NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Minimally-invasive weight loss surgery is safer than open surgery, with patients suffering fewer complications during those procedures, according to a new study of more than 150,000 people who had a gastric bypass in the United States.

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As reality star Jack Osbourne comes to terms with his recent diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, he may take comfort in knowing that with the right medications and doctors, experts say that patients like him have a good chance of leading a fulfilling life.

Patients also left the hospital sooner -- and with a slightly smaller medical bill -- after so-called laparoscopic gastric bypass procedures, researchers from Stanford University in California found.

During gastric bypass, the surgeon creates a pouch out of the top portion of the stomach, then connects it to the small intestine so fewer calories are absorbed during digestion. For laparoscopic procedures, only a few small cuts in the stomach are made and a tiny camera is inserted to allow the surgeon to get a full view during the procedure, as compared to the one large cut made during open surgery.

"From a surgeon's perspective, the ability to see (during) the surgery is enhanced doing it laparoscopically," said Dr. Anita Courcoulas, a professor and bariatric surgeon from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, who wasn't part of the new research team.

"From the patient's perspective, there's much less pain, so they can walk and move and return to normal activities sooner."

The findings support past research suggesting the less-invasive procedure is safer, and are "important" because they reflect complications and deaths on a national level, according to Courcoulas.

Dr. John Morton and his colleagues analyzed data on weight loss procedures done at about 1,000 U.S. hospitals each year between 2005 and 2007, including 41,000 open gastric bypass surgeries and 115,000 laparoscopic surgeries.

Looking back at safety records for the procedures, the researchers found about 19 percent of patients undergoing open surgery had at least one complication -- such as developing pneumonia or needing a blood transfusion -- compared to just over 12 percent of those who had less-invasive surgery.

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Less-invasive weight loss surgery safer

Clearwater, Florida (PRWEB) June 20, 2012

Prograde's popular weight loss supplement, Metabolism, has been upgraded. They have boosted its effect with the Dr. Oz recommended raspberry ketone. The unique organic ketone extraction process used to create Razberi-K is why it is more effective than cheap, imitation raspberry ketone products. According to two recent studies, researchers have found that raspberry ketone, has the ability to increase how quickly the body burns its stored fat, and at the same time, reduce how much fat the body absorbs during digestion.

Razberi-K contains a ketone that is found naturally in raspberries. In laboratory conditions, mice who were given fat-heavy diets were divided into two groups. One group was given a small daily dose of raspberry ketone and the other was not. The mice with the raspberry ketone gained less body fat.

Seeing the potential, scientists have looked more closely at how raspberry ketone products like Razberi-K might work, and have identified two separate benefits. First, Razberi-K activates enzymes that split fat molecules, allowing the fat to be released from cells and burned by the body more quickly*. Additionally it decreases the body's absorption of dietary fat*.

The fat-burning effects of ketones like Razberi-K have been noted by a number of experts, most recently on the Dr. Oz show. Oz reviewed the scientific data and interviewed fitness expert Lisa Lynn, who testified that her clients have seen increased weight loss.

Raspberry ketone has become highly in-demand following this news, with numerous fitness trainers and diet consultants recommending it to their client. At present, Razberi-K is the only patented raspberry ketone, and is in one of Prograde's most popular products for weight loss, Metabolism.

Prograde combines Raz-K with another research-proven, award-winning ingredient called Capsimax. Capsimax is a highly-concentrated natural capsicum fruit extract manufactured from red peppers. The benefits of red pepper for weight loss is not news to many, but what you probably dont know is that combined with Raz-K, the benefits are even greater. Capsimaxhelps release the two exact hormones, epinephrine and norepinephrine, needed to reap the maximum weight (fat) loss benefits of raspberry ketones.

About Prograde:

Prograde is a nutritional supplement supplier with a strong focus on scientifically sound supplements. The company has built this focus by restricting the licensing of its nutritional products through medical and fitness professionals. Their goal is that their products will only be recommended when they are needed, to customers who will receive the biggest impact. Prograde also retains its own research staff headed by nutritionist Jayson Hunter, and base all of their products on empirical research rather than fads. Prograde can be reached online at GetPrograde.com.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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Razberi-K Helps Burn Fat, Research Says

Some people who get weight-loss surgery may end up with a higher tendency to abuse alcohol.

But the risk is only apparent two years after the procedure and only with one type of surgery.

That's from a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers looked at the drinking habits of more than 24-hundred obese adults before and after weight-loss procedures.

They found the number of patients with an alcohol problem jumped more than 50 percent within two years.

The risk was twice as high among patients who underwent Rouxen Y gastric bypass.

In that procedure, doctors create a pouch out of a small portion of stomach.

Then, they connect the pouch to the small intestine, bypassing most of the stomach and some intestine.

The lead author says that allows alcohol to enter the bloodstream more quickly.

So, some patients may have increased sensitivity to alcohol.

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Alcohol Abuse May Jump After Weight Loss Surgery

Source: fitperez.com

I dont really listen to Drake but I had to borrow a line from his Stay Schemin verse directed at Vanessa Bryant (You wasnt with me shooting in the gym) because it perfectly illustrates my point in the ongoing did she or didnt she have weight loss surgery debate. I dont usually walk around defending celebrities either, considering they can always go cry in their money as one of my old editors used to say, but the celebrity weight loss shade is realreal ridiculous that is.

As I was reading over Chaka Khans interview yesterday I was surprised she mentioned people thought she had weight loss surgery. When she first made her big 60-pound reveal, Chaka hadnt been seen for a hot minute so it wasnt as though one day we saw her at a certain size and she was significantly lighter the next. Plus, most noted how fit she appeared to be and thats not characteristic of people who have just gone under the knife. Shes since mentioned that she went vegan and credits her dramatic loss to the absence of meat from her diet but many are still assuming a surgeon was also present somewhere in this.

Fast forward to the post on Jennifer Hudsons new clothing line and there was all kinds of shade unraveling about how her entire Weight Watchers 80-pound weight loss is a hoax. I expected side eyes at the thought of people wanting to dress like her but I thought all the nonsense over her having gastric bypass surgery was dead. Like Chaka, J-Hud didnt pull one of those overnight size 16 to size 6 moves. It took her somewhere around a year to get those results, which is hardly how long it would take had she went the surgery route. In fact, shes pretty much a model for healthy weight loss which should be achieved safely at two pounds per week.

Whats crazy to me is how people are calling her a fraud for being a Weight Watchers spokesperson and claiming thats the only way she shed pounds. Um, how many of yall were with her in the gym? Better yet, the hospital or the operating table where she supposedly had this surgery? People have gone so far as to say that shes false promoting because she doesnt acknowledge the exercise aspect of her plan that brought her to those results. I think everyone knows diet and exercise go hand-in-hand. Her job isnt to sell treadmills, ellipticals, jump ropes or basketballs, shes pushing the portion of her success story that relates to food which is the Weight Watchers meal plan. Whats fraudulent about that? And the point that she probably had a trainer whip her into shape (either in lieu of or in addition to surgery) is null and void as well because Ive seen many an average woman shell out cash to have someone kick her butt into shape during 5 am workouts.

Whats even more crazy to me though is how people will see a random overweight black woman and say she needs to lose weight as if its as simple to do as letting the words come out of your mouth. Then when they see a celebrity who worked out and used a food program to drop pounds they assume its not possible and that she must have had surgery. And then when they hear Beyonce say she dropped 40 pounds in a few months eating lettuce and running on a treadmill they believe it and celebrate it as if thats healthy. Wheres the logic in that?

On some level, I blame Star Jones for this. Her notorious denial of weight loss surgery has made every other weight loss success story after hers suspect from the gate because she kept up the charade for so long. But this is also just a classic case of people contradicting themselves and dare I say it, hating. Why is it women like J-Hud get beat on so hard for assumedly not being healthy and needing to lose weight, and then when they do it through sweat, tofu, and rice cakes, its assumed they took the easy way out? You cant try to beat diet and exercise into one persons head all day long as the magic pill for weight loss and then when another person gets the results they should from doing what was suggested, all of a sudden it isnt possible? Whats so difficult about accepting and celebrating someone elses triumph, and silencing the need to steal their shine?

The most interesting part is the critics are always people whove never known what its like to have to drop weight themselves. Theyre speaking from facts theyve heard or read, not from personal experience which is why they suggest someone just start walking 30 minutes a day as if thats going to add up to a 3,500 calorie deficit that would yield them a one-pound weight loss. Its the same reason they assume any celebrity who has gone from plus-size to average couldnt have done it without a medical intervention: they dont know what theyre talking about.

Speculating on celebrity weight loss is no different than commenting on other rumors about who theyre dating, sleeping with, or beefing with. We werent there, so we dont know. Therefore theres no reason to throw shade and assume the worst. If you hate celebs when theyre fat and find a whole new reason to hate them when theyre thin, how do they ever win?

Brande Victorian is the News and Operations Editor for MadameNoire.com. Follow her on Twitter @Be_Vic.

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Regarding The Celebrity Weight Loss Shade, You Wasn’t With Them Working Out In The Gym

Public release date: 20-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Matthew Solovey msolovey@hmc.psu.edu 717-531-8606 Penn State

A Web-based program featuring successful strategies of others who have lost weight may be an effective strategy for weight loss, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

Researchers created a website called AchieveTogether and evaluated the weight-loss success of users. They compared users with a group of people attempting to lose weight on their own, and then allowed that second group access to the site 12 weeks later.

"Internet-based weight loss programs could help address the obesity epidemic, as they can be widely shared and used with low costs," said Jennifer L. Kraschnewski, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of medicine and public health sciences. "Existing Internet-based weight-loss strategies have largely promoted weight-loss strategies designed by health professionals, including goal-setting and features to promote social interaction. These programs have had modest short-term effects, suggesting that exploring alternative approaches may be beneficial."

The researchers used positive deviance to design their Web-based program. Positive deviance is the idea that solutions to problems exist within a population experiencing that problem. By generalizing what behaviors or approaches work for those who are most successful -- typically the top 10 percent strategies are developed that may help the general population achieve certain goals.

"Positive deviance has been used in diverse health-related interventions, but has not previously been used in weight-loss interventions," Kraschnewski said.

For AchieveTogether, users were educated on 36 weight-loss behaviors identified in a previous study of people who maintained a weight loss of at least 30 pounds. These behaviors were evaluated by a physician for safety.

Participants logged in to the site at least once a week and were asked to record their weight, height and frequency of using the weight loss practices. They were matched to three role models closest to them for gender, age and target body weight and could then view their role model's strategies for weight loss.

Participants developed a weight-loss plan by choosing as many of the strategies as they wanted and were encouraged to choose at least one.

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Online weight loss programs that feature successful dieters may help

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(CNN) - According to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, some people who get weight-loss surgery may end up with a higher tendency to abuse alcohol.

But the risk is only apparent two years after the procedure and only with one type of surgery.

Researchers looked at the drinking habits of more than 2,400 obese adults before and after weight-loss procedures.

They found the number of patients with an alcohol problem jumped more than 50 percent within two years.

The risk was twice as high among patients who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

In that procedure, doctors create a pouch out of a small portion of stomach.

Then, they connect the pouch to the small intestine, bypassing most of the stomach and some intestine.

The lead author says that allows alcohol to enter the bloodstream more quickly.

So, some patients may have increased sensitivity to alcohol.

Link:
Study: Alcohol abuse may jump after weight loss surgery

By Randy Dotinga HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, June 20 (HealthDay News) -- Seven years after they underwent weight-loss surgery, patients as a whole fared better on several measurements of their risk of cardiac problems, a new study finds, and many returned to normal levels.

The findings don't prove that weight-loss surgery reduces the risk of events such as heart attack and stroke, although other research has suggested it does. And weight-loss surgery, which includes procedures such as gastric bypass, comes with major risks of its own and is only recommended for some severely obese patients.

[U.S. News & World Report Best Weight Loss Diets.]

Still, the findings suggested the procedure provided plenty of cardiac benefit to the patients, said study co-author Dr. John Morton, director of bariatric surgery and surgical quality at Stanford University School of Medicine. "For most of them, they came back to normal," he said. "There were roughly about a dozen measurements altogether, and there were substantial improvements across the board."

Weight-loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery, aims to help severely obese people lose weight by shrinking the amount of food that their digestive systems can handle. The cost of the procedures ranges from $20,000 to $25,000, according to the Weight-Control Information Network of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

A Swedish study published in January in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggested that the procedure reduces the risk of death from heart attack. Obese people who had the procedure were less likely than similar people to die from a cardiovascular problem (such as a heart attack) or suffer a first-time heart attack or stroke.

The new study looked at several measurements that indicate whether a person is at higher risk of cardiac problems, including levels of "bad" LDL and "good" HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and a specific protein.

The researchers tracked 182 patients -- mostly women, average age 44 years -- and managed to keep tabs on 78 of them for seven years. After seven years, the average patient weight fell from 286 pounds to 205 pounds. Their average cholesterol reading dipped from 184 to 174, LDL cholesterol dropped from 113 to 92, and triglycerides fell from 151 to 87.

[Read:Some May Drink More After Weight Loss Surgery.]

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Weight-Loss Surgery Cuts Heart Risk 7 Years Later