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| Weight loss News and Article July 2005 Study: Weight loss supplements harmful to obese people Weight loss supplements containing ephedra and guarana may change cardiovascular and metabolic conditions, which could be harmful to obese people who often have high blood pressure, clogged arteries, or glucose intolerance, according to a study published in the June, 2005 issue of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. In the study, Dr. Christine A. Haller and colleagues at the University of California-San Francisco conducted two tests in16 healthy adults. One test was conducted on a supplement called Xenadrine RFA, which contained 25.4 mg ephedra alkaloids and 85 mg caffeine. And another was done on a combination of two supplements, ephedra extract containing 23.2 mg ephedra alkaloids and guarana containing 167 mg caffeine. Results showed that repeatedly taking ephedra and guarana increased ephedrine levels in the blood, heart beat rate and blood pressure, and negatively affected glucose and potassium homeostasis. The effects of ephedra and guarana could worsen the obesity-related conditions such as insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, according to the study. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned ephedra on April 12, 2004 for its use as a dietary supplement to promote weight loss. In April 14, 2005, a US District Court judge in Salt Lake City lifted the year-old FDA ban on ephedra, and the FDA was ordered to reconsider its ban as well. Weight-Loss Surgeries Have Quadrupled in Five Years The number of Americans having weight-loss surgery more than quadrupled between 1998 and 2002–from 13,386 to 71,733–with part of the increase driven by a 900 percent rise in operations on patients between the ages of 55 and 64, according to a new study by HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The study is being published in the July 12 issue of Health Affairs. The average cost per surgery increased by roughly 13 percent, from $11,705 to $13,215. To be considered medically eligible for weight-loss surgery, known technically as bariatric surgery, a patient must have a Body Mass Index greater than 40 (or greater than 35 with serious obesity-related complications such as type 2 diabetes or obstructive sleep apnea). Approximately 395,000 Americans between 65 and 69 years of age will be medically eligible to have weight-loss surgery this year, and this number could increase by approximately 20 percent, to 475,000, in 2010, which would have important cost implications for the Medicare program, according to the study authors. “This study clearly shows another side of the challenge that America’s obesity epidemic poses to the nation's health care system. In the absence of more effective means of preventing obesity, the demand for surgery and its costs will continue to increase,” said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D. “These findings provide valuable national estimates for the present and future for Medicare, Medicaid and private health plans.” According to the authors future use and costs of prescription weight-loss drugs also could increase significantly. While 63 million Americans were medically eligible for weight-loss drugs in 2002, less than 2.4 percent were prescribed them. The average spending on weight-loss drugs that year was $304 per patient, with health plans paying roughly three-fourths of the expense and patients paying the balance. The Impact of Weight Loss on Osteoarthritis of the Knee Losing a Pound Results in a 4-Pound Reduction in Knee-Joint Load For Each Step, Suggests Study of Overweight and Obese Patients - The leading cause of disability in the United States, osteoarthritis (OA) is a complex, degenerative joint disease with several established risk factors. For OA of the knee, the most important modifiable risk factor is obesity. Both the American College of Rheumatology and the European League Against Rheumatism recommend weight loss and exercise to reduce the painful and incapacitating symptoms of knee OA. As part of a long-term study of the effects of diet and exercise on knee OA, researchers at Wake Forest University found that an average weight loss of 5 percent in overweight and obese older patients brought an 18 percent gain in overall function. Drawing from that study population, the researchers set out to investigate the specific, direct relationship between weight loss and knee-joint stress while walking. Conducted over an 18-month period, the study focused on 142 overweight and obese adults with radiographic evidence of knee OA. Over the course of the study, all participants followed a prescribed weight loss plan, some through diet only, some through exercise only, and some through a combination of healthy living habits. Researchers found a significant association between weight loss and reduction in compressive knee-joint loads. In fact, the force reduction was 4-times greater than the actual weight reduction. In other words, their findings indicated that, for every 1 pound of weight lost, there is a 4-pound reduction in the load exerted on the knee for each step taken during daily activities. |