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Can Viruses Increase Obesity Risk?

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According to an article published by Dr. Richard Atkinson in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, "the growing body of evidence that viruses produce human obesity supports the concept that at least some of the worldwide epidemic of obesity in the past 25 years is due to viral infections."

Dr. Atkinson views the pattern of spread of obesity since 1980 as an epidemic compatible with "infectious origin." Although noting that lack of exercise and food intake were obviously of great importance to this epidemic, he has focused on various animal and human viruses that have been shown to increase obesity. For instance, the SMAN-1, an avian adenovirus from India, is the only animal virus "associated with human obesity."

The clinical implications of this research, if it stands up, would point to development of infection controls. "Ideally," Dr. Atkinson noted, "we could prevent infection and virus-induced obesity with a vaccine for the obesity viruses. Development of a human vaccine will take several years.” .

Obesity linked to increased risk of esophageal cancer

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Writing in the aptly named online journal Gut, Australian researchers have discovered a disproportionate incidence of increased esophageal cancers in overweight individuals.

According to the researchers, those with a "body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more, were six times as likely than those with a BMI of between 18.25 and 25."

Gastric reflux increased the incidence of this cancer 5X, and combined with obesity, the risk increased 15X.

Men 50 years old and younger were particularly vulnerable.

When Yoga and Pilates Go Bad

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LJK, a New York businessman and former movie studio executive had just assumed his normal pilates position when he felt and heard a distinct "pop" in his lower back. This was accompanied, he said, "by some of the worst pain I’ve ever had in my life."

It took four ambulance attendants to carry him down a flight of stairs from the upper East Side pilates studio to the waiting ambulance.

The diagnosis? A ruptured lumbar disc. The treatment? Surgery to remove disc fragments impinging on LJK’s spinal cord.

He joined one of over 13,000 Americans treated in ERs during just the last year alone for yoga and pilates-related injuries.

His lesson, and the lesson for other yoga/pilates devotees is that your body isn’t a pretzel, and the effects of aging on joints and spinal columns doesn’t magically disappear through the ministrations of yoga. You must slowly learn these disciplines, and you must find a well-trained instructor. And even with all of these precautions, one wrong move can spell disaster.

Don’t necessarily trust the perfectly-sculpted instructor at your health club for instruction. And, by the way, don’t expect yoga or pilates to peel off the inches or pounds. For that you’ll need to hit the cardio machines or spinning classes.

The Eating Disorder Center of Denver Appoints New Medical Director

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(Denver) — The Eating Disorder Center of Denver is pleased to announce the appointment of Carolyn C. Ross, MD, MPH, as medical director. Prior to joining the Eating Disorder Center of Denver, Dr. Ross was the chief of the eating disorders program and head of integrative medicine at Sierra Tucson, AZ.

"The medical director position at the Eating Disorder Center of Denver offers a unique opportunity for me to offer patients their distinctive partial hospitalization experience,” said Dr. Ross. “The ‘real world/empowerment’ model at the center is very much in line with my own philosophy and what I have seen to be effective in treating eating disorders. I’m excited about joining such a well respected program as the Eating Disorder Center of Denver and am looking forward to working with the qualified staff there,” she continued.

Dr. Ross received her medical degree from the University of Michigan and completed a residency in preventative medicine at Loma Linda University of California. She also completed a two-year fellowship at Dr. Andrew Weil’s program in integrative medicine at the University of Arizona and served as medical director for The Rader Institute’s inpatient eating disorders program at Sharp Cabrillo Hospital in San Diego.

Specializing in women’s health issues, Dr. Ross opened three women’s integrative medicine centers in San Diego, CA, offering both primary care for women and complementary and alternative medicine modalities. She is a nationally known speaker, researcher and writer, authoring numerous articles and two books titled Miracles in Healing and Healing Body, Mind and Spirit: An Integrative Approach to the Treatment of Eating Disorders.

“Dr. Ross’s interest in integrative approaches to the treatment of eating disorders, which take into account mind, body and spirit in the healing process, works well with the treatment model used at the Eating Disorder Center of Denver,” said the Center’s Clinical Director Tamara Pryor, PhD. “We receive referrals from all over the country of patients who have very severe eating disorders. Our bio-psycho-social and spiritual treatment approach empowers our patients to change their eating disordered behaviors and begin the recovery process,” she explained.

Founded in 2001, the Eating Disorder Center of Denver offers the highest level of care for adults with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and related eating disorders in the State of Colorado. Services include a partial hospitalization program, which consists of 11 hour days, 7 days a week. This highly structured program provides medical and psychiatric evaluation and follow-up, individual therapy, family/couples therapy, group therapy, psycho-educational groups and nutrition therapy, including three meals and two snacks per day. Housing is available. In addition to partial hospitalization, the Center provides an evening intensive outpatient program four hours a night, three days a week, and outpatient services for patients who do not need as much structure and support in the treatment of their eating disorders.

For more information on the Eating Disorder Center of Denver, call 866.771.0861 or visit the Center’s web site at www.edcdenver.com.

Coffee drinking may help thinking skills as women age

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According to a study published in the journal Neurology, active coffee drinkers over the age of 65 (who drank at least three cups of coffee a day) had demonstrably less decrease in memory functioning than women who drank only a single cup.

The study surveyed 7,000 women over a period of four years. Surprisingly, the effects of the caffeine increased as the women aged, with 30% less likely to suffer memory decline at 65, rising to 70% at age 80.

The study only looked at memory functioning, not at dementia, with the rates of dementia (Alzheimer’s) constant and unaffected by caffeine intake in the study.

Make sure your olive oil is fresh

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Everyone knows by now (or should know) that olive oil is one of the "healthier" cooking oils, and can lower total cholesterol as well as the unwanted LDL (low density lipoprotein) fraction in your blood.
But many people lose track of the freshness of their olive oil bottles. And as olive oil loses freshness over time, it loses some of the antioxidant properties which make it so valuable.

Health tip: make sure when you buy your olive oil that it is no older than one year, and use it before the next year is up.

Increased Waist Circumference Flags Health Problems

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The consequences of growing a "spare tire" means more than having to wear an oversize Hawaiian shirt to the pool.

According to a recently published study by Dr. Steven Kaplan, professor of urology at Cornell University, increased waist circumference provides "powerful correlation" for predicting whether male patients have an increased incidence of erectile and ejaculatory problems, diabetes, hypertension increased blood pressure, a high lipid level and an enlarged prostate.

Barbeque Grilled Food and Your Health

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You’ve been reading for years about the dangers lurking in grilled meats. But who doesn’t like to grill in the summer (or even the winter if the BBQ addiction is high enough).
So what do you do? How can you enjoy the simple pleasures of grilling without picturing yourself in a chemotherapy ward lamenting that last grilled steak?

The simplest solution (other than throwing the grill into the trash), is to not grill at high heats. High heats char the outside of the meat and increase the carcinogens. Cooking slower cuts down the exposure.

Additionally, cutting off the outside fat (particularly in lamb) cuts down the risk of flame-ups that burn the meat.
And it isn’t just meat. Anything with protein (fish, chicken, snake) can develop carcinogens on the grill.

Dieticians, such as Elizabeth Schaub at Baylor Medical Center point out that grilling vegetables and fruits is risk free.

Source: Baylor Health Care System

Obesity May be a “Contagious” Disease

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According to researchers at Harbard University, obesity is socially contagious. And, it can spread through your social ties. The research is actually inclined toward finding methods that can help in controlling the obesity and overweight epidemic.

The study reports that obesity cannot be cured just by treating the person suffering from it. For more effective treatment, it’s necessary to  treat the entire social network of the patient.
This is because people have a natural inclination of being influenced by the habits and appearance of those who are around them. Therefore, weight gain of one person in a particular social circle may encourage weight gain in others within the same group.

This new revelation supports the efforts to promote and educate people about the benefits of a nutritional diet in a workplace where many of us find social circles.

Source: Washington Post (7/25/07) 

Emerging Risk Factors for Gallstone Disease – Four Fs

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In medical school, you are taught the "four Fs" for suspicions of gallstones—Fair, Fat, Forty, Female. Recent research backs up these findings, with women between 20 – 60 having at least a 3X higher incidence of the disease than their male counterparts.

The American College of Gastroenterology has put out new guidelines for managing the risks of this disorder, including:

  • A body weight that is healthy
  • Avoidance of drastic dietary changes (i.e. crash diets)
  • Regular exercise
  • Choosing a diet rich in fruits, vegetable, grains and low-fat
  • Source: Newswise (7/24/07)