Are Men’s Magazines A Good Source of Information For Weight Control Advice?

A study in BMC Public Health finds that although men’s magazine refer to scientific information, “the content, format and scientific basis of dietary content of MH leaves much to be desired. The dietary advice as provided may not be conducive to public health”.

BMC Public Health. 2014 Oct 11;14:1062. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-1062.
Dietary advice for muscularity, leanness and weight control in Men’s Health magazine: a content analysis.

Cook TM, Russell JM, Barker ME1.

Increased Health Care Costs of Obesity Peak At Age 50

“Incremental lifetime costs of a patient with obesity or overweight (vs. normal weight) increased with the patient’s age, peaked at age 50, and decreased with older ages. However, weight reduction even in older adults still yielded incremental cost savings.”

CHOICES: Childhood Obesity Intervention Cost-Effectiveness Study

The Childhood Obesity Intervention Cost-Effectiveness Study (CHOICES),a collaboration between the Harvard School of Public Health, Columbia University and research partners at Deakin and Queensland University in Australia,  is working to help reverse the US obesity epidemic by identifying the most cost-effective childhood obesity interventions.

CHOICES: Childhood Obesity Intervention Cost-Effectiveness Study

Balloon Device for Weight Loss Linked to Five Deaths

“FDA is issuing an update to alert health care providers of five reports of unanticipated deaths that occurred from 2016 to present in patients with liquid-filled intragastric balloon systems used to treat obesity. Four reports involve the Orbera Intragastric Balloon System, manufactured by Apollo Endo Surgery, and one report involves the ReShape Integrated Dual Balloon System, manufactured by ReShape Medical Inc.

All five reports indicate that patient deaths occurred within a month or less of balloon placement…..”

Please read the FDA report of  08/10/2017  HERE

Weight Control Especially Important For Breast Cancer Patients Under 60

A study from the University of Texas San Antonio and published in the journal Cancer suggests that

“… women younger than age 60 diagnosed with breast cancer who have a genetic risk factor for obesity have a higher risk for gaining weight and therefore should begin a weight-loss program to increase their chance for survival.”

Can Acupuncture Help Obesity?

This paper reports on the review of 11 studies which used some form of acupuncture to treat obesity.

The authors conclude : “Acupuncture for simple obesity appeared to be an effective treatment, but more studies on the safety of acupuncture used to treat simple obesity are required.”

Postgrad Med J. 2017 Jul 8. pii: postgradmedj-2017-134969. doi: 10.1136/postgradmedj-2017-134969. [Epub ahead of print]

Acupuncture for the treatment of obesity in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Zhang RQ1,2, Tan J3, Li FY4, Ma YH3, Han LX2, Yang XL2.