NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Sexual dysfunction that commonly occurs in morbidly obese men improves after weight loss surgery, according to a new study.
“Sexual dysfunction should be considered one of the numerous potentially reversible complications of obesity,” the study team concludes.
Dr. Ramsey M. Dallal, from Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, Philadelphia, and colleagues measured the degree to which 97 morbidly obese men suffered from sexual dysfunction and then analyzed the change in sexual function after substantial weight loss following gastric bypass surgery.
Before surgery, the morbidly obese men had significantly lower sexual function relative to that of a previously published reference control group of men before surgery, the investigators report.
After losing an average of two thirds of their excess weight, men experienced significant improvements in sexual function, with the amount of weight loss predicting the degree of improvement.
“We estimate that a man who is morbidly obese has the same degree of sexual dysfunction as a nonobese man about 20 years older,” the investigators report. “Sexual function improves substantially after gastric bypass surgery to a level that reaches or approaches age-based norms.”
“Sexual function is an important aspect to quality of life and is now well documented to be a reversible condition,” Dallal explained.
“We are interested in examining sexual function in females, as well as understanding the mechanism of obesity-related sexual dysfunction,” Dallal added.
SOURCE: Journal of the American College of Surgeons, December 2008.
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Over 500,000 units sold;the first Wii game that combines a celebrity fitness trainer and the motion-based Wii system and Wii Balance Board accessory, has sold over 500,000 units and is an NPD Top Seller. In Jillian Michaels’ Fitness Ultimatum 2009 players become new recruits in Jillian’s boot camp where they enroll in a unique training program composed of challenging fitness tests and an ever-changing series of workouts. Jillian Michaels’ Fitness Ultimatum 2009 is now available across North America.

Is there a better weapon on the way in the battle against the bulge?

A study released today has found that injecting people with a synthetic hormone may help them lose weight and feel satisfied. The hormone, pramlintide, marketed under the name Symlin, is currently used to treat diabetes.

One team of researchers thinks they may have found a new purpose for it.

"We are very intrigued to find that pramlintide can actually have multiple effects on eating behavior, like curbing binge eating," says lead study author Dr. Christian Weyer. Weyer is director of clinical research at Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc., the San Diego based company that makes Symlin.

But if this treatment sounds too good to be true, that just might be the case. Some leading diet experts say Symlin won’t become a weapon in the fat fight anytime soon.

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A recent study at the University of Colorado Health Science Center found that most people who lost weight and kept the weight off got started with a so-called "trigger event" or "critical incident." The catalysts cover the gamut, from medical (a doctor tells you to lose weight), to emotional (someone makes a derogatory comment about your weight) to some wholesale life change (such as a divorce).

Whatever its origin, a trigger is invariably an "aha" moment. It causes you to see yourself as you really are.

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The compound, called fucoxanthin, also has anti-diabetes effects, the research has found.

Dr. Kazuo Miyashita from Hokkaido University told the American Chenical Society National meeting in San Francisco that significant reductions in fat tissue were reported in rats and obese mice fed the edible seaweed carotenoid fucoxanthin.

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Research confirming the human body is designed to strongly resist attempts to lose weight will be presented at an international gathering of obesity experts hosted by QUT.

Queensland University of Technology appetite regulation and energy balance researcher Dr Neil King said our bodies have strong mechanisms to defend attempts to lose weight but very weak mechanisms to prevent weight gain. King’s weight loss intervention studies demonstrate the "plateau effect", whereby weight loss from exercise and calorie restrictions stops at a certain point.

He conducted two studies on weight loss following induced energy deficits in two different groups of overweight and obese people.

A recent Wall Street Journal article highlighted the “off label” use of drugs for weight loss, from Adderal, commonly prescribed for Attention Deficit Disorder, to Topamax, usually used to treat seizures and migraines.

The problem with using these drugs for weight loss, beyond that the drugs haven’t been approved for that purpose, is that they often come with nasty side effects. Adderal, for instance, can cause insomnia, aggression and heart problems, while Topamax can cause hyperventilation and fatigue.

• If diet and exercise fail, research different weight-loss procedures and discuss them with your surgeon.

• Remember, surgery is not a cure for obesity. Be prepared to modify your eating habits for the rest of your life.

• The death rate for all bariatric surgeries combined is .5 to 1.5 percent.

• Consider the cost of plastic surgery for body contouring if you have an excessive amount of weight to lose.

More than 10,000 men and women aged between 53 and 57 were analysed over an eight- to 12-year period by scientists at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Centre.

Although no connection was found between weight and calcium intake in men, women in their 50s who took 500mg of calcium supplements daily gained 1.8 kg less over ten years than women who did not use supplements.

Previous studies have made connections between calcium intake and body mass index but they focussed solely on dietary intake rather than supplements.

"Although more evidence from randomised clinical trials is needed before calcium supplements can be recommended specifically for weight loss, this study suggests that calcium supplements taken for other reasons (e.g prevention of osteoporosis) may have a small beneficial influence on reducing weight gain, particularly among women approaching midlife," said lead researcher Dr Alejandro Gonzalez.

The research appears in the July issue of the American Dietetic Association.

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