

Top tips:

1. Keep hydrated, thirst can be mistaken for hunger and drinking a glass of water before a meal will help fill you up.

2. When eating out, always choose the smaller portion sizes. Look for restaurants and chains that offer healthier options and particularly those that disclose their nutritional information.

3. Alcohol equals empty calories and you're more likely to throw dietary caution to the wind when you've had a few. If you can't cut it out all then together set limits around how much you drink in a week and factor it into your diet.

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Top tips for weight loss

New Zealands largest and most successful weight-loss organisation is planning a major assault on the nations obesity epidemic. Weight Watchers Plate of our Nation is an ambitious and far-reaching movement which puts our attitudes to food and activity under the microscope in a bid to offer real solutions to get our nation healthy again.

With 64.8 percent of Kiwis now overweight or obese1, New Zealand ranks as one of the fattest countries in the developed world. Weight Watchers is investing its 50 years of experience and scientific research to be the first commercial weight-loss organisation to take action and affect real change on our countrys collective waistlines.

Weight Watchers Plate of our Nation kicked-off in earnest with a unique, multi-layered study to investigate the root causes of the deepening obesity crisis. The report covers all areas from lifestyle, exercise, body image, health and wellbeing, finding significant disparities between generations attitudes towards activity levels, food consumption, cooking skills and weight. It reveals how gradual changes in the way we eat, move and live our lives, have crept up on us over time, and points to a grim picture for New Zealands future, with food knowledge rapidly diminishing.

Plate of our Nation key findings:

- 53% of young adults consider heating chicken nuggets to be cooking

- Nearly 4 out of 10 (39%) Generation Z respondents are unable to correctly identify staple veggies such as leek or zucchini

- 82% of Generation Z respondents dont use any fresh ingredients in their daily evening meals

- New Zealanders rarely eat as a sole activity; 81% of us are consuming meals while doing other things, from reading, texting to working, which has been shown to lead to over-eating

- 42% of New Zealanders continue eating until overfull

- On an average day, 42% of New Zealanders exercise, compared to 87% that watch TV

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Weight Watchers 'wages war on NZ's obesity epidemic'

LA Weight Loss launches its Slim Sipping Cookbook with something for everyone in the family.

Greensboro, North Carolina (PRWEB) October 15, 2012

While drinking water frequently is important for weight loss and general good health, its nice to have a drink with some flavor and pizzazz every once in a while. Unfortunately, many alternatives to plain H2O like sugary sodas or rich, creamy lattes are easy ways to guzzle unnecessary calories. In fact, the average American consumes an extra 245 calories a day from soft drinks. Thats nearly 90,000 calories a year! Divide that by the 3,500 calories it takes to gain or lose a pound of fat and that translates into 25 pounds a year that could be lost by replacing soda with healthier beverages. With LAs Slim Sipping cookbook, LA Weight Loss nutritionists have developed over 20 program-approved recipes that the whole family will enjoy. Heres just a sampling of recipes sure to meet the approval of any breakfast skipper, sweet tooth or coffee fiend in the family.

The Breakfast Skipper: Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but old habits die hard with the breakfast skipper. If oatmeal or egg-white omelets seem like too much of a change to stomach, start forming good lifelong habits with a smoothie as part of a healthy breakfast instead. Try a delicious good morning Jump-Start Energy Drink made by blending fibre cereal, strawberries, milk and yogurt. Or make a Frozen Fruit Smoothie by placing raspberries, a banana, orange juice, yogurt and vanilla extract in a blender and blend until smooth. Best of all, both are on-program and good for the whole family!

The Sweet Tooth: Out of sight doesnt always equal out of mind. While unhealthy sweets and snacks may have been banished from the cupboards, sometimes they still sneak back into the house via ice-cream shop stops, Halloween treats or holiday baking. If willpower isnt enough, try bringing leftover treats into work to share with the office. Next, get to the root of the sweet tooth: address a sugar fix with some sweet alternatives. Set a good example by curbing that sweet tooth with a Banana Split Shake, Lemon Meringue Shake or Creamsicle Shake. For a recipe the kids can enjoy, substitute SlimDown powder with Greek yogurt or frozen yogurt before blending the remainder of the ingredients.

The Coffee Fiend: Is someone in the family craving creamy coffee-based concoctions? With a chill in the air, it becomes tempting to warm up with seasonally inspired menu additions. But spiced syrups can be loaded with calories. Save bucks by making healthier versions of favorite fall drinks at home instead. Invest in a thermos and brew Hot Chai Tea or Spiced Coffee. Or for a refreshing treat, try an icy Coffee Granita.

Dieters often have difficulty integrating their family into their new, healthier lifestyle, said Caroline Kolompar, Chief Marketing Officer of LA Weight Loss Centers. LA Weight Loss focuses on real foods available anytime, anywhere so the whole family can enjoy the same meals together. The online introduction of LAs SIim Sipping Cookbook offers new, creative ways to enjoy some of your favorite beverages and discover new ones. Not only do these recipes taste great, but theyll leave you feeling satisfied helping you lose weight and reach your weight-loss goals faster.

About LA Weight Loss

Since 1997, LA Weight Loss has helped millions of people reach their long-term weight loss goals. Whether clients visit an LA Weight Loss center for one-on-one counseling or opt for the convenience of the at-home program, members lose an average of one to two pounds per week and learn how to keep it off for good. At LA Weight Loss, healthy living is not just for the rich and famous its for everyone. For more information about LA Weight Loss, visit http://www.LAWeightLoss.com.

Caroline Kolompar LA Weight Loss 877-237-7225 Email Information

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LA Weight Loss Slim Sipping Cookbook Is Now Available Online