please wait
close window

Latest Weight Loss Surgery News

Findings at the European Obesity Summit 2016

pdfDownload as PDF


The European Obesity Summit of 2016 has come to a close in Sweden. During the 5-day event, researchers and medical professionals presented and discussed the findings of current studies relating to obesity and obesity management. Important items covered in the summit will have a large impact on the medical treatments on weight-loss.

Obesity rate rising in Swedish adults
A study presented and conducted by Anu Molarius, PhD, an epidemiologist at the Competence Centre for Health, Västmanland County Council, has found that obesity rates are increasing in adults in Sweden- this is significant as Sweden has traditionally been a country with some of the lowest prevalence of obesity.

“Obesity is still increasing in the majority of the adult population in our study area in Sweden, especially among the middle-aged and persons with secondary education,” said Molarius. Significant cost-savings after bariatric surgery in the UK Patients struggling with obesity and type 2 diabetes could possible save approximately £95,000 in their lifetime, according to the U.K. National Health Service.

“Data from our small cohort of type 2 diabetes patients, having undergone bariatric surgery, highlights that there are substantial potential savings to the local health economy, as a result of reduced need for inpatient and outpatient diabetic care and medications,” Samantha Chambers, MBChB, MRCS, BSc, of Royal Worcestershire Hospital in the United Kingdom, told Endocrine Today.

Colon cancer risk increases in 13-year olds with high BMI’s upon reaching adulthood
Britt Wang Jensen, PhD, MSc, of the Institute of Preventive Medicine, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital in Denmark, and his colleagues found that Danish 13-year olds with an increased BMI had a higher risk of colon cancer in adulthood.

“BMI in childhood was associated with the later risk of colon cancer, whereas there were limited indications of associations with rectal cancer,” said Jensen. “These findings suggest that BMI in childhood may influence the risk of colon but not rectal cancer in adulthood.”

High BMI and waist circumference linked to risk in aggressive prostate cancer
A study by Aurora Perez- Cornago, MSc, PhD, of the cancer epidemiology unit, Nuffield department of population health at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and his colleagues evaluated data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study on 142,239 men. They found an increased risk among men with a higher BMI and waist circumference than those with lower measurements.




Joint Statement States that Weight-Loss Surgery be Used as Treatment for Diabetes in Obese Patients

pdfDownload as PDF


A joint statement of several international diabetes organizations was published in this months issue of Diabetes Care, recommending bariatric weight-loss surgery be used as a course of treatment for diabetics with certain categories of the disease — including people who are mildly obese — and who are no longer responsive to conventional treatment.

The statement has been endorsed by the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the International Diabetes Federation and 43 other health groups.

The guidelines are based on “a large body of evidence including 11 randomized clinical trials showing that in most cases surgery can either reduce blood sugar levels below diabetic thresholds ("diabetes remission") or maintain adequate glycemic control despite major reduction in medication usage.”

The new global guidelines were developed at the 2nd Diabetes Surgery Summit (DSS-II), an international consensus conference, as a collaboration between 48 international clinicians/scholars (75% nonsurgeons) and world-leading diabetes organizations. The guidelines are aimed towards policymakers and clinicians, informing them of the benefits and limitations of weight-loss surgery for type II diabetes.

The summit published its results in the statement: “Given its role in metabolic regulation, the gastrointestinal tract constitutes a meaningful target to manage T2D. Numerous randomized clinical trials, albeit mostly short/midterm, demonstrate that metabolic surgery achieves excellent glycemic control and reduces cardiovascular risk factors. On the basis of such evidence, metabolic surgery should be recommended to treat T2D in patients with class III obesity (BMI ≥40 kg/m2) and in those with class II obesity (BMI 35.0–39.9 kg/m2) when hyperglycemia is inadequately controlled by lifestyle and optimal medical therapy. Surgery should also be considered for patients with T2D and BMI 30.0–34.9 kg/m2 if hyperglycemia is inadequately controlled despite optimal treatment with either oral or injectable medications. These BMI thresholds should be reduced by 2.5 kg/m2 for Asian patients.”

These guidelines mark the first time weight-loss surgery is recommended as treatment for diabetics, rather than a treatment targeted towards obese patients only. If you suffer from diabetes, weight-loss surgery could be just the treatment needed- talk to your doctor today!




Community Information Seminar: Bariatric Surgery in Utica, NY

pdfDownload as PDF


Considering Bariatric Surgery? For yourself or for a loved one? 
 
Learn more about how to best start your journey! Join the bariatric surgeons of William A. Graber MD, PC on the second Wednesday of every month at 6:00pm.