In a move that could significantly expand insurance coverage of weight-loss treatments, a federal health advisory panel on Monday recommended that all obese adults receive intensive counseling in an effort to rein in a growing health crisis in America.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force urged doctors to identify patients with a body mass index of 30 or more currently 1 in 3 Americans and either provide counseling themselves or refer the patient to a program designed to promote weight loss and improve health prospects.

Under the current healthcare law, Medicare and most private insurers would be required to cover the entire cost of weight-loss services that meet or exceed the task force's standards.

That could all change Thursday, when the U.S. Supreme Courtis expected to rule on the constitutionality of President Obama's healthcare law, which requires adoption of certain recommendations from the task force, such as this one on obesity.

Few private health insurers now reimburse physicians for weight-loss counseling or pay for programs that patients seek out on their own. A growing number, in fact, charge obese patients more for coverage a policy that some public health officials have denounced as punitive and ineffective.

The task force concluded after a review of the medical literature that the most successful programs in improving patients' health were "intensive, multicomponent behavioral interventions." They involve 12 to 26 counseling sessions a year with a physician or community-based program, the panel said.

Successful programs set weight-loss goals, improve knowledge about nutrition, teach patients how to track their eating and set limits, identify barriers to change (such as a scarcity of healthful food choices near home) and strategize on ways to maintain lifestyle changes, the panel found.

In some cases, programs include exercise sessions as well.

The recommendation, published online in the Annals of Internal Medicine, does not apply to the roughly one-third of Americans who are considered overweight, those with a BMI from 25 to 29.9.

It follows a November decision by Medicare to reimburse physicians for providing "intensive weight counseling" to the roughly 14 million obese Americans insured by the government program.

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Obese adults should get counseling, federal task force says

Diabetes can be shed like so many unwanted pounds thanks to the advent of weight-loss surgery. However, according to a recent study, these procedures may not a permanent solution to their problem. In about one-fifth of the individuals who elected to have the surgery, diabetes returned within about three to five years. This, of course, is definitely bad news for those folks who endured the many side effects in hopes that the procedure would give them a new lease on life.

In order to determine just how frequently the disease returns, researchers poured over the medical records of nearly 72 obese patients who were living with Type 2 diabetes at the time of their gastric bypass surgery. The results are a tad alarming.

Following the procedure, 66 patients soon said goodbye to their diabetes. Unfortunately, 14 of these individuals saw the disease return within five years time. However, those who did not experience another round of diabetes contributed their good luck to losing more weight following the procedure. These folks also kept a lower average weight than their counterparts.

The study also found that people who had diabetes for an extended period of time before embarking down the path of weight-loss surgery were more likely to see the disease return than those who had it for a much shorter period. As such, the sooner obese individuals address their weight and diabetes problems with weight-loss surgery, the higher the chance that they wont see the disease return years later.

Providers and patients need to be aware of this information, to have a better idea of the expected outcome and be able to make an informed decision about pursuing gastric bypass surgery, lead author Dr. Yessica Ramos explained.

The study was recently presented at the Endocrine Societys annual meeting in Houston, Texas. Until the these findings have been published in a peer-reviewed journal, they should be considered as preliminary.

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Diabetes: Weight-Loss Surgery May Not Reverse Disease

Public release date: 25-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Aaron Lohr alohr@endo-society.org 240-482-1380 The Endocrine Society

Weight loss can reduce the prevalence of low testosterone levels in overweight, middle-aged men with prediabetes by almost 50 percent, a new study finds. Results will be presented Monday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

"Doctors should first encourage overweight men with low testosterone levels to try to lose weight through diet and exercise before resorting to testosterone therapy to raise their hormone levels," said study co-author Frances Hayes, MD, professor at St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin.

The new study involved nearly 900 men with prediabetes (also called impaired glucose tolerance) who had participated in the Diabetes Prevention Program. That now-completed U.S. study showed that people at high risk of Type 2 diabetes could delay or avoid developing the disease through weight loss. Because overweight men are more likely to have low testosterone levels, Hayes and her colleagues studied the effect of weight loss on men's testosterone levels.

The investigators excluded men from the study who had a known diagnosis of hypogonadism or were taking medications that could interfere with testosterone levels. Hypogonadism is a condition characterized by low testosterone levels with symptoms of male hormone deficiency. Symptoms can include reduced sex drive, poor erections, enlarged breasts and low sperm counts.

The study population had 891 middle-aged men, with an average age of 54 years. The men were randomly assigned to receive one of three treatments: 293 men to lifestyle modification, 305 to the diabetes drug metformin and 293 to inactive placebo pills. Lifestyle modifications consisted of exercising for 150 minutes a week and eating less fat and fewer calories.

The results showed that low testosterone levels are common in overweight men with prediabetes, Hayes said. At the beginning of the study, nearly one in four men had low testosterone levels, considered to be below 300 nanograms per deciliter.

With lifestyle modification, the prevalence of low testosterone levels decreased from about 20 percent to 11 percent after one year, a 46 percent decrease, the authors reported. The prevalence of low testosterone was unchanged in the metformin group (24.8 versus 23.8 percent) and the placebo group (25.6 versus 24.6 percent).

Men in the lifestyle modification group lost an average of about 17 pounds (7.8 kilograms) over the one-year study, according to the abstract. The increase in testosterone levels in that group correlated with decreasing body weight and waist size.

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Overweight men can boost low testosterone levels by losing weight

WASHINGTON CROSSING, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

For thousands of obese Philadelphians, Mercy Bariatrics website is a resource for weight loss recipes, fitness tips, bariatric support and a link to weight loss surgeons.

In less than a year, Mercy Health Systems program has identified hundreds of new bariatric patients in the Philadelphia region using a marketing campaign that focuses on web, email and social media. This digital campaign is fueled with bariatric recipes and articles from Baldwin Publishing.

The first quarter delivered 134 calls to the call center asking for appointments, and almost 30 appointment requests came from the website, says Gabrielle DeTora, Interim Vice President of Marketing for Mercy Health System.

Weight loss surgery patients need to make drastic dietary changes following surgery. Health eCooking video recipes teach them how to prepare low calorie bariatric recipes. Web articles on weight loss procedures; nutrition advice and fitness build relationships through social sharing on Mercys Bariatric Facebook page.

A bariatric eNewsletter, also from Baldwin Publishing, engages people considering the procedure and showcases Mercys long-term relationships with bariatric patients. An integrative campaign including radio, print and billboards across the city send thousands of web visits to http://www.mercybariatrics.org/.

Baldwin's bariatric recipes and articles are an easily accessible marketingtool that helps weight loss surgery patients succeed. Baldwin Publishing's holistic approach to bariatric marketing is extremely valuable, says DeTora.

About Mercy Health System

Mercy Health System is the largest Catholic healthcare system serving the Delaware Valley and is a member of Catholic Health East, a multi-institutional Catholic health system co-sponsored by9 religious congregations and Hope Ministries. Mercy Health System is comprised of more than 6,500 caring, highly skilled employees focused on creating an outstanding patient-care experience. As a market leader for quality clinical outcomes Mercy Health System is a significant force in creating an environment where competence and compassionate care meet.

About Baldwin Publishing

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Mercy Health System targets bariatric patients with Health eCooking weight loss video recipes

HOUSTON, June 24 (UPI) -- Men using testosterone replacement therapy experienced significant weight loss, researchers in Germany found.

Lead author of Bayer Pharma in Berlin said previous research showed testosterone-deficient men consistently show changes in body composition, but the net effect on weight seemed unchanged. However, in the current study had a longer follow-up by at least two years and used long-acting injections of testosterone.

The investigators restored testosterone to normal levels in 255 testosterone-deficient men, whose average age was nearly 61. Treatment lasted for up to five years, with injections given at day one, after six weeks and then every 12 weeks after that. Patients did not follow a controlled diet or standard exercise program but received advice to improve their lifestyle habits.

The study found, on average, the men weighed 236 pounds before beginning testosterone treatment and 200 pounds after treatment. Weight loss was reportedly continuous, with an average reduction in body weight ranging from about 4 percent after one year of treatment to more than 13 percent after five years. In addition, the men lost an average of nearly 3.5 inches from their waist.

"The substantial weight loss found in our study -- an average of 36 pounds -- was a surprise," Saad said in a statement.

The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 94th annual meeting in Houston.

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Hormone therapy results in weight loss

Public release date: 25-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Aaron Lohr alohr@endo-society.org 240-482-1380 The Endocrine Society

Most adolescents preparing for weight-loss, or bariatric, surgery are deficient in vitamin D, a new study demonstrates. The results will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

"This is particularly important prior to bariatric surgery where weight loss and decreased calcium and vitamin D absorption in some procedures may place these patients at further risk," said study lead author Marisa Censani, M.D., pediatric-endocrinology fellow at Columbia University Medical Center, in New York City. "These results provide insight into prevalence and risk factors for pre-existing vitamin D deficiency in obese adolescents prior to bariatric surgery."

In the United States, weight-loss surgery is becoming an increasingly common procedure due to the obesity epidemic, which affects people of all ages, including children. One of the most common types is gastric-bypass surgery, which involves surgically removing a portion of the stomach, thereby reducing its size and ability to hold large amounts of food.

While highly effective at controlling weight, weight-loss surgery presents certain challenges. One of the greatest post-surgical difficulties is maintaining adequate nutrition, particularly with respect to factors associated with bone development since adolescents have not yet reached their peak bone mass.

Vitamin D is found in foods such as eggs, milk, and fish, as well as the sun. The vitamin plays an essential role in regulating the amount of the minerals calcium and phosphorus circulating in the blood.

While previous studies have found an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency among adults evaluated for weight-loss surgery, whether this deficiency also occurred among morbidly obese adolescents remained unclear. Morbid obesity is defined in adults as having a weight-to-height ratio, or BMI, greater than 40; a healthy BMI is no more than 24.9.

In one of the first studies of its kind, Censani and her co-investigators found that more than half of adolescents undergoing evaluation for weight-loss surgery were vitamin D deficient, and 8 percent had severe deficiencies. Slightly less than one-fifth had adequate vitamin D levels. Patients with the highest BMIs were the most likely to be vitamin deficient.

In other findings, investigators identified several racial differences. African Americans were the most likely to be vitamin D deficient, while Caucasians were the least likely to have a deficiency. Specific percentages of vitamin D deficiency among racial subgroups were:

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Vitamin D deficiency common among adolescents evaluated for weight-loss surgery

The benefits of physical exercise are undeniable. It not only boosts mood and energy levels but it is also important for weight loss. But some activities burn more calories than others. Rollerblading is a fun activity that can burn excess calories in a short amount of time. It even burns more calories than swimming, hiking or dancing.

Once you get the hang of balancing, rollerblading is an activity that the whole family can enjoy. It is also quite versatile as you can do the sport outdoors in the summer months and indoors during winter. Rollerblading is a great way to lose weight. But, you have to remember that weight loss occurs when the calories burned are much greater than the calories taken in. So in every weight loss regimen, eating the right foods at the proper amounts is very important.

How Rollerblading Burns Calories

Rollerblading is an aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercises burn calories and fat by increasing your heart rate, which in turn increases your metabolism and oxygen consumption. This increase in metabolism also increases involuntary bodily functions such as digestion, breathing and pulse, which force the body to use up its stored fat deposits.

The amount of calories burned rollerblading or any activity for that matter depends on several factors: weight, body size, intensity, and duration of the activity. In general, the larger you are, the more calories you will burn. And obviously, the longer you do an activity and the more intense, the more calories you will burn as well. According to the Mayo Clinic, a 160-pound person who rollerblades for an hour will burn as much as 548 calories. A pound of fat equals 3,500 calories; so for a weekly one-pound weight loss, you will need to burn 500 calories daily.

Lean Muscle Mass and Calorie Burning

Rollerblading helps in strengthening leg muscles particularly the quadriceps, hamstrings and butt muscles. So this is a great exercise for those looking to tone those particular muscle groups. The development of lean muscles also aids in burning fat. Increased muscle mass burns fat and calories even when you are not performing that activity.

In rollerblading, you are constantly balancing on your wheels. Balancing helps strengthen core muscles such as the lower back, trunk and abdominal muscles. Increasing your core muscle mass not only helps in shedding off unwanted belly fat and love handles, but it increases your ability to balance and stabilize.

Rollerblading is fun and has so many health benefits, making it a great activity to add in any fitness regimen. Always wear protective gear when rollerblading and try this exhilarating activity to help achieve your weight loss goals.

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Rollerblade Your Way to Weight Loss