Gastric Bypass | Lap Band | Sleeve Gastrectomy | Gastric Plication

When we hear about fat inside our bodies, we usually think about something unwanted. But generally the type of harmful fat fat we’re thinking of is “white fat”.  White fat stores calories. However, there’s another type of fat: brown fat. Brown fat is a “good” fat found in the bodies of mammals, which has a large […]

When you hear that a procedure removes 80% of a person’s stomach, it makes sense to think their weight loss is because the size of their stomach forces them to eat smaller meals. But that may be an serious oversimplification. New research has debunked a common misunderstanding of how vertical sleeve gastrectomy (the sleeve) helps patients […]

According to new research using data from more than 80,000 breast cancer patients, younger women who are obese have a 34% increased risk of dying from their cancer. It’s been established that carrying excess weight increases the risk of getting breast cancer, but it hasn’t been clear just how harmful it is, and whether a […]

How dangerous is obesity? For years we’ve seen studies & headlines attaching risk to excess weight, but even those may have been too much of an underestimation of the danger in terms of mortality. According to new research by Andrew Stokes, a doctoral student in demography and sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, the obesity-related mortality risks […]

Most of us are aware that one of the reasons obesity is so harmful is that it contributes to  other serious illnesses. One of these illnesses is called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep disorder that involves repetitive episodes of upper airway obstruction occurring during sleep. People with OSA usually are chronic snorers, and many be […]

Many studies have shown that obesity is linked with serious health conditions and diseases. In addition to the ones most usually noted – diabetes, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea – obesity may hurt the brain itself. However, it’s possible that exercise may help counteract the negative brain effects, according to a new study conducted with mice.  It’s […]

You may remember that “bariatric surgery for diabetes” was named the 2013 top medical innovation by Cleveland Clinic. Now, even more evidence points to the benefits. Encouraging new findings show that bariatric surgery is effective at controlling type 2 diabetes long after surgery.  The landmark STAMPEDE trial (Surgical Treatment And Medications Potentially Eradicate Diabetes Efficiently) […]

One reason obesity is particularly concerning is that it is a known risk factor for diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Additionally, obesity seems to increase the risk of many cancers, including uterine cancer. Obese women have been found to have three times the risk of developing uterine cancer compared to women of normal […]

Good news for those who have had, or are considering, bariatric surgery. A new meta-analysis shows that at 5-year follow-up, three commonly performed weight loss surgery procedures provided substantial and lasting weight loss with a low mortality risk. The results were published in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association. Consistent with previous studies, […]

Those who understand obesity know it is not a simple problem of overeating and being inactive. One of the causes suspected in having an impact on obesity is the environment. Researchers have made significant advances in understanding important environmental causes of obesity as well as finding several genes that might be implicated. Major efforts are […]