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Panniculectomy

A panniculectomy removes hanging fat and skin, typically after massive weight loss. It may be performed as a single procedure or combined with a tummy-tuck, depending on the patient's condition. Panniculectomy is different from abdominoplasty, in that abdominoplasty tightens the muscle as well as removes excess skin and fat, but a panniculectomy only removes excess skin and fat. A panniculectomy may also be performed with another abdominal surgery, such as a hysterectomy, or repair of the abdominal wall or hernia of the belly button.

The Best Candidate for Panniculectomy

Panniculectomy candidates typcially suffer from obesity, or have recently experienced significant weight loss, or suffer post-pregnancy issues with inordinate fat localized below the belly button.

Candidates may have fat extending as low as the knees, over the hips, and around the back. These conditions cause panniculectomy candidates to experience a host of health issues, including back problems, the breakdown of skin, rashes, ulcers, or skin disorders. These conditions may interfere with everyday life — walking, standing, or sitting may become very difficult.

The best candidates have stabilized their weight for at least one year. The candidate must be participating in a proper dietary and exercise plan. Candidates who have had the gastric bypass procedure should wait until one year after gastric bypass surgery or Lap-Band surgery, after the health problems associated with obesity have subsided.

The Panniculectomy Procedure

The panniculectomy is most often performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon. The location of the procedure is typically a hospital, although the procedure may be performed in an outpatient surgery center. Time in surgery may be several hours. The procedure is often performed under general anesthesia (while you are asleep) and requires a hospital stay, typically ranging from one day to one week.

An incision is made from the lower area of the sternum to the pubic bone. Another horizontal incision is made at the pubic area where the excess fat and skin can be delicately removed. The skin that remains is then pulled together and closed. Drains may be inserted that will require personal home care. Tape will be applied to the incision areas. Any essential repairs to the abdominal wall or hernia within the belly button can usually be made at the same time.

After Panniculectomy

Your surgeon will supply a complete postoperative instruction list to follow, to reduce the risk of complications. You will have to sponge bath. Your doctor may fit you with a medical garment to wear at all times (except during a sponge bath) until otherwise directed.

If drains were inserted, the drains will need to be emptied as instructed. Dressings will also need to be changed.

Pain, swelling and bruising can occur, which can be managed with medications and proper care. Keep in mind that normal activities cannot be resumed immediately. Restrictions include no exercise or lifting of 10 pounds or more. There cannot be any pressure placed on the abdominal area.

Complications and Risks

Complications are possible with any plastic surgery. The most common but infrequent panniculectomy complications include infection, bleeding, and excessive scarring. If these occur, notify your surgeon immediately.

Consult a Qualified Plastic Surgeon

A qualified plastic surgeon will help ensure that a panniculectomy is appropriate for your condition. The most qualified surgeons can also increase your odds of success and reduce the risk of complications.

It's important to choose a board-certified plastic surgeon from the American Board of Plastic Surgery who has extensive, specific panniculectomy experience, as well as expertise in all areas of abdominal plastic surgery. Board certification may not always guarantee the best results; however, board certification does require specific and rigorous surgical education and training, which can help you achieve a safe and successful outcome.

Here are some tips for consulting a plastic surgeon:

Review the doctor's credentials, education, training, type of certification held, and number of times that the treatment has been performed in the practice.
View before-and-after photos of patients with similar conditions who received a panniculectomy and alternative surgical options.
Inquire about the method of the procedure and possible complications from surgery.
Ask for a pre- and postoperative instruction checklist.

Costs

Panniculectomy costs include three fees: local or general anesthesia fees, facility fees, and surgeon's fees. Since the panniculectomy procedure is usually performed during an abdominoplasty, you only pay one anesthesia fee and one facility fee. Since your treatment will be customized to fit your needs, only an estimated range of costs can be given. Average total fees range from $8,500 to $10,000.

Insurance coverage for the cost of the panniculectomy varies. If the procedure is strictly for cosmetic reasons, insurance will not cover the procedure. However, the insurance carrier may cover all or a portion of the costs if medical conditions are correlated with excessive weight. For example, hernia is often present in panniculectomy patients. In this case, the insurance will often pay for the hernia repair, but not necessarily the panniculectomy. The doctor will help identify whether the panniculectomy is covered under your insurance plan.

Weight Loss Approaches

According to recent statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 65 percent of all U.S. citizens are overweight. Even worse, the organization has estimated that 30 percent, totaling over 60 million Americans, are obese. Many people are committed to fighting the battle. The Calorie Control Council estimates that there are 71 million dieting Americans — the highest figure in 15 years. The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion estimated that approximately 40 percent of U.S. adults get the recommended amount of daily activity.

For centuries, standard diet and exercise was the norm. Since that has changed in modern society, weight-related issues have become a priority in the health fields; obesity is better addressed, services are more easily accessible and whole wellness initiatives continue to rise.

The cause of excessive weight is no mystery. The effects of excessive weight are becoming painfully clear. In recent years, excessive weight has been more conclusively linked to many medical conditions, including increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and osteoporosis. Excessive weight can also be linked to psychological difficulties such as mood swings and lack of confidence. Proper diet and exercise can slow the aging process, improving skin tone or texture and reducing wrinkles. Weight loss is a multifaceted concern, meaning that it must be addressed in multiple ways, including

regular physical examinations by a doctor
body fitness assessments by fitness professionals
diet-and-nutrition services, information online and bookstores

For the past half century, weight loss programs have evolved into an integrated strategy — a cooperative effort involving the consumer and the healthcare industry. According to MarketResearch.com, approximately 30 percent of women online are interested in losing weight. About 57 percent of American consumers are interested in buying and cooking healthier food. The employment outlook posted by the National Department of Labor indicates that the need for fitness and recreational workers will increase by 21 to 35 percent — an indication that more people are looking for the help of fitness experts.

People are beginning to benefit from advanced services provided by healthcare organizations, the food industry and health clubs. New multifaceted weight-control strategies are a positive trend for maintaining proper weight.

Services at a Glance

Calorie Density Buzz: The North American Association for the Study of Obesity (NAASO) forecasted a calorie-density buzz for 2005. The idea behind calorie density is that if we replace high-calorie foods with more nutritious foods that are filling — while eating smaller portions of foods high in calories — we can reduce an average of 800 calories from our daily diet. The organization recently published a book entitled The Volumetrics Eating Plan: Techniques and Recipes for Feeling Fuller on Fewer Calories.
Low-carb, high-protein has been the focus of restaurateurs who now offer more nutritional selections. Ruby Tuesday has launched many healthy choices on their menu as part of their Smart Eating Program. TGI Friday's has partnered with Atkins to produce appetizers and entrees. Chili's Restaurant is offering entrees with 15 carbs or less.
Online dieting has become quite the craze as well. Websites such as caloriescount.com, jennycraig.com, a-personaldietitian.com, and dietwatch.com offer a new approach to dieting.
Weight-loss frozen dinners and entrees dominate the supermarket retail sales category, according to MarketResearch.com.
Health Clubs have integrated the services of personal trainers and nutritionists to meet the demand for an integrated weight-control approach. The American Council on Exercise offers a healthy recipe guide.
Physician services to treat obesity is a growing trend. Bariatric physicians offer integrated and referral services for obesity treatment. Bariatric surgeons perform gastric bypass surgery as a last resort. Plastic surgeons perform liposuction, tummy tuck, panniculectomy and a host of other procedures to address difficult weight-loss issues. For issues of appearance, helpful cosmetic plastic surgery procedures also include neck-lift, facelift and eyelid surgery.

Why Do We Use These Services?

When it comes to diet and exercise, you'll need to set and achieve sub-goals towards the weight-level and appearance you want to achieve in your ultimate health-and-beauty goal. With a busy lifestyle, you'll want to keep the weight loss process as simple as possible. Below are the top 10 reasons for using the health industry's available weight-loss services.

To Obtain a Greater Quality of Life: Without question, proper diet and exercise lead to a greater quality of life.
To Live Longer: By maintaining proper diet and exercise, we reduce the risk of medical conditions and disease.
To Be Educated: Understanding the reasons behind diet and exercise.
To Be Motivated: Personal fitness trainers and dieticians offer motivation.
To Be Held Accountable: Instantaneous calculating, online recipes, personal trainers, dieticians, and regular doctor visits are all part of today's integrated approach.
To Prevent Injury and Medical Conditions: Proper diet and exercise is known to reduce the likelihood of injury and medical conditions.
To Heal Our Bodies: The right foods, with the right vitamins and minerals, along with exercise can offer tremendous healing benefits.
To Set Realistic Goals: With all of the information learning opportunities today, we can set realistic time frames to reach our goals.
To Have Easy Access: Restaurants with low carb-high protein offerings, growing numbers of personal trainers and a wealth of information on the Internet make the process easier than ever.
To Reach Goals in Half the Time: Constant motivation, accountability, reminders and better information help to reach goals in half the time.

Integrated Approaches with the Help of Professionals

For diet and exercise today, you can find support in many areas: restaurants, weight-loss professionals, doctors, health-club workers and healthcare organization leaders. It makes sense to seek help from a professional, just as you would for any important life-changing decision. You'll want to find the right professionals for your needs, who fit your lifestyle and our checkbook.

Understanding integrated services is important in today's world. Successful strategies may include a combination of plastic surgery procedures, skin treatments, diet-and-nutrition schedules, exercise regimen and an overall lifestyle shift as you assess your individualized health-and-beauty goals. Taking advantage of available services, and customizing them to your needs, is a big part of today's healthcare trends.

What Causes Overeating?

Among the glands, the pituitary is the master gland that governs all other glands. It somewhat hangs from the hypothalamus which is, at the base of the brain. It monitors the activities of the other glands to produce exactly the correct amount of their respective hormones.

Hypothalamus are a group of neurons that act as the centre for appetite, the stimulation of which results in the sensation of hunger. If there is an abnormal function of this appetite centre in the hypothalamus, obesity is caused due to overeating.

Obesity also results if the hormones that the pituitary gland secretes, are deficient. One notable feature of this deficiency is, along with causing obesity the height of the person gets retarded, particularly in the case of growing children. Girls stay short and stout and the onset of menses is delayed or absent for a very long period. In cases where this gland is overactive and secretes hormones in excess of what it should, the person grows to an abnormal size. This is known as gigantism.

The second gland that contributes to obesity, is the thyroid. This is situated in the neck. A deficiency in the hormones secreted by this gland results in the speedy division of cells. Such an increase in the number of cells causes obesity.

The third gland is the adrenals. These are two in number and are situated above the kidneys. The hormones that these glands

secrete, control our emotions - anger, fear, etc. Excess secretion of these hormones, or when these hormones are administered in massive doses cause a severe disorder known as CUSHING'S SYNDROME. This is also known by the name Moon face. Any tumour or inflammation in this gland also causes Cushing's syndrome. The person so afflicted, bloats to abnormal proportions and becomes the victim of various other disorders too, like hypertension and diabetes.

The pancreas is a very important digestive organ that secretes the digestive pancreatic juice and an essential endocrine hormonethe insulin. Insulin is very essential in sugar metabolism. The stored fat from the refined carbohydrate and sugar due to the abnormal sugar metabolism result in obesity.

In some cases, if the sex hormones secreted by the ovaries in females, are deficient during menopause, obesity results. Administering hormones further add to the bulk. So is the case after hysterectomy in some women.

Food addiction and obesity

Addictions are of many types. All of us are addicted to some things without even knowing why and how we are addicted. Generally tobacco, alcohol, drugs like opium and heroin are thought to be the things which a person gets addicted to. But most of us are unaware of an equally serious addiction, that is addiction to food.

Different people are addicted to some food items. Some are addicted to carbohydrates in the form of rice or even wheat, some to spicy food, some to sweets, some to fast food and other commercial food. There are persons who get addicted even to bread and milk. Individually these food as an addiction, i.e. addiction to anyone of these, may be harmless without visible discomfort. If abstained from, or lesser quantity of the particular type of food is taken, one may feel some sort of all-gone sensation in the stomach or suffer other withdrawal symptoms. But once they are introduced again, the withdrawals may disappear. As in any other addiction, the more one eats, the more the food is relished. The craving for eating keeps increasing day-byday.

Withdrawals and the fear of it

Addiction to overeating is a serious problem, because it causes obesity. Overeating unwittingly begins at a very young age when it can be easily controlled or got rid of. But on being ignored or even encouraged, it reaches a stage when withdrawing or controlling it becomes extremely difficult. We often see persons overeating the type of food they are fond of. Addiction to isolated food items can be considered quite harmless compared to addiction to overeating. But if that isolated food happens to contain more calories than the body needs, addiction' to that particular type of food will definitely be difficult to control. In case that particular food is not available, something else will be sought which gives the satisfaction of eating the missing one. In some cases there are no such cravings for high calorie food like sweets and other processed food. A person simply eats anything that is available till his stomach is uncomfortably full. Less quantity of food makes the individual restless until he eats again after a few minutes' interval.

The underlying cause for such overeating lies basically with the abnormal functions of the endocrine glands and the amount of hormones they produce. Availability of food in abundance is another reason why addiction to overeating is difficult to handle.

Phentermine Obesity

Phentermine is a drug used in the treatment of obesity, this suppresses our appetite so that we feel less hungry then before. This works by changing the levels of brain chemicals that really affect the mood and appetite. This drug is basically used to decrease the weight in obese people accompanied with exercise program, there are many advantages as well as disadvantages with this drug, normally this drug will not be suitable for everyone since it depends how our body reacts after this drug consumption.

This drug must be used by obese people who have a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 30 or above only, otherwise the side-effects will be there. Weight loss will normally depend upon how an obese person will use this drug, suppose if a 15 to 30 mg of Phentermine is taken daily then about of 0.5 to 5.9 kg of weight loss is noticed. This medicine must be used for a minimum of two to twenty four weeks for this rate of weight loss to occur.

There are different side effects with this drug like nervousness, irritability, sweating, constipation and sleeping problem to mention a few here, there are many more to mention since the list moves so on. There are now-a-days news that this drug is not being marketed in some countries since there are chances of getting heart and lung problems after using this drug. Its also not good to take these medicine for a long time since what other effects will be still yet be to know.

Even though some prefer to use this drug, the best practice always is to go for a proper diet and do some good exercise that will really be helpful and which normally will not give any side effects at all. So many should know this information before using this drug.

This drug can be ordered online now-a-days, it is being sold online and also the price has been reduced then when it was launched. Though the weight loss is achieved by this using this drug there are more complications after using this so a lot of measures must be taken while taking a decision to use this drug by an obese person.

There are many more drugs available in the market to reduce weight-loss but the selection of the best one will be the crucial for any obese person. So a Doctors guidance is always needed while going for this drug.

Osteoporosis and Obesity

Obesity causes one more disease known as osteoporosis. It is common mostly in women. Adetailed description of this disease enables one to understand the damage it can cause.

We tend to think that the bone is a solid stony mass but it is not so. Bone is a cavity. This cavity holds minerals, mostly calcium and phosphates and protein-rich fibrous connective tissues that keep changing. Bones keep on breaking down in minute amounts and are replaced constantly. This function is known as remodelling. This remodelling process helps in maintaining strong bones. Between the age of 35 to 40, there is a steady loss of bone, (around 4 percent in a year), especially in women, though there is enormous remodelling. This loss steadily continues till menopause. Bone remodelling requires calcium and other nutrients that are stored in the cavity. Since the body needs calcium for other activities, it tends to restore the calcium from the bones, thus the calci urn level in the blood drops too low. As a result the bones become porous with a spongy appearance. This condition is known as Osteoporosis.

Production of the hormone oestrogen decreases sharply during menopause in women. Hence, the ability to absorb calcium becomes poor. That is why intake of calcium in the form of pills does not improve the condition. In case of obesity, overburdened joints and lack of exercise makes this condition worse. Exercise increases bone mass and helps to reduce bone loss. Anything that puts a mechanical stress is often beneficial because it encourages the mobility of the joints in various actions. Only exercises comprising manual labour, movements that aid the mobility of joints and a calcium rich diet can help.

Coffee, tea and other beverages and drugs containing caffeine speed up the excretion of calcium and other minerals. In case of inclined to sit for long hours obese people, the tendency to consume caffeine in all forms other than coffee tea, (analgesics, softdrinks etc.) plays a major role for this condition besides lack of exercise and manual labour. As one grows old, it is a wise thing to avoid these unnecessary evils.

Losing Weight With Hypnosis

There are wide range of procedures and products in order to control the obesity in which losing weight through hypnosis is one method. Weight control through hypnosis is probably one of the two most popular topics when people ask about using self hypnosis for change. It is a complex process but it must be clear that hypnosis alone will not help in losing weight. People who are overweight will not follow regular exercise program and what they are taking in there food which will be risk to their life in future because of which there may be cause of heart attack, diabetes, blood pressure etc,.

By weight loss they can be active and also be free from health problems.

It is certainly one of natural and easiest way to lose the weight. It helps you to let go out of all bad habits and learn good habits. Hypnotherapy will help you in weight loss and weight management in many ways. It will help you to be happier, healthy and energetic. It will also help you to be positive. In this process the person will have a deep relaxation and will follow the suggestions made by therapist.

Through hypnosis you are able to control that part of your brain that deals with metabolism. Metabolism is nothing but the process in which your body quickly processes its food (fuel) sources and how much of it is stored. By increasing metabolism you can speed up weight loss and also maintain the weight loss. Hypnosis is the means to effectively change your metabolism and help you lose weight.

Highly trained person must do this process otherwise there may be a cause of danger. While following the hypnosis process we should take proper diet and also do exercise regularly. Only hypnosis will not help in weight lose. Permanent weight loss is possible through this process. In this process the hypnotist will take you in relaxation mood by saying some positive thoughts and will bring you out of the hypnosis. He will let you walk in the mental state and you will come back to normal state after sometime. By regular exercise and good diet hypnosis will be an effective tool that will help you in reducing the weight loss.

Thus hypnosis is a natural process through which you can loose your weight by positive attitude in your habits and also changes your mindset. The main use of hypnosis is to take the mind to the level where it is free from all tensions and problems so that the person will follow the directions to achieve the goals. It is not the whole process, which will reduce the weight, but it is part of the weight loss process by doing proper exercise and also taking correct diet regularly. So losing weight by hypnosis is the easy way and it also helps us to be free from all tension and depressions, which leads to the healthy and happy life.

How fast can you lose weight through hypnosis?

You cannot lose weight for good after a hypnosis session. Michael Lovitch pointed out: "Again, this [weight loss] is based on the diet and exercise plan you are following." Hypnosis can only enhance weight loss slightly.

Losing Weight The Herbal Way

Gaining weight is easy than losing the weight we gain. Nowadays many people are suffering from the overweight leads to many health problems such as heart attack, blood pressure, increase in cholesterol level and diabetes etc. We can lose the weight we gain by many ways such as taking healthy diet at regular times, doing exercises and brisk walk, taking diet drinks, diet pills, laxatives, weight loss earrings etc. we can also loose gained weight with help of herbal ways. There are many herbal products available in the market, which helps us from control on overweight without suffering health from side effects in short period of time. Where as other products cause side effects on their use. These herbal products are made from plants and herbs. Nowadays people are using these herbal ways more than other products.

People use these products to prevent the absorption of excess calories they have taken in food. They get addicted to these as they work effectively. These are rich in nutrients also. They are rich in taste also. In market there are products, which are named as herbal and which are safe to health but we should know information about them before we buy. Otherwise its better if we taken suggestion of physician who knows about these products well.

Green tea is the best herbal product used for which is used for treatment of obesity.

Herbal Phentermine is a non-prescriptive drug which increases metabolic activities and suppress appetite in a natural way. For taking herbal Phentermine there is no need to consult doctor because it is free of any side-effect.

Herbal Phentermine stimulates natural thermogenesis. Thermogenesis is the process in which the metabolic rate of body increases above normal rate of metabolism. This process burns extra calories in the body. When thermogenesis is accompanied with the intake of appetite suppressant better weight loss results can be achieved. Herbal Phentermine can naturally suppress enormous urge for food along with stimulating thermogenesis, hence become a perfect diet-pill.

Apple cider vinegar is the product, which helps in weight loss rapidly and also improves in high blood pressure, high cholesterol etc. These herbal products help in achieving weight loss rapidly in short period of time and achieving the results we are looking for. We should take these products according to our body stamina and strength. Sometimes genetics are also the cause for obesity in such conditions it is better to reduce the overweight by using herbal and natural ways rather than preferring artificial products such as diet pills, diet drinks, laxatives etc.

Only herbal products will not help in weight loss. We should also do exercises regularly, we should do brisk walk at least for 30 min daily. Swimming is the best exercise as all the body parts move equally. Herbal products have more nutrients, vitamins, and proteins, which help us losing the weight in rapid pace. Thus losing weight by herbal ways is the safe process as it have no side effects as the other diet products have which causes to sever health problems further.

Diseases and Disabilities, Obesity Can Cause

It is unfortunate that obesity leads to many disabilities in one's later life. Some of these disabilities are crippling in nature and others, degenerative.

Diabetes :- Onset of diabetes in adulthood is more common solely among obese persons. Even though heredity is the deciding factor in diabetes, chances are remote if the person takes care not to gain weight as he grows. There are persons with normal weight who are not diabetic though there is a family history of diabetes. Some among such individuals believe strongly that they will inherit the disorder one day or other in their middle age. This belief itself leads them to behave as some diabetics would and they slowly gain weight.

Incorrect way of eating habits in some diabetics

Normally, a diabetic individual feels hungry and eats at short intervals. It is necessary for him to eat small frequent meals rather large ones at long intervals; his family doctor advises him so too. You ask him or others like him about it and they invariably come up with an explanation as to how they are expected to follow their family doctor's instructions lest they should suffer

from low sugar and fainting bouts. They have certainly misunderstood this recommendation. While eating frequently, they fail to regulate or reduce the quantity and quality of food eaten. They satisfy their hunger pangs by stuffing themselves with readily available commercial food, rich in calories but poor in nutrition. At times they also overeat to keep hunger at bay. This type of indiscretion increases the bulk of their body. This itself is harmful.

There should be a rational and perceptible solution for the ignorance about what, when and how a diabetic should eat. This is certainly, without doubt, very easy if one wishes to learn and follow it.

Heart attack : - Obesity invites a number of heart diseases and possibilities of an attack even at a very young age. It is a disturbing fact that heart attacks and deaths occur even at the age of thirty and below, caused by obesity due to over nourishment and high living style. When there is a large amount of fat around the chest, the lungs have less room to expand. Blood oxygenation is impaired. This also makes the heart work harder due to which breathing becomes laborious.

Arthritis :- The structure of the human body is designed to be active in order to stay fit and be free from disabilities. Bulk in the body disallows brisk activity and exercise. Exercise is essential for the production of calcium and to prevent its depletion in the bones. If there is no activity, the amount of calcium in and around the bones and joints will reduce, causing stiffness of the joints. When the weight bearing joints are over-burdened due to obesity, they tend to cause swellings and rigidity of the limbs. The pain and stiffness confines the individual to bed discouraging even the minimum of essential movements. The damage occurs slowly and progressively when degeneration of the joints takes place.

Stroke :- An obese person also risks strokes when he happens to fall, especially if he has crossed the age of forty. During a fall the blood supply to the brain is deprived after the initial rush of the blood. The sudden rushing and draining out of the blood damage ~e arteries supplying blood to the tissues and cells of the brain. This, in turn, causes rupture and seepage of blood, resulting in cerebral haemorrhage. The function of the nerves gets obstructed. This results in paralysis of the limbs. At such times, even the pressure of the blood pumped by the heart suddenly rises. The impact of the raised blood pressure sometimes results in heart attacks too.

Fracture :- Another drawback faced by the obese persons, concerns their accidental falls. A lean person, when he falls down, does not get hurt as badly as an obese person does. He runs the risk of breaking his already over-burdened weight bearing joints and spine. Plaster casts, tractions and bed rest only discourage activities of the limbs and the weight keeps on increasing along with the rigidity of the limbs.

Piles :- People who are overweight suffer from one more irksome problem - piles. Constipation is a favourable condition to cause piles among overweight persons. This is more so with those overweight-persons who use the Western type of toilets instead of in the squatting position. Sitting for long periods increases piles. And an obese person is always inclined to sit for long hours.

Snoring - A dangerous nuisance

Obese persons company, many a time, is detested for a variety of reasons on various occasion, especially when it comes to sleeping in the same room with a snorer. This problem is found to be more prevalent in men who start developing a paunch during their middle age. There may be other causes for snoring like some impairment or obstruction in the air passages, but by and large snorers do have a paunch and they do have a tendency to become obese. Their snoring is not only a hindrance restricted to their roommates or spouses but a dangerous health hazard to themselves too.

Fast food and Obesity

Fast Food and Obesity

Fast foods are those which have a high content of spicy stuff, fat content and sometimes very much oily. Many people are going for these fast foods at many retail outlets since the taste it gives is really wonderful, even the author who wrote this might go, it’s very simple since our mouth starts watering like anything when we smell any fast food being prepared nearby tour vicinity.

Eating these kinds of junk foods really increase our fat content, lack of exercise and working hours being extended then normal will make the weight in our body to increase like anything.

So many medical problems will be created due to these fast foods, sometimes like diabetics, heart strokes. Consumption of fast foods was very much easy and tasty, many of the children are going ahead with this food since it is fast and on time, due to which the obesity is being affected for many children these days when compared with the olden days, food prepared in the house is being used very less in percentage when compared with the one used with fast food centers around the world.

Many researchers have done a lot of studies on the increase in weight due to consuming these fast foods, the result is simple, and there is a more weight increase in the individual when compared with the results that would be when taken normal food prepared at home. This weight increase is directly affecting an individual’s normal life, insufficient sleeping hours and no proper exercise is leading to infection of other diseases. Fats food may compromise diet quality by displacing more healthful foods.

There is another factor to concern about, now-a-days there are some discounts being given on different fast foods and also some different fast food festivals are being conducted all around the world, the people are being dragged and attracted by these offers and there a re longing to go for these stuffs and increasing their weigh like anything.

A new British study says that eating fast foods regularly will lead to increase of 10 pounds of weight, and making this has an habit leads to diabetics, which is seen as per the researches done by many professionals. Fast food normally is recognized to have very poor nutritional quality which is not understood by the people who take it as a fashion.

So there are always a lot of side-effects with this fast foods.

Obesity Solution

There are different ways how you can tackle this obesity problem and its consequences. Much depends upon the percentage factor every year, but a lot of effort is needed in achieving it. Many types of medicines are there to control this disease but proper guidance must be there while using them. Many think that if they start doing dieting then its most sufficient to reduce their obesity, that’s really a bad idea and practice, doing so will make your body to run into other complications which requires a lot more medical care then when compared only with the obesity treatment.

Do we think that the amount of calories that we take in daily are sufficient in all respects, this needs to be paid a lot of attention since much depends upon this component while obesity and weigh control is concerned. Eating a lot of junk foods and neglecting our daily exercises will normally affect our body health condition very drastically. There are many precautions give by known people, but frankly speaking how many individuals are practicing this and taking this as a daily event in their life cycle, the percentage comes to a very less figure. Same is happening in all parts of the world.

There are some diets which are specifically introduced or prepared to reduce the obesity when taken in defined quantities, but do we are calculating the nutrition value that these are containing, many of such diets value very less nutrition content. These are indirectly affecting a human beings normal body structure. The solution that we wanted to implement to reduce this obesity must be such a one that it will not affect the normal body state and parallely it will help in reducing the weight of our body. Apart from taking these diets if we can follow good exercises at all stages of our life then we will definitely have a good body condition.

Apart from diet intake, there are other factors to consider when selecting a solution to reduce obesity, the individuals must practicing walking long distances rather using their vehicles daily, this not only decrease weight and fat content in our body rather it will also help in reducing the diabetic level in our body. This helps also in reducing other side complications to our body.

So the solutions are many in order for us to achieve the target but the ease with which we select our good solution and make it flexible to suit or body conditions is important so that the weight loss can be achieved gradually.

Obesity Causes

Obesity is a very dangerous disease that really comes into picture due to many reasons which depend upon different conditions that really effect an individual in how he manages his diet, sleep, exercises and others like what type of lifestyle his he following and which type of job he is doing etc. Genetic reasons are there which really affect this lot, many people around this world are falling prey to this disease due to hereditary factors. This disease will also affect when we are lazy and neglect what we have to do normally for our body to be perfect. Improper diet intake will really play a vital role in easily effecting with this so called obesity.

When anyone starts consuming food which has rich contents of sugar, starch, fat and highly processed foods then there is a chance to gain weight easily. Also people now-a-days are using many appliances which do many of the human tasks, due to which the normal exercise that used to be there for an individual to reduce his calories is being effected, the result is fat increment in the body and being obese easily.

So when planning to reduce your weight and decreasing our fat contents in the body then we have to follow proper planned rules which will really be helpful for our life as a whole. If neglected then there is usually a very less chance of becoming normal in our living, an individual faces many problems apart from this obesity, the side effects that come into picture are most worse foreseen for many people around the world.

The food that we have to take and working late-nights and sleeping hours being reduced then wanted and no exercise at all to our body is really effecting many people to get effected with this obesity. Reasons might be many to explain this disease being affected but the way we take precautions to increase this must be followed properly, if we don’t have a clear cut idea then its always a good practice to consult a family medical practitioner for knowing in depth information about this obesity.

To reduce the calorie content we must be able to take a proper diet and do a lot of exercise always and that to daily as per indications given by many professionals all around the world. Even though there will not be time to practice this daily somehow we must adjust our daily calendar so that we might be in a position to overcome this threatening disease called as obesity.

Negative Calorie Foods

Negative calorie foods are those which use more calories to digest in our body rather then they might have used normally. To say literally all foods are not negative calorie rather they a good in calorie content, it all depends upon the body how it reacts to the situation while the digestion process is being undertaken inside the abdomen of every individual. These foods make the body to work a lot and stress it to get the calories out of them, so the result is that we will be having a fat content which is very less and chances of reducing our weight less then during obesity.

There are many researches being done on this Negative calorie food concept, to mention here one Dr. Dean Ornish, M.D ., of the University of California , at San Francisco, he made a research by providing a vegetarian food consisting of fruits and vegetables to certain group of people who are suffering from heart disease, to his surprise he found the results that there is a weight loss of nearly 20 pounds without cutting calories or limiting serving sizes. These patients were nearly 40 years old, and another point to note here is that there is no exercise program for the above research subjects.

There are few list of Negative calorie food, to mention a few here are : asparagus, beet, broccoli, green cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery root, celery chicory, hot chili peppers, cucumber, dandelion, endive, garden cress, garlic, green beans, zucchini, apple, cranberries, grape fruit, lemon mangoes, orange, pineapple raspberries, strawberries, tangerine, lamb’s lettuce, onion, papaya, radishes, spinach and turnip. A lot of research has been done to categorize that the above mentioned foods come under as Negative Calorie foods.

There are a lot of contradictions regards this concept, though some have done a lot of research and found out that they have some foods that are negative calorie foods many still believe that no such concept exists in this subject related to nutrition and calorie production inside our body. Some say that how can we have any such foods which really take a lot of calorie from our body in order to get themselves digested, if that happens then the individual who takes it must be falling as a prey very easily to many diseases since he will be loosing his energy like anything and will also be a person to decrease his resistance level.

Nutrition and Weight Loss

Now a days people around the world are very much interested over there health. They want look good and spend lot of money for weight loss so that they can increase their body metabolism and can lose their weight at a rapid rate. By doing this exercise they had ro inspire each and everybody to do the exercise and tell them the advantages to them so that they will follow it and do the exercise daily for the weight loss. there are two basic motivations for weight loss .one is for health reason and other is more personal. Maintaining a healthy weight and eating well are both done for the same reasons one exercise the things that a person feel healthy and fit both mentally and physically are don’t smoke, drink alcohol in moderation and get sufficient sleep.&

The other motivations for weight loss are often discussed because they are more personal or psychological. when someone is not happy with is body and concerned with being overweight it will often become unhappy .many people avoid activities because they feel unfit and unworthy .many physical and social are suspended because of the low self image. They will also avoid relationships intimacy and even searching for jobs. Some may thing that if I got job then I do everything for my health. These strong inhibitions often leads to depression, thus compounding the initial weight problem. Being overweight is not a minor problem and should never be disregarded. The medical profession is taking it seriously as it effects both mental and psychological well being of the person.

There are other weight loss supplements that people can lose weight by having active ingredients that prevents absorption of carbohydrates. Chitosan is one compound that really work good in preventing fat absorption but it take several months before they lose even of pound of fat but it is safer not to try these medicines but to work on eating healthy and according to requirement of a person. you must take some decision to take care of your health such as walking, doing exercise daily and eating healthy food this can do your body reducing weight. There are different reasons that one should know how the weight loss products promising people to help to reduce weight. People just want to lose weight quickly and they use these supplements and looking for a miracle to happen by doing proper exercise daily your health will be happy forever.

Losing Weight Rapidly

Now a days very few people are getting enough exercise and fitness. At present days obesity is a big problem and there are people who are suffering from this problem in millions through out the world. Obesity is condition where we take more calories of food than the calories burnt. We can loose the weight by doing exercise and walk, which takes some time and patience, but people want to loose weight rapidly in short time of period by not changing their lifestyle.

Rapid weight process involves use of diet pills and also fast track diet. Diet pills are the most innovative way to lose weight rapidly by suppressing our appetite. We can lose weight rapidly by using diet pills and also doing some exercises and also following nutritious diet regularly. Diet pills are available in market in wide range. But it is safe to concern physician before taking them. We should take the diet pills in particular dosage we should not exceed the dosage if we exceed the dosage it may cause side effects. We should take the diet pills before talking the food.

Another way of losing weight rapidly is by fast track diets but this procedure is safe until we follow the diet but as soon as we stop we will regain the weight that we lost and again obesity will be back. But by this process there are adverse conditions, as we are not taking right quantity of food, which fills our body requirement regularly. Nowadays there are many products in market, which will loose weight rapidly, by which we look smart and younger but we will not be active enough. By using these products we loose the excess water from our body, which is not the right way to loose the weight. In this process the fat will not be reduced which is the actual cause for obesity. So we should be careful while we are buying such products from the market.

So if we reduce our body weight rapidly there will be fall in metabolic rate and also less energy, which causes side effects and also effects the health adversely. So if we choose rapid weight lose program then we have to take healthy food and also do exercise regularly to maintain good health and fit body, which prevents body from obesity and also from laziness. so we should reduce our weight keeping our metabolism at correct level by taking proper diet and exercises.

HEALTHY DIET

Weight Loss Through Diet

In this article, we are going to discuss different recipes that can help you create a healthy diet, as well as different tips so that you can lose weight in the best fashion.

1. You can make a delicious low fat mayonnaise by adding one teaspoon of Dijon mustard or stay sauce with low fat yogurt, which will provide you a refreshing taste, as well as excellent low fat diet.

2. You can stuff the vegetables such as capsicum and zucchini with fillings of minced chicken, white meat or fish. These are healthy and contain the right nutrition that you need. The best of all is that they are low fat.

3. You must not skip meals as they are only going to make you weak and will slow down your metabolism as well as will lead you to lose protein. So it is terribly important that you must not skip your meals at all to maintain your health. Remember that eating increases your metabolism and will help you lose excess fat and eating healthy is the key to lose the weight effectively.

4. You can take pita bread and add the salad filling to it in the center and then roll it up and this is the light and the nourishing food that you will need to have as a part of your daily food routine.

5. As a fact, after eight hours of waking up, the metabolism of our body just slows down and it is there very important that we prevent our metabolism from slowing down. We can increase our metabolism by working out in small patches throughout the day so that our body just maintains the metabolism and help us maintain the pace of burning our fat through this process, as the fat keeps burning through our body even if we are at rest.

6 You must have extra iron by adding alfalfa or mung beans to the salad.

7 It is really important that you learn as to what foods are healthy and what amount of carbs and proteins and fats you are ingesting, so that you can track your health through the foods you are selecting for yourself. It is also important that you learn to cook these foods in the least greasy way so that you can maintain the balanced daily dietary intake during the entire day.

8. There are a few things that you must always take care of when cooking your family recipes; you must always make sure that the amount of fats, salt and sugars are at their minimum. You can always choose to use the non-fat yogurt instead of using cream in your foods and you can stir fry the foods without oil and in place of salt you can use herbs and spices to add taste to your food and in this way you can just make yourself an excellent dish with which you can achieve your goal of managing your increasing weight.

9. You must always remember to consult your physician before starting the exercise or the weight loss program. It is really necessary that you have the guidance of a professional with you so that you are not making any decisions that are going to affect your health in an adverse way.

10. It is best for you if you eat slowly and chew your food rather than swallowing it, as eating the food slowly will give you a feeling of full stomach and would prevent excessive load on your stomach and would also keep you from overeating. This is going to help you a lot to maintain the weight and keep you healthy.

11. It depends greatly that you do not do a bad diet by skipping meals or not eating at all and for that matter you must eat about three small meals in a day and eat at least two snacks so that you can maintain a balanced diet throughout the day and you not lack in the vital nutrients for your body to function effectively.

12. You can always use the chicken stock when stir frying and this will cut down the hidden fat and keep your calories balanced according to your needs.

13. You can buy the non-toasted muesli instead of the toasted ones because the plate of toasted muesli contains more fat than a plate of bacon and eggs. There it is pretty important that you are fully aware as to what choices and selections you need to make regarding your diet.

14. It is always good to eat the skin of the fruit as it contains fiber in it and other important ingredients. Therefore it is pretty important that you do not remove the skins of fruits and vegetables and get all the important ingredients present in the skin of the fruits.

15. There is another cool recipe that would keep your metabolism going throughout the day and you can do it by adding lemon juice to warm water and have it before breakfast. This will help you get your metabolism going on as well as preventing any constipation episodes and it is also amazing for your skin.

16. Proteins are the essential part of your diet and you can get the proteins from the soya beans or tofu apart from having them from meat. You must remember that all legumes contain proteins in them, which includes lentils, beans, and you can add them to soups to have a better taste as well as excellent nutrition.

17. Another best thing for you would be to look for a club or gym where you can exercise, which is much better for you rather than working alone, as in a gym environment you will get a partner and a coach with which you can work out and they will help you stay right on the path and will motivate you throughout the process and this will help you maintain the regularity that you need to work out and lose weight. This will definitely be a very good source of enjoyment and fun.

18. This is the most tough deal to ask for, but it would be in your best interest if you do not eat three hours before bedtime.

19. You can learn to make the food for you that cooks in the least time possible and that is pasta, as preparing pasta would require only about 10-12 minutes at most.

20. It is another very important fact that the chilli helps you to speed up your metabolism. Even the milder varieties of chilli increase the metabolism.

21. You can also reduce the fat intake by not using the yolks of egg and you can make the omlett by not adding the yolks at all and this will help you prevent from taking fat intake, which would be a wise decision.

22. You can also prevent the intake of fat by putting the ice cubes into the baking tray and then the fat will just get stick to these cubes.

23. You must make a wise shopping list so as to buy only those foods, which have the least amount of fats in them. You can buy food for a week and thus making the right choices for yourself and do not tempt to buy things that are not right for you such as foods that have a lot of fat in them.

Successful Lap Band Surgery Examples

Some successful doctors

Case 1

Dr. Rumbaut and his team at San José, the most prestigious Private University Affiliated Facility in Northern Mexico, have performed about 1800 Lap-Band procedure without a single case of death.

The mean excess weight loss after 18 months in this case is approximately 67%, other complications with the slippage and erosion of lap band are less then 1%. Infection, bleeding, pneumonia, etc. all less than 2% and all patients were discharged before one week.

Case 2

Dr. Franco Favretti, and Dr. Gianni Segato, two of the most experienced Lap-Band Surgeons in Europe at Saint-Pierre Hospital in Brussels have performed well over 1,700 Lap-Band cases. They have the distinction of performing this surgery along with two other team members namely Dr. Cadiere and Dr. Himpens, in October 1992.

The treatment requires 5 to 6 days stay in Italy which starts meeting the patients at Venice International Airport on Thursday. The patients get admitted to the hospital on Friday Morning for pre-op tests, undergo surgery on Saturday and get discharged from the hospital on Monday.

After surgery, the patients are requested to stay a few more days to make sure about their recovery. After that they are taken for sightseeing to nearby Venice.

By Friday the patients can go back home and can resume work.

Case 3

According to the records of Dr. Cadière and Dr. Himpens, who have done 3000 cases already, not many patients received reimbursement from their insurance.

One patient mortality that in their case was due to over-eating, and esophageal perforation when death occurred some 4 weeks after surgery. The erosion rate is 1%, Pouch dilatation rate is 6 % and band-removal rate 3% after 3.6 years.

Case 4

Dr. Andreas Osterwalder is one of the most experienced Lap-Band Surgeons in Europe at the Ars Medica Clinic near Lugano.

The patients are required to bring the reports of the basic tests like lab/chest x-ray and ECG which prove the fitness to stand general anesthesia for at least 2 hrs, a sonography of the upper abdomen (to exclude gallstones). They are also required to bring reports of a gastroscopy as proof against any gastric disease.

The patient can fly to Zürich, and then to Lugano Airport in Agno to be picked up from there. One should go prepared for a stay of 2-3 days in a hotel room.

What is Lap Band Surgery?

Why lap band surgery is needed?

When there is a craze for food after exceeding the permissible weight limit, then usually dieting is prescribed. But eating less amount of food does not satisfy the food craving, in most of the cases, so an alternative is to besearched for that.

The alternative that one can think of is to reduce the stomach size so that one feels full after eating a certain amount. That is exactly what is done with lap band surgery, wherein a small pouch in the upper part of the stomach is created.

The idea is to fill up the smaller upper pouch of the stomach to give a filled up feeling because it fills quickly with less food. Because of the narrow opening it takes longer to empty into the lower part of the stomach, which means that the next pang of hunger is delayed.

Placing the Lap Band

The procedure involves placing a silicone band around the upper portion of the stomach, so that the stomach gets divided into two with the upper part being a small pouch with a narrow opening to the bigger lower part.

A gastric band device is introduced in the abdomen through a tiny incision of 1 cm. The operation is performed under general anesthesia and takes about 30 minutes to one hour to complete.
The band is a hollow cylinder itself. It can be inflated if further constriction is required, and can be deflated if vomiting, obstruction, oesophagal enlargement, etc. happens.

The band can be inflated by a reservoir of saline solution positioned under the skin at the upper abdomen connected by a tube. Normally six to ten band adjustments during the first year is required for a patient.

Apprehensions and facts about Lap Band

Lap Band involves no major surgery of the stomach and no inside stapling. Adjustments can be done without further operation. When the objective is achieved, the laparoscopic removal of the band is possible.

The Lap Band reduces the size of a normal stomach of 1000 cc’s by 15 to 30 cc's which is about the size of an egg.

Weight loss is slower in case of Lap Band, than in gastric bypass. One can lose only 38 percent of excess body weight during the first two years after which the weight becomes static.

Weight loss is a journey. A journey is meant to help one through. This procedure involves less pain, less risk leading to effective treatment of the weight.

Who qualify for the operation

Though the intake of less food helps the patient continually lose weight, not everybody qualifies for the procedure. People who are obese and require controlling their weights from gaining dangerously exponential proportions are the ones who are normally given this treatment. Although the band can be placed permanently, still it is possible to remove at any time.

Apart from achieving a good weight loss curve, the operation is taken up in case of patients who continuously vomit making intake of solid foods impossible.

To gain an insight about weight-loss needs, the BMI Calculator can be used to determine the current Body Mass Index.

Post operation care

Advantage of the operation is that the stoma size can be adjusted post-operatively without any further surgery.

All surgical weight-loss operations require the patients to consume less than 800 calories of food per day during the first 18 months and up to 1200 calories per day after 36 months.

America's Fattest and Fittest Cities - A Survey

Top 25 Fittest 1. Albuquerque, N.M.
2. Seattle, Wash.
3. Colorado Springs, Colo.
4. Minneapolis
5. Tucson, Ariz.
6. Denver
7. San Francisco
8. Baltimore
9. Portland, Ore.
10. Honolulu
11. Washington, D.C.
12. Omaha, Neb.
13. Tulsa, Okla.
14. Boston
15. Virginia Beach, Va.
16. Milwaukee
17. Sacramento
18. Louisville-Jefferson, Ky.
19. Columbus, Ohio
20. Philadelphia
21. Austin, Tx.
22. Nashville-Davidson
23. Charlotte
24. Atlanta
25. Oakland, Calf.
Top 25 Fattest 1. Las Vegas
2. San Antonio
3. Miami
4. Mesa, Ariz.
5. Los Angeles
6. Houston
7. Dallas
8. El Paso
9. Detroit
10. San Jose
11. Long Beach, Calf.
12. Memphis
13. Chicago 14. Arlington, Texas
15. Oklahoma City
16. Indianapolis
17. Forth Worth
18. New York
19. Fresno, Calif.
20. Wichita, Kan.
21. San Diego
22. Phoenix
23. Jacksonville, Fla.
24. Kansas City
25. Cleveland

nnovative Ways To tackle People With Bad Health Habits

reduce weight immediately

For lunch, Joy Hesemann loved to dive into a platter of deep-fried, crunchy chicken tenders with a side of ranch dressing. At night, she'd fry up ground beef for Hamburger Helper or another boxed meal for her family's dinner. Later, she'd plop in front of the TV or computer screen and rip into a bag of Oreos or potato chips.

"I knew I was constantly overeating and eating the wrong things, and I wasn't exercising," admitted Hesemann, 27, an administrative assistant from Streamwood, Ill. "I wanted to change, but I needed some motivation."

That came in the form of a new research study at Northwestern University investigating innovative ways to rehabilitate people with lousy health habits. The prerequisites: a chummy relationship with saturated fat but no acquaintance with fruits and vegetables; leisure time spent gazing at a TV or computer screen, along with an "allergy" to exercise.

In other words, a typical American lifestyle.

"That was me," Hesemann said. She signed up.

The study was designed by Bonnie Spring, a professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine, to make change as easy as possible.

Spring knows it's overwhelming for someone with a raft of unhealthy habits to overhaul an entire lifestyle. So she wants them to just change two unhealthy behaviors to see if the others will tag along. Sort of a buy two, get two free sale. Her method is based on the Behavioral Economics Theory used by Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman.

She's also helping these fat-food-loving couch dwellers flip their lifestyles with an arsenal of high-tech tools including a specially programmed Palm Pilot to monitor eating and exercise; virtual visits with a personal coach and an accelerometer which straps around the waist to record the intensity of their movements. (You call that a brisk walk")

Participants are assigned to eat more veggies and fruits or cut down on saturated fat; and cut back on "screen" time or increase exercise.

"We're trying to figure out which two behavior changes give you the maximum healthy bang for your buck on all unhealthy behaviors that we're trying to modify," Spring said.

"The new behaviors come along for the ride in one of two ways -- a complementary behavior or a substitute behavior," Spring explained. "If watching TV means you also snack when you watch, then eating and snacking are complementary behaviors for you. If I can get you to cut down on your TV, you'll probably automatically cut down on your snacking. I make your life simpler by just asking you to change one. The complementary behavior is a bonus that comes along for the ride."

"A substitute behavior replaces or crowds out another behavior," Spring said. An example would be eating more fruits and vegetables, so you would nibble strawberries instead of being elbow-deep in a bag of Cheetos.

Hesemann's assignment for the four-month study was to slash most saturated fat from her diet and break a sweat for an hour a day. She also got a crash course on healthier eating and strategies to inject more physical activity into her day such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

She recorded every bite of food and minute of exercise in the ever-present Palm Pilot, which had software to monitor her daily progress. With each entry, an image of a thermometer with a rising "temperature" showed her intake of saturated fat so far that day (she was allowed 20 grams) and her minutes of exercise.

"It was dreadful to have to write it down," Hesemann said about logging in her food. She learned her favorite fried chicken tenders lunch soared past her fat quota as did her beloved Italian sausages. "I said 'Oh, my god. I'm never eating those again!' I hated seeing that thermometer rise."

At the end of each day she'd download the data into her computer and send it to her personal coach. The coach would zip Hesemann encouraging e-mails ("You're doing a great job!") or friendly reminders to get off the couch ("You need 30 minutes more of activity each day.")

As with all participants, Hesemann's recordings in the Palm Pilot and contact with the personal coach gradually tapered off over the four-month period of the study. This latter period is when it gets interesting for Spring. She's waiting to see who falls off the wagon.

"It's really hard to maintain a new healthier lifestyle," Spring said. "At first it's novel and exciting and then the novelty wears off. You tend to revert back to the old habits. There's kind of an inertia that pulls you back."

Spring is anxious to see which two behavior changes best helped people maintain their healthier habits. But she won't know the results until the study ends in 2008.

In the meantime, Joy Hesemann now races up and down the stairs at work instead of punching elevator buttons and hits the gym three days a week. She bakes skinless chicken for dinner and nibbles strawberries for dessert. She's lost 40 pounds and dropped three dress sizes. She's even eliminated high fat foods from her 6-year-old daughter's meals. Six month after the study, Hesemann's new healthy ways show no sign of abating.

"This program made me more conscious of the foods I'm eating. And the exercise is a blast. I still have my fallbacks, but if I go to McDonald's I'll get the grilled chicken sandwich instead of the comforting, nasty foods. For me this is a new way of life. "

High Salt Diet may lead To Ulcers

Hight salt diet = ulcers

Bethesda, Md--Scientists from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) have discovered that diets high in salt may increase the virulence of the pathogen Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), which is the most common cause of ulcers in the stomach and duodenum.

"Apparently the stomach pathogen H. pylori closely monitors the diets of those people whom it infects. Epidemiological evidence has long implied that there is a connection between H. pylori and the composition of the human diet. This is especially true for diets rich in salt," says Hanan Gancz, Ph.D., of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, who presented the research May 22, 2007 at the 107th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in Toronto. The research was conducted in the USU laboratory of D. Scott Merrell, Ph.D., assistant professor of microbiology and immunology. High concentrations of salt in the stomach appear to induce gene activity in H. pylori, making it more virulent and increasing the likelihood of an infected person developing a severe gastric disease.

H. pylori is a spiral-shaped bacterium that can live in the acidic environment of the stomach and duodenum which is the section of intestine below the stomach. It is the most common cause of ulcers of the stomach and duodenum, accounting for up to 90% of duodenal ulcers and up to 80% of gastric ulcers.

Infection with H. pylori also causes gastritis, and infected persons also have a 2- to 6-fold increased risk of developing mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, and gastric cancer compared with uninfected counterparts.

H. pylori infection is common in the United States and is most often found in persons from lower income groups and older adults. About 20% of persons less than 40 years of age and about 50% of persons over 60 years of age are infected. Most infected people do not have symptoms and only a small percentage go on to develop disease.

Previous research has focused on the affects diet has on the stomach environment where H. pylori resides, but until now scientists have overlooked the response of the microorganism specifically to these dietary queues. Working from the epidemiological evidence that H. pylori infection combined with a high-salt diet results in an increased incidence of severe gastric maladies, Gancz and colleagues decided to look at the direct effect a high concentration of salt had on both the growth and gene expression of the bacterium.

"We noted that H. pylori growth rate shows a sharp decline at high salt concentrations. Moreover, bacterial cells exposed to increased salt exhibited striking morphological changes: cells became elongated and formed long chains," says Gancz. "We conclude that H. pylori exposed to high levels of salt in vitro exhibit a defect in cell division."

They also discovered transcription of two genes responsible for the virulence of the bacterium was increased during high-salt conditions.

"The altered expression patterns of some virulence genes may partially explain the increased disease risk that is associated with a high salt diet in H. pylori infected individuals," says Gancz.

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences is located on the grounds of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. The University provides military and public health-relevant education, research, service and consultation to the nation and the world. USU is a typical academic health center with a unique focus on health promotion and disease prevention and the specialized mission of educating health care practitioners to deal with peace and wartime casualties, natural disasters, emerging infectious diseases and other public health emergencies.

This work was supported by a grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health.