Weight Loss Surgery Helps Avoid Heart Disease in Youngsters

Level of good cholesterol bettered in teens than in adults. Found in a clinical study.
A new study revealed that teen that underwent gastric bypass surgery (Roux-en-Y) had healthier heart condition than adults with same surgery. Cardiac risk factors were seen lower in youngsters than in adults.
Roux-en Y is a type of gastric bypass surgery. New route is created near bowel so that food can bypass small intestine. This way it reduces capacity of stomach.

The study included evaluation of heart health of total 132 patients who had had laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in 2004 and 2010. Of them, 99 were adults and 33 were teens of age between 14-18 years. The study was due to represent at Digestive Disease Week conference in Chicago.

The researchers of bariatric surgery department at Stanford University reported hypertension, high cholesterol level and breathing problem during sleep (known as sleep apnea) in almost 66 patients before surgery.

All the patients were examined one year after the surgery. Level of cholesterol, homocysteine and triglycerides had improved in both teens and adults. Level of homocysteine is used to determine risk of cardiovascular events.

However, checkup concluded more improvement in young patients. Level of high density lipoprotein was higher than level in adults. More surprisingly developing insulin resistance lowered by 400% within the time of one year.

The study clearly indicated that having done gastric bypass surgery can be good for obese teens. More and more evidence on what triggers heart diseases are coming to the fore. Dedicated efforts must be made before it is too late to act.

Authors also delivered word of caution that surgery should only be considered when obesity pose life threatening conditions and patient fail to respond exercise along with weight loss medicines such as generic Acomplia or Alli.

Study: Weight Loss Surgery Highly Effective To Cure Diabetes, Obesity

Diabetes is right now amongst top ten disorders responsible to cause death in USA. If CDCP (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is to be believed then USA will have one third of its population leaving with diabetes by 2050.

Results of numerous research studies have indicated internal link between several diseases. Those diseases/disorders/health conditions are high cholesterol level, obesity, blood pressure, erectile dysfunction, cardiovascular disease and stroke. The group has got new member, diabetes. Keeping obesity's link with diabetes in mind, a new term is being tossed around in health community - Diabesity.

A latest finding suggests bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery) as a way to cope up Diabesity before it becomes nationwide epidemic like obesity. Diabetes completely changes one's life as it may lead to Glaucoma blindness or amputation (in case of severe diabetics). The study has been published on reputed journal, New England Journal of Medicine.

Read the story here http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1200111

Please check this to see effect of surgery (the blog has nothing to do with research study, it is just for reference)

Within couple of weeks, post weight loss surgery, patients were allowed to stop taking diabetes medicines such as Prandin or Amaryl or Actoplus Met. After 2 years diabetes was found remitted by 75% to 95% in patients who had weight loss surgery - found in two clinical trials.

That concludes weight loss surgery is one of the diabetes treatments with highest efficacy. No other treatment (be it drug treatment or surgical therapy) is near to bariatric surgery when it comes to rate of improvement. Other complications caused because of diabetes such as blood pressure, sleep disorder, asthma, arthritis and abnormal cholesterol level were found receding after the surgery, the study added further.

However, experts do not consider the surgery as one stop solution to cure obesity and diabetes. Patients are advised to undergo surgery as a small step to further improve quality of life. With that being said, exercise; proper diet; lifestyle amendment, will be remain essential parts of diabetes treatment regimen, at least in near future.

Clinical Trial on Heart Risk Required for Obesity Drug

In a meeting on Thursday, drug review panel of FDA has announced that studies for heart safety would require for approval of obesity drug.

Regardless of whether an obesity drug pose heart risk, pharmaceutical companies would have to conduct trial to demonstrate effect of obesity drug on heart, said USA FDA advisory panel. Majority of the members voted in favor of this regulation.

Most of the obesity drugs have history of posing heart risk, according to Dr. Marvin Konstam - one of the member of advisory panel who voted in favor.

FDA is not bound to follow recommendations given by advisory panel, however, FDA does follow most of the time.

Several pharmaceutical giants have been bracing hard to acquire approval for first weight loss drug in a decade. Vivus and Arena are two companies ahead of other drug manufacturers. In past, FDA had sought clinical trial data on heart risk for the drug Contrave.
Demand for current weight loss drug (such as Xenical) is going to be high following this regulatory guidance as new weight loss drug would take several years to reach market.
Experts are eying on what companies would do next in order to pass the new obstacle; would they conduct entirely new trial on heart risk? or they would just submit analytical data of existing trial. Needless to say, conducting clinical trial is super expensive. Drug companies recover the trial cost from consumers by increasing drug cost. So, even if a company manages to acquire approval for obesity drug, price of the drug would be too high to purchase for obese patients.

This is the second time FDA asked for clinical trial on heart risk, first time it was for diabetes drugs of type two diabetes. Apart from proving efficacy of drug in treatment, manufacturers of obesity drug and diabetes drug have to prove that their drug do not pose risk of cardiovascular diseases.