News

This section of our website looks at news and breakthroughs in weight management and obesity. It is constantly updated as new information becomes available. Wish to comment? Email us at surgeon@oclinic.com.au

 

Michelle Obama launches major push to tackle rising childhood obesity in the US

Michelle Obama has launched a major initiative to help tackle the rising crisis of childhood obesity in the United States, where 1 in every 3 children are now overweight or obese. The obesity rate amongst American children tripled between 1980 and 1999, leading to fears the American health system may not be able to cope with the anticipated rise in health related expenses.

click here to read more
(added 12 Feb 2010)
 

Australian study supports Gastric Banding in teenagers

A landmark study published in this month's edition of the respected medical journal JAMA found that gastric banding surgery was far more effective than diets and exercise in treating obesity in teenagers.

The government-funded randomised controlled study by Melbourne's Professor Paul O'Brien involved 50 teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18 years. All participants had a body mass index of at least 35, and 40% already had developed the Metabolic Syndrome. 84% of the gastric banded teenagers lost at least half of their excess weight compared with just 12% of those in the diet and exercise group. The Metabolic Syndrome had resolved in all of the teenagers who had gastric bands. Whilst one third of those in the gastric banded group underwent a revisional procedure, this was to correct  relatively minor problems- there were no serious complications or deaths. 

At OClinic we are happy to consider gastric banding surgery on teenagers aged 14 and above provided they are competent and mature enough to make an informed decision, and have the complete support of their parents and physicians.

click here to read more about the teenage gastric banding study
(added 12 Feb 2010)

Channel 9 News segment on teenage girls having weightloss surgery

A segment on the increased number of teenage girls undergoing gastric banding was aired on channel 9's evening news on Tuesday 9 Feb 2010. One of the patients who featured on the program was 17 year old OClinic patient Samantha Fulop who underwent gastric banding by Dr Taylor in September 2008. Samantha has lost 40kg since her surgery 15 months ago and is extremely happy with her life now- she feels much more confident, and importantly, now has a brighter health outlook. We congratulate Samantha on her achievement- she is a shining example of the results that can be achieved when motivated patients enter into a partnership with our clinic.

We are seeing an increasing number of younger patients who are looking for help overcoming obesity. Our minimum age requirement is 14years, but it is important that any decision to undergo surgical weight management is made carefully after taking into consideration the severity of the weight problem, health impacts, and maturity to participate fully in ongoing aftercare. As with all forms of weightloss surgery, gastric banding is not a miracle cure and still requires significant personal effort and ongoing participation in clinic aftercare for good results.

(added 11 Feb 2010)
 

Choice Magazine reviews Gastric Banding

The independent consumer group 'Choice' has published its review on gastric banding surgery in its January 2010 edition. Whilst all surgical procedures carry some risks, patients who underwent gastrtic banding surgery were less likely to die prematurely than those who didn't. We agree with Choice that comprehensive and ongoing aftercare is important to enable patients to achieve best results.

click here to redirect to the Choice review.
(added 11 Feb 2010)
 

Weightloss pill Reductil dangerous and banned in Europe

The popular weightloss pill Reductil (made by Abbott Laboratories and also called sibutramine) has been banned in Europe and is under review here in Australia following new evidence that it may increase the risk of heart attack in people with cardiovascular disease. 

The Australian regulatory authority, the TGA, has received over 200 reports of adverse reactions to Reductil since its introduction into the Australian market, including possible links to the death of a 19 year old patient.

click here for the full story 
(added 24 Jan 2010)

 

Visiting Professor Stephen O'Rahilly speaks on genes and obesity at Sydney's Garvan institute

World leading obesity expert Professor Stephen O'Rahilly from Cambridge University has recently visited Sydney to take part in a Symposium on obesity and diabetes held at the Garvan Institute of medical Research.

"I think that health care workers need to understand that genetics are a major reason for obesity, and avoid being judgmental in the face of the growing evidence," he said in one interview.

“Poor diet and lack of exercise take much of the blame for these statistics; however research is now telling us that genes play a major role, perhaps even the major role, in determining a person’s body size,” Professor O’Rahilly says.

click here for the full story. 
(added 15 Dec 2009)

Another Obesity gene discovered

A study involving 300 children with severe obesity by the University of Cambridge has uncovered a gene on chromosome 16 that has a strong link with severe obesity.

Researcher Dr Sadaf Farooqi said: "Our results suggest that one particular gene on chromosome 16 called SH2B1 plays a key role in regulating weight and also in handling blood sugar levels.

"People with deletions involving this gene had a strong drive to eat and gained weight very easily.

"It adds to the growing weight of evidence that a wide range of genetic variants can produce a strong drive to eat.

This latest research adds yet another gene to the growing list of genes linked with obesity. It is becoming increasingly clear that obesity is a genuine medical disorder with an underlying genetic basis, and that the perceptions of obesity being caused simply by poor lifestyle choices must now change in light of the emerging evidence.

click here for the BBC news clip.
(added 15 Dec 2009)
 

Breast cancer link with obesity

Australian researchers have discovered a critical link between obesity and the risk of developing breast cancer. Scientists at Melbourne's Prince Henry Institute have found that fat cells stimulate production of the hormone oestrogen, a known stimulator of the growth of some forms of breast cancer cells. In obese females, oestrogen production is overstimulated, increasing the risk of developing breast cancer.

Previous research from The MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Texas has shown that overweight breast cancer patients are more likely to have a more aggressive form of the disease and die sooner.

But on a positive note, another major study has found that weightloss surgery can reduce an obese person's risk of dying from cancer by 38%.

click here to read about the Prince Henry Institute link between obesity and breast cancer

click here for the MD Anderson study on obesity and more aggressive forms of breast cancer

click here to read about the links being discovered between obesity and other forms of cancer

cllick here for the Swedish Obesity Study linking weightloss surgery to reduced cancer mortality.

Golfer John Daly sheds 52kg after gastric banding

American Golfer John Daly, who is currently in Sydney to play in the Australian Open, is 52kg lighter following his gastric banding procedure earlier this year. During his visit he underwent a saline adjustment to his gastric band at a well known Sydney obesity clinic. 

"It's the first time in a long time the wind has pushed me around!" he quipped after playing the first round in gusty Southerly winds.

click here to follow John's progress in the Australian open 
(added 10 Dec 2009)

Response to Channel 7 'Sunday Night' program which aired on 15 November2009 concerning complications after LapBand surgery

A patient who had suffered complications after his gastric banding procedure was presented. A 202kg patient, who had his procedure performed in Tasmania, required multiple operations to repair an injury to his bowel which occurred during his gastric banding procedure.

Whilst complications can occur with any surgical procedure, fortunately these risks are rare following gastric banding, well under 1%. The vast majority of patients undergo their procedure safely, especially when their procedure is performed by clinics such as OClinic that specialise in bariatric surgery.

Obesity itself carries significant risks to health and well being, and shortens a persons lifespan. That is why it is acceptable for a patient to undergo weightloss surgery such as the LapBand, where the risks involved are far lower than the risks of leaving obesity untreated. A landmark study from Sweden (the SOS study) revealed that patients who underwent weightloss surgery had a 38% reduction in their risk of dying from cancer, and a 48% reduction in their risk of dying due to a heart attack compared with obesity patients who did not have surgery.

click here to watch the segment
(added 18 Nov 2009)
 

Gastric banding Explained- Multidisciplinary care is essential

The importance of multidisciplinary aftercare following gastric banding is outlined in the current edition of the 'San Doctor'. Written by Dr Taylor of OClinic, this is the first time an article concerning surgical management of obesity has been published in the San Doctor, a bimonthly publication of the Sydney Adventist Hospital with a circulation of approximately 1200 General Practitioners and Specialists. The article highlights the importance of regular patient follow-up after gastric banding, and how outcomes can be significantly improved by providing patient care in a dedicated gastric banding environment by a team of specialists including dietitians, psychologists, surgeons and physicians.     

click here to view the article

Parliamentary committee recommends obesity surgery be performed in public hospitals

Once again calls have been made to make obesity surgery more widely available to people without private health insurance. This further recognises the genuine health benefits associated with obesity surgery. The prevalence of obesity has recently increased even further in Australia from 1 in 5 to 1 in 4 adults, and is estimated to cost the health system $8 billion. Obesity surgery is still not available under Medicare in NSW public hospitals. 

source: google news

AMA recommends obesity surgery trial be performed in Victorian public hospitals

The Victorian branch of the Australian Medical Association has lobbied the Victorian government to commence a $20million trial of obesity surgery in 5 Victorian public hospitals to combat the obesity epidemic.

source: The Age newspaper 

Royal Australian College of Surgeons Annual Scientific Congress

Hundreds of surgeons from around Australia and New Zealand have once again converged for the Annual Scientific Congress, held this year in Brisbane. The 3-day bariatric (weight-loss) surgery section was amongst the most well attended part of the meeting, and featured several distinguished guest visitors from around the world including Dr Gerhard Prager (Austria), Dr Simon Dextor (UK), Dr Christine Ren (USA) and Dr George Fielding (USA).

source: asc.surgeons.org

OSSANZ Cairns 2009

the Obesity Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand annual weight-loss surgical congress.
The annual 4-day congress to discuss surgery for obesity was held this year in Cairns. Over 230 delegates from all over the Asia Pacific attended including obesity surgeons, dietitians, nurses, and psychologists. Whilst OSSANZ has had annual meetings over the past 22 years, this meeting was combined with the inaugural meeting of the IFSO-ASIA PACIFIC chapter, resulting in a number of surgeons attending from India, China, Korea, and Japan.

source: www.ossanzconference.com.au

Childhood obesity is not a result of kids watching too much TV

Although the incidence of childhood obesity is increasing, it is not because kids watch too much TV or play computer games- indeed there is no evidence that today’s children do any less sport or physical activity than in previous generations. Rather, obesity arises from a genetic tendency, which is becoming unmasked at an earlier age because of the increased availability of fast food and high energy snacks.

source: www.smh.com.au

Obesity and diabetes- The link is even stronger than previously thought

Type 2 diabetes is now caused by excessive weight in nearly one-quarter of cases- much more than previously thought. Diabetes is a serious disease that can lead to infections, blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke, amputation, and loss of feeling in hands and feet. Weight-loss surgery has been consistently shown to be able to reverse diabetes or at the very least prevent further deterioration

source: www.smh.com.au

Obesity linked to migraines

Migraines are experienced more frequently in people carrying excess weight. Whether this is due to poor oxygenation during sleep as a result of snoring or sleep apnoea, or due to other factors, still remains unclear.

source: www.smh.com.au

Obesity linked to quantity of sleep

A recent study has revealed a link between obesity and people who sleep for either less than 6 hours, or more than 9 hours, each night.

source: www.smh.com.au

Obesity linked to birth defects

Pregnant women who are obese are twice as likely to give birth to children with a birth defect. Whilst the link between obesity and infertility, gestational diabetes, and pre-eclampsia has been well known for many years, the link to birth defects has not been known until now. Pregnancy following gastric banding surgery is safe, and may prevent such problems.

source: www.smh.com.au

Gastric banding is a cheap way to fight diabetes

A Victorian study has found that the costs associated with type 2 diabetes far outweigh the costs involved in gastric banding, which is an effective therapy for this condition.

Source: www.news.com.au

Gastric banding should be made available to the public hospital system

Gastric banding is so effective in the treatment of obesity and its related disorders that calls for it to be performed in NSW public hospitals have been made once again.

source: www.smh.com.au

 

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