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Theres no question that new injected medicines like Wegovy and Ozempic are helping a lot of people who are overweight or have obesity shed excess pounds. But a new study suggests that the high price tag for these drugs may mean theyre not always the most cost-effective option.

For the study, researchers did a cost-benefit analysis comparing two treatment options for people with obesity: weekly injections of semaglutide (the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic) or a minimally invasive weight loss procedure known as endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty. They used mathematical models to estimate the potential costs, weight loss, and changes in quality of life for each of these options, and in the scenario of no weight loss treatment at all.

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But over five years, people lost more weight and had lower medical costs with endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty than with semaglutide, the study found.

For semaglutide to be just as cost-effective as this procedure, the annual cost of the drug would need to be reduced by more than $10,000 from $13,618 per year to $3,591, researchers calculated.

This economic evaluation study suggests that endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty is cost-saving compared with semaglutide, concluded the senior study author,Christopher Thompson, MD, of Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston, and his colleagues.

This finding is due to the increased effectiveness and lower costs of endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty and the increased dropout rates over time with semaglutide, the authors wrote. Thompson didnt respond to requests for comment.

Ozempic and Wegovy both contain the same active ingredient, semaglutide, and are in a family of medicines known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that can help control blood sugar and reduce hunger.

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I think semaglutide is less cost effective because it is an ongoing, monthly cost to patients, whereas a procedure like ESG has the costs of the intervention, but no ongoing monthly costs, says Anita Courcoulas, MD, MPH, a professor and the chair of minimally invasive bariatric and general surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Up to about 1 in 5 people who start taking semaglutide stop, either because of side effects or costs, the study also estimated. Because patients regain weight when they stop treatment, this also contributes to the reduced cost-effectiveness of the medication, according to the study.

The study also focuses on overall health costs, not necessarily what patients would pay out of pocket for the procedure or the medication to aid weight loss.

At this point in time, insurance typically covers older versions of bariatric surgery that require incisions through the skin to reach the stomach, says Dr. Courcoulas, who wasnt involved in the new study. But because both ESG and semaglutide are relatively new options for weight loss, many patients will struggle to get insurance coverage for either one of these options, Courcoulas says.

Typically insurance coverage takes time and a good deal of long-term safety and efficacy data behind it, so I do not predict that the majority of insurers will cover the new medications or ESG in the very near future, Courcoulas says.

Bariatric surgery is covered by many insurers after a series of preparatory steps are completed, Courcoulas adds. So right now, surgery is covered more so than the less-invasive options, but once more data evolves for the newer treatment options, more coverage will likely come.

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Ozempic and Wegovy Are More Expensive and Less Effective Than Gastroplasty - Everyday Health

Professor Tim Spector has revealed his intermittent fasting routine. (Getty Images)

Intermittent fasting has become extremely popular in recent months, with celebrities and public figures like Coldplays Chris Martin and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak talking about the health benefits of the diet.

Epidemiologist and gut health expert Professor Tim Spector has revealed that he also practises intermittent fasting and revealed his routine in a new interview on the ZOE Science and Nutrition podcast.

Prof Spector, who is a co-founder of nutrition platform ZOE, said he believes that in order to sustain the diet in the long-term, being too "rigid" with it could actually lead to failure.

He commented on a recent study that suggested intermittent fasting could be linked to an increased risk of death from fatal heart disease. In a large-scale study tracking about 20,000 adults in the US, scientists found that people who ate within an eight-hour window and fasted the rest of the time were nearly twice as likely to die from heart attacks or strokes.

However, the study found better results among people who said they spread their eating across 12 to 16 hours in a day.

"It looks like the sweet spot for when the results start sort of turning significant is around at this 10-hour eating window," Prof Spector said. "I tend to start eating at 10.30am or 11am in the morning.

"If Im doing any exercise or workouts, I do those in the morning. And then I would finish eating or drinking anything other than black tea or black coffee at 9pm at night. I do that for probably five or six days a week."

He continued: "Im not absolutely rigid on it because I realise that I want to sustain this long-term, and I dont want to feel like a failure if Im given this general rule, if you can do things five days out of seven, youre doing pretty well."

The scientist also revealed that he doesnt restrict himself while on holiday and he wants to eat. "Occasionally, you know, I might be in France and theres an incredible breakfast buffet and Im saying, Oh, really? Am I going to miss all that?

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"Sometimes I just do it and life is too short not to take rare opportunities as well."

Stephens, who is the author of the 28-Day Fast Start Day-by-Day and Fast. Feast. Repeat, added that the idea you need to restrict food and deny yourself things you enjoy is what puts many people off intermittent fasting.

She countered this idea and said: "Words sound so scary. The word fasting makes you think that youre doing to [go] 40 days and 40 nights wandering in the desert.

"But intermittent fasting, the word intermittent is key. You are having periods of fasting and periods of eating, which every single person who is listening or watching already does.

"That is just changing the balance of that. You know, you go to bed, you sleep, you wake up in a fasted state. Probably everyone listening has had fasted [for] blood work before.

"o our bodies are already fasted every single day. If you live an intermittent fasting lifestyle, the difference is you just extend that period instead of most people having this much for your feeding time and this much for fasting, we just switch it. And so youre fasting for a longer period of the day intentionally."

Dr Michael Mosley, founder of personalised diet programme The Fast 800, says that anyone starting intermittent fasting should first determine whether its the right diet for them. Such diets or weight loss programmes are not suitable for people who have a history of eating disorders, people on certain medications or who have recently had surgery, or people who are planning to get pregnant.

He adds that, if intermittent fasting is something youd like to try, its important to ensure youre eating healthy calories.

"You want them to be packed full of protein and other nutrients, so you need to make sure youre following healthy recipes that meet your nutritional needs," he tells Yahoo UK.

Dr Mosley also advises that telling your friends and family that you plan to start intermittent fasting can help you ensure you get proper support, as "in the early days, it can be quite tough".

"The good news is that people say that they are surprised how quickly they get into the pattern and they very quickly stop feeling hungry, he says. "I think it is also important to clear out your cupboards and get rid of the junk food because unfortunately, if your cupboards are still full of junk food, it's very tempting when youre feeling a little bit peckish in the middle of the night!

"I know that if I have chocolate and biscuits in the house, I will eat them, despite everything that I know, so my advice is to remove temptation. There's a fair amount of pre-planning that needs to go into it if you're going to be successful.

"Rather just jump into it, do read about it first. Have a plan, work out what you're going to do, inform your friends and family and then get going."

Watch: What Is Intermittent Fasting and Is It Right for You?

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Gut health expert Tim Spector reveals key to long-term intermittent fasting - Yahoo Lifestyle UK

LOS ANGELES Every parent is aware of the detrimental effects drugs and alcohol can have on a childs developing brain, but new research suggests moms and dads all over may want to start considering candy bars just as bad as beer cans. A study conducted using rodents at the University of Southern California found rats fed a diet full of fat and sugar during adolescence suffered long-term memory impairment persisting well into adulthood.

All in all, the study authors believe these findings show that a junk food-filled diet may disrupt a teens memory ability for a long time, just like rats.

What we see not just in this paper, but in some of our other recent work, is that if these rats grew up on this junk food diet, then they have these memory impairments that dont go away, says Scott Kanoski, a professor of biological sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, in a media release. If you just simply put them on a healthy diet, these effects unfortunately last well into adulthood.

While developing the study, Prof. Kanoski and postdoctoral research fellow Anna Hayes took into account prior research that uncovered a link between poor diet and Alzheimers disease. Those diagnosed with Alzheimers disease tend to display lower levels of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine in their brains. That neurotransmitter is essential to memory and many other functions like learning, attention, arousal, and involuntary muscle movement.

So, researchers wondered what that might mean for younger individuals following a similar fat-filled, sugary, Western diet, especially when their brain is undergoing significant development during adolescence. By tracking the influence of the diet on the rodents levels of acetylcholine and having the rats undergo some memory testing, researchers successfully learned more about the important relationship between diet and memory.

Next, study authors tracked acetylcholine levels among a group of rats following a fatty, sugary diet, as well as among a control group of rats. They analyzed their brain responses to certain tasks intended to test their memory. From there, researchers analyzed the rats brains post-mortem for any signs of disrupted acetylcholine levels.

The memory test used in the study involved allowing the rats to explore new objects in different locations. Then, days later, researchers reintroduced the rats to a scene that was nearly identical except for the addition of one new object. Rats who had been on the junk food diet showed signs of not being able to remember which objects they had previously seen and where. Meanwhile, those in the control group were more familiar with their surroundings.

Acetylcholine signaling is a mechanism to help them encode and remember those events, analogous to episodic memory in humans that allows us to remember events from our past, Hayes explains. That signal appears to not be happening in the animals that grew up eating the fatty, sugary diet.

Prof. Kanoski emphasizes that adolescence is a very sensitive period for the brain, as important changes occur in development.

I dont know how to say this without sounding like Cassandra and doom and gloom, he adds, but unfortunately, some things that may be more easily reversible during adulthood are less reversible when they are occurring during childhood.

In conclusion, the research team adds there is some hope for intervention. Prof. Kanoski says that during another round of the study, study authors examined if the memory damage in rats raised on the junk food diet may be reversible with medication inducing the release of acetylcholine. They used two drugs for this purpose: PNU-282987 and carbachol, finding that with those treatments given directly to the hippocampus, a brain region responsible for memory often disrupted by Alzheimers disease, the rats memory ability returned.

However, without that special medical intervention, Prof. Kanoski stresses more research is necessary to understand how memory problems from a junk food diet during adolescence may be reversible.

The full study can be found here, published in Brain Behavior and Immunity.

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Eating junk food during childhood may lead to long-term, irreversible memory issues - - Study Finds

So-called wellness hacks may come and go, but unfortunately diet culture is forever. And its trends like TikToks latest obsession with the oatzempic drink that canand doperpetuate the latter. (See the Slimfast consumer to almond mom pipeline.)

Oatzempica mixed beverage that social media users claim helps with weight lossisnt anything new or groundbreaking. Nor does the TikTok disinformation cycle have any shortage of controversial or unsubstantiated beauty fads and nutritional claims. However, the oatzempic challenge is specifically giving me flashbacks to the horrible get thin quick by solely drinking your calories culture of the early aughts Because, well, thats all it is.

Despite its punny name, oatzempic has nothing to do with Ozempic, Wegovy, or any other weight-loss injections: Its just a drinkable meal replacement. Whats more, unlike actual GLP-1 medications, the oatzempic drink is not an FDA-approved medication, nor are there studies, doctors, or dietitians who can speak to its efficacy or safety. Further, doctors and dietitians dont cosign the oatzempic drink challenge as any form of health, wellness, or even weight-loss regimen.

Heres everything you need to know about the oatzempic drink youre seeing all over your FYP, as explained by a doctor and nutritionist.

As we said before, oatzempic is not Ozempic. Its merely a mixed beverage comprising oats, lime, water, and cinnamon. On its own, thatswell, unappetizing, but nothing too egregious, right?

Right. But the corresponding oatzempic drink challenge thats going viral is not medically or nutritionally sound. The challengewhich stems from one TikTok users claims that exclusively consuming the beverage and intermittent fasting for two months can result in 40 pounds of weight lossasks participants to do the same. This took the app by storm, with thousands of comments on the original video from users alleging that theyve since adopted the regimen.

Doctors and weight-loss experts, however, dont recommend it. For one, 40 pounds of weight loss in two months is excessive. As a general rule of thumb, a progressive weight loss of one to two pounds per week is considered safe and sustainable, registered dietitian Michelle Cardel, PhD, head of global clinical research and nutrition at WeightWatchers, tells Glamour. Two months of healthy weight loss should amount to somewhere between 8 and 16 poundsnot even close to 40.

Whats more, Dr. Cardel adds, is that while pairing this drink with your breakfast or having it as a snack may be okay, she doesnt suggest it it as a meal replacement It is not a sustainable approach for long-term weight loss or maintenance.

So, does drinking oatzempic really cause weight loss? It may be possiblebut not in any healthy way. Exclusively consuming oatsand no other foodwould likely put participants at a significant caloric deficit, which can and does lead to weight loss. However, it also puts them at a steep nutritional deficiency.

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'Oatzempic' Isn't the Weight Loss Hack You Think It Is - Glamour

In diet culture, low-carbohydrate diets are hailed as weight-loss wonders, and we know them by name: Atkins, South Beach, and paleo. The ketogenic diet, shortened to keto, is one of those low-carb diets. The difference between the keto diet and others is that while one group advises replacing carbohydrates with protein, the keto diet swaps carbs with fats. But although results appear to happen fast, this diet, which has a history as a medical treatment, comes with some health risks.

jump to the REASONS

When done correctly, the lack of carbs consumed on a keto diet forces the body into a metabolic state called ketosis. In this state, the liver produces a substance called ketones from stored fats. These ketones then supply the body with energy in place of carbohydratesthe bodys usual source of energywhich leads to rapid weight loss in many people. But, is that a good thing? And is the keto diet actually healthy?

Its effective for weight loss because it removes so many foods from the diet and is an extremely restrictive diet. Any diet that eliminates entire food groups will be weight loss-inducing, Dana Ellis Hunnes, PhD, MPH, RD, explains to VegNews. This is not a healthy diet, however.

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The keto diet that sends your body into a state of ketosis isnt meant for everyday people. Physicians introduced it to the medical world back in the 1920s to treat children with epilepsy and seizure disorders and as an adjunct therapy to reduce the risk of seizures. Not for the average person just trying to lose weight, adds Hunnes. Most fad-followers of a keto diet are not actually in ketosis, unless they are being closely followed by a dietitian who knows how to develop a ketogenic plan.

Generally, a keto diet is 70 to 80 percent fats, 5 to 10 percent carbohydrates, and 10 to 20 percent protein. According to Harvard Health, this adds up to 165 grams of fat, 40 grams of carbohydrates, and 75 grams of protein. To put these numbers into perspective, half a cup of cooked long-grain brown rice contains nearly 26 grams of carbohydrates. And, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that you get around 25 to 35 percent of your daily calorie intake from fats.

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To get into more specifics, the keto diet includes meat, eggs, fatty fish, high-fat dairy products, nuts and seeds, avocados, healthy oils, green beans, and vegetables that are members of the cabbage family. It restricts grains and starches (such as rice, pasta, and bread), all other vegetables, tubers, most fruit, beans and legumes, processed low-fat and sugar-free products, highly refined oils, sugary foods and drinks, and alcohol.

When it comes to sustaining a healthy weight, this fast-acting eating plan might be best left in the graveyard of fad diets.

But, you may want to consider a whole food plant-based diet for the long-term instead. Often shortened to WFPB, a whole food, plant-based diet emphasizes unprocessed grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and seeds. It excludes all animal products and restricts processed oils, refined sugars, white foods (like bread, rice, and pasta), fried food, and many pre-made foods.

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Lets go over the health risks of the keto diet and why you might want to consider whole, plant-based foods instead.

The keto diet often encourages foods such as processed meats, fatty meats, and butter. Keto is a risk to heart health when it is extremely high in animal proteins and animal fats, says Hunnes, adding that the diet can increase inflammation in the body. Though its exact role in heart health is unknown, inflammation is common in heart disease and stroke patients. However, this inflammation is often hidden by the fact that it is a low-calorie diet, and a low-enough calorie diet can decrease the risk of increased and high cholesterol levels, adds Hunnes.

Many keto foods also happen to be high in saturated fat, which is known to increase low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in the blood. A meta-analysis of more than 100 studies on the keto diet published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition found that it raises both the risk of heart disease and LDL cholesterol buildup if used as a long-term eating plan.

However, studies have linked diets rich in whole, plant-based foods such as whole grains, legumes, fruits, non-starchy vegetables, nuts, and healthy oils rich in unsaturated fats with lower cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and reduced inflammation.

Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes are all rich in dietary fiber, a nutrient that helps increase feelings of fullness and aids in digestive health. But, a keto diet is very low in fiber from fruits, vegetables, and grains. It is especially low in beta-glucan, a type of fiber found in grains such as barley and oats. Studies suggest that beta-glucan also helps to maintain healthy cholesterol and blood glucose levels.

In addition to that, beta-glucan and other cereal fibers help you maintain a healthy gut microbiome, Julie Miller Jones, PhD, LN, CNS, and a scientific advisor for the Joint Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition for the University of Maryland and the US Food and Drug Administration, tells VegNews.

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Thus, followers of the [keto] diet may not only suffer from constipation and slow transit times, but may also lack the protection provided by the fermentation of fibers in the large bowel, explains Jones. This fermentation of these carbohydrates feeds a healthy microbiome, which in turn produces short-chain fatty acids that lower colonic pH, and are associated with lower growth of polyps and colon cancer.

However, a whole food, plant-based diet emphasizes an array of high-fiber foods that aid in a healthy gut microbiome and good digestion, reports a study published in Frontiers in Nutrition in 2019.

You may be missing out on key vitamins and minerals on a long-term keto diet because it restricts so many types of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. You can have greens from the cabbage family, but most other vegetablesincluding potatoesare out. Avocados and lemons are the only exception for permitted fruits. So, over time, a keto-follower may become deficient in some nutrients.

A study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that those who adhere to fad dietsin this case, two of ketos low-carbohydrate siblings, the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet, and the carb-heavy DASH diethave a high likelihood of becoming micronutrient-deficient.

A whole food plant-based diet, on the other hand, encourages obtaining as many nutrients as possible from food, so it encourages eating a wide range of ingredients. But, thats not to say that its perfect. Anyone following any type of vegan diet should supplement vitamin B-12, an essential nutrient that cannot be obtained from plant-based foods.

Its common for keto diet followers to experience rapid weight loss. But, thats not a reason for celebration. Like many other fad diets, keto isnt meant to permanently change the way you eat. Its temporary, and followers often regain the weight they lost after going back to their regular eating habits.

SHVETS Production/Pexels

Along with its health risks, the inability to stick to the diet is one of the major reasons why keto has been ranked at the bottom of US News and World Report diet rankings, says Jones. Its also why prestigious organizations such as the Mayo Clinic recommend it for intractable epilepsy but almost nothing else. So while keto promotes rapid weight loss, it does not create dietary patterns that are sustainable and therefore does not lead to sustained weight loss for the vast majority of people.

But, on top of its other benefits, a study published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine suggests that a whole food, plant-based diet could aid in safe, sustainable weight loss.

The keto diet comes with a host of other health risks and the one that most people experience first is something called the keto flu. Symptoms include a cloudy mind, dizziness, nausea, cramps, headache, irritability, and constipation.This condition, which is not medically recognized, is known to emerge two to seven days after starting a keto diet. The cause is not known, nor is it unique to the keto diet, and many people who have drastically switched up their diet have reported similar symptoms. Additional negative side effects of a long-term keto diet suggested by studies include a higher risk of kidney stones, osteoporosis, and higher heart rates for athletes.

While there is no evidence that directly ties the keto diet to eating disorders, many dietitians warn that restrictive fad diets, in general, can feed yo-yo dieting and disordered eating.

In addition to that, because the keto diet is so heavy on animal products, its not good for the planet, either. Industrial animal agriculture is the culprit behind 14.5 percent of human-caused global greenhouse gas emissions, while a plant-forward diet puts significantly less strain on the planet. So if youre looking to eat more healthfully and sustainably, a whole food, plant-based diet could be worth a shot. As always, any major changes to your diet should be discussed with your doctor first.

Kat Smith is a Queens, NY-based freelance writer and editor who loves cooking and discovering local vegan hidden gems.

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5 Reasons to Ditch Keto and Get More Protein From Plants - VegNews

Oprah Winfrey will return to the small screen on Monday to debut an hour-long television program entitled An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution. The new special follows Winfreys exit from the board of WeightWatchers, where she served for nearly a decade after acquiring a 10% stake in the company.

I look forward to continuing to advise and collaborate with WeightWatchers and CEO Sima Sistani in elevating the conversation around recognizing obesity as a chronic condition, working to reduce stigma, and advocating for health equity, Winfrey said in a statement.

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In December, Winfrey spoke to People about her use of weight-loss drugs, though she didnt specify which ones she used.

The fact that theres a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for, she told the magazine.

Ahead, learn more about Winfreys upcoming special.

Taped in front of a live studio audience, Winfrey will sit down with medical experts to discuss a variety of weight loss medications including Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy.

Winfrey will be joined by Cleveland Clinics Dr. W. Scott Butsch, ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News medical correspondent Dr. Darien Sutton and Cedars-Sinai Medical Centers Dr. Amanda Velazquez. Winfrey will also speak to patients from around the country about their experience using weight loss drugs.

Questions addressed in the special include: Who are the medications really intended for? Who is eligible to receive weight loss drugs? What are the short-term and long-term side effects?

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We are thrilled to work with Oprah and the voices she has assembled to open a dialogue that destigmatizes and educates viewers on the important and polarizing topic of weight loss, said Craig Erwich, president of Disney Television Group, in a statement. I can think of no one better to lead this meaningful conversation about such a critical issue that touches all of our lives.

It is a very personal topic for me and for the hundreds of millions of people impacted around the globe who have for years struggled with weight and obesity, said Oprah in a statement. This special will bring together medical experts, leaders in the space and people in the day-to-day struggle to talk about health equity and obesity with the intention to ultimately release the shame, judgment and stigma surrounding weight.

An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution airs Monday, March 18 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution will be available to stream on Hulu starting March 19.

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How to Watch Oprah Winfrey's 'Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution' Special: Air Times, What to Know and ... - Yahoo News UK

At a Glance

Diabetes affects more than 38 million people nationwide. It occurs when levels of blood sugar, or glucose, are too high. Over time, excess bloodglucose can lead to serious health problems, such as heart disease, stroke, nerve damage, and eye disease.

Some people with type 2 diabetesthe most common typekeep blood glucose in check by making lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise. Medications can also help to control blood glucose. Clinical trials over the past few decades have found that bariatric surgery, or weight-control surgery, can also help control type 2 diabetes. But it had been unclear which of these interventions might have better long-term outcomes.

To learn more, NIH-supported researchers at four institutions drew on data collected from four previous clinical trials conducted between May 2007 and August 2013. These trials were single-center studies comparing the effectiveness of bariatric surgeries to medical and lifestyle interventions. The surgeries included sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, and adjustable gastric banding. The medical and lifestyle interventions included nutrition counseling, self-monitoring of glucose, and medication to treat diabetes. By pooling data from the four clinical trials, the researchers had a larger, more diverse data set to analyze. Follow-up data was collected 7 to 12 years after the start of the original trials, through July 2022.

In total, 262 study participants agreed to long-term follow-up. All were between ages 18 and 65. Each had overweight or obesity, as measured by body mass index (BMI). Nearly 70% of participants were women, 31% were Black, and 67% were white. More than half (166) were randomized to receive bariatric surgery. The remaining 96 received diabetes medications plus lifestyle interventions known to be effective for weight loss. Results appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association on February 27, 2024.

The researchers found that, seven years after the original intervention, 54% of those in the surgery group had an A1c measurement less than 7%.A1c is a blood test that measures a persons average blood sugar levels over the previous two or three months.In contrast, only 27% of those in the medical/lifestyle group had similar A1c values.

In addition, 18% of those in the surgery group no longer had signs or symptoms of diabetes by year seven, compared to 6% in the medical/lifestyle group. The surgery group also had an average weight loss of 20%, compared to 8% in the other group. The differences between groups remained significant at 12 years.

No differences in major side effects were detected. The surgery group did have a higher number of fractures, anemia, low iron, and gastrointestinal events. These might have been due to greater weight loss and associated nutritional deficiencies. Sleeve gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass were both better than adjustable gastric banding at reducing A1c levels.

The surgeries appeared to be beneficial even among those with lower BMI scores, between 27 and 34 at study enrollment. That BMI range includes overweight and low-range obesity. Such people had typically been excluded from receiving bariatric surgery for diabetes. But this finding aligns with other recent data that support the use of surgery for some people with a BMI less than 35.

These results show that people with overweight or obesity and type 2 diabetes can make long-termimprovements in their health and change the trajectory of their diabetes through surgery, says Dr. Jean Lawrence of NIHs National Institute of Diabetes andDigestive and Kidney Diseases.

References:Long-Term Outcomes of Medical Management vs Bariatric Surgery in Type 2 Diabetes. Courcoulas AP, Patti ME, Hu B, Arterburn DE, Simonson DC, Gourash WF, Jakicic JM, Vernon AH, Beck GJ, Schauer PR, Kashyap SR, Aminian A, Cummings DE, Kirwan JP. JAMA. 2024 Feb 27;331(8):654-664. doi: 10.1001/jama.2024.0318. PMID: 38411644.

Funding:NIHs National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

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Weight-loss surgery yields long-term benefits for type 2 diabetes - National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov)

Oprah Winfrey has once again taken to the airwaves to talk about her experiences with weight loss, this time focusing on how medications like Wegovy and Zepbound can transform the lives of people with obesity.

During the hourlong ABC broadcast, An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame, and the Weight Loss Revolution, the media mogul stressed how stigma shaped her struggles with weight and how medications changed not just her body size, but also her understanding of what causes obesity and what to do about it. She didn't say which medication she takes, but the special did highlight newer injected weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound.

In my entire life, I never dreamed that we would be talking about medicines that are providing hope for people like me who have struggled for years with being overweight or with obesity, Winfrey said during the special, which is now available on Hulu.

RELATED: Everyday Health's Survey and Special Report: Weight Loss Reframed

So I come to this conversation in the hope that we can start releasing the stigma and the shame and the judgment to stop shaming other people for being overweight or how they chose to lose and not lose weight, Winfrey said. And more importantly, to stop shaming ourselves.

Here are some key takeaways from the special, including tips from Oprah and several medical experts who joined her for the conversation about weight loss.

One message came through loud and clear: Shame doesnt solve anything.

During the special, Winfrey recalled how she used to think about herself and her body, and how weight loss medications helped her move away from those negative thoughts.

There is now a sense of hope, number one, and number two, you no longer blame yourself," she said of her experience with weight loss drugs. When I tell you how many times I have blamed myself because you think, I'm smart enough to figure this out, and then to hear all along, it's you fighting your brain.

In the past, Oprah said she thought about dieting and weight loss as an exercise in willpower.

She recalled that what was cast as a triumph over obesity earlier in her career the day in the late 1980s when she wheeled out a wagon of fat on her talk show to represent her wildly successful weight loss efforts happened because she starved herself for five months.

After losing 67 pounds on a liquid diet, the next day, the very next day, I started to gain it back, Winfrey said.

Theres a name some people have for obsessive thoughts about what to eat: food noise. In a nutshell, food noise involves intrusive thoughts about eating that can contribute to disordered eating.

Oprah said that, looking back on her previous struggles with her weight, its possible food noise played a role. Medications helped quiet that noise, she said.

For the people who think that this could be the relief and support and freedom that youve been looking for your whole life, bless you, because theres space for all points of view, she says of people who think medicines might help silence their own internal monologues about food.

During the special, Winfrey, who left the board of WW (Weight Watchers) last month after a decade promoting the brand, said she invited Sima Sistani, the chief executive of WW International, to join her onstage to tackle a really tough topic: why some people succeed with weight loss and others dont. Sistani described why WW now embraces weight loss medicines along with its long-standing support for lifestyle changes.

We are the most clinically tested, evidence-based, science-backed behavior change program, but we were missing the third prong, which was biology, Sistani said. There could be somebody who needs medication because they have that biological underpinning, and what was so important is for us to provide that care and also to help people release the shame.

Echoing Oprahs message throughout the special, Sistani also acknowledged that dieting isnt necessarily enough on its own for people to manage their weight.

For all those people who came side-by-side and took on the behavior change, some of them walked away without the success, Sistani said. And to those people I want to say, its not your fault.

Two physicians also joined Oprah for the special, W. Scott Butsch, MD, the director of obesity medicine at the Bariatric and Metabolic Institute at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, and Amanda Velazquez, MD, the director of obesity medicine at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. They both have financial ties to companies that make weight loss drugs, and they talked about how these medicines can address the biological underpinnings of obesity.

Theres a spectrum of obesity; its not one disease, its many different subtypes of a disease, Dr. Butsch says. Without recognizing this, its easier to believe the false idea that people with obesity made poor choices that failed to control their weight with good eating and exercise habits.

This is just a reflection of someones uneducated belief that this is a self-inflicted condition, as if people who have obesity want to have obesity, Butsch added. That these are weaker people who have no willpower and who cant cut it and people who are thin have willpower and can cut it.

After years of thinking that gaining and losing weight was a matter of willpower, Oprah now has a new perspective. And with that knowledge, she said shes found a new way to combat the shame and stigma that can come from having obesity or taking weight loss medicines to treat this condition.

All these years, I thought all the people who never had to diet were just using their willpower and they were for some reason stronger than me, Winfrey said.

But now I realize y'all weren't even thinking about the food, Oprah said. It's not that you had the willpower. You weren't even thinking about it. You weren't obsessing about it.

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6 Lessons From Oprah's TV Special on Weight Loss Drugs - Everyday Health

Oprah Winfrey will return to the small screen on Monday to debut an hour-long television program entitled An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution. The new special follows Winfreys exit from the board of WeightWatchers, where she served for nearly a decade after acquiring a 10% stake in the company.

I look forward to continuing to advise and collaborate with WeightWatchers and CEO Sima Sistani in elevating the conversation around recognizing obesity as a chronic condition, working to reduce stigma, and advocating for health equity, Winfrey said in a statement.

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In December, Winfrey spoke to People about her use of weight-loss drugs, though she didnt specify which ones she used.

The fact that theres a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for, she told the magazine.

Ahead, learn more about Winfreys upcoming special.

Taped in front of a live studio audience, Winfrey will sit down with medical experts to discuss a variety of weight loss medications including Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy.

Winfrey will be joined by Cleveland Clinics Dr. W. Scott Butsch, ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News medical correspondent Dr. Darien Sutton and Cedars-Sinai Medical Centers Dr. Amanda Velazquez. Winfrey will also speak to patients from around the country about their experience using weight loss drugs.

Questions addressed in the special include: Who are the medications really intended for? Who is eligible to receive weight loss drugs? What are the short-term and long-term side effects?

We are thrilled to work with Oprah and the voices she has assembled to open a dialogue that destigmatizes and educates viewers on the important and polarizing topic of weight loss, said Craig Erwich, president of Disney Television Group, in a statement. I can think of no one better to lead this meaningful conversation about such a critical issue that touches all of our lives.

It is a very personal topic for me and for the hundreds of millions of people impacted around the globe who have for years struggled with weight and obesity, said Oprah in a statement. This special will bring together medical experts, leaders in the space and people in the day-to-day struggle to talk about health equity and obesity with the intention to ultimately release the shame, judgment and stigma surrounding weight.

An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution airs Monday, March 18 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution will be available to stream on Hulu starting March 19.

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How to Watch Oprah Winfrey's 'Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution' Special: Air Times, What to Know and ... - Yahoo Life

Intermittent fasting when people only eat at certain times of day has exploded in popularity in recent years. But now a surprising new study suggests that there might be reason to be cautious: It found that some intermittent fasters were more likely to die of heart disease.

The findings were presented Monday at an American Heart Association meeting in Chicago and focused on a popular version of intermittent fasting that involves eating all your meals in just eight hours or less resulting in at least a 16-hour daily fast, commonly known as time-restricted eating.

The study analyzed data on the dietary habits of 20,000 adults across the United States who were followed from 2003 to 2018. They found that people who adhered to the eight-hour eating plan had a 91 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease compared to people who followed a more traditional dietary pattern of eating their food across 12 to 16 hours each day.

The scientists found that this increased risk also applied to people who were already living with a chronic disease or cancer. People with existing cardiovascular disease who followed a time-restricted eating pattern had a 66 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease or a stroke. Those who had cancer meanwhile were more likely to die of the disease if they followed a time-restricted diet compared to people with cancer who followed an eating duration of at least 16 hours a day.

The study results suggest that people who practice intermittent fasting for long periods of time, particularly those with existing heart conditions or cancer, should be extremely cautious, said Victor Wenze Zhong, the lead author and the chair of the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in China.

Based on the evidence as of now, focusing on what people eat appears to be more important than focusing on the time when they eat, he added.

Zhong said that he and his colleagues conducted the new study because they wanted to see how eating in a narrow window each day would impact hard endpoints such as heart disease and mortality. He said that they were surprised by their findings.

We had expected that long-term adoption of eight-hour time restricted eating would be associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular death and even all-cause death, he said.

The data didnt explain why time-restricted eating increased a persons health risks. But the researchers did find that people who followed a 16:8 time-restricted eating pattern, where they eat during an eight-hour window and fast for 16, had less lean muscle mass compared to people who ate throughout longer periods of the day. That lines up with a previous clinical trial published in JAMA Internal Medicine, which found that people assigned to follow a time-restricted diet for three months lost more muscle than a control group that was not assigned to do intermittent fasting.

Holding onto muscle as you age is important. It protects you against falls and disability and can boost your metabolic health. Studies have found that having low muscle mass is linked to higher mortality rates, including a higher risk of dying from heart disease, said Zhong.

He stressed that the findings were not definitive. The study uncovered a correlation between time-restricted eating and increased mortality, but it could not show cause and effect. Its possible for example that people who restricted their food intake to an eight-hour daily window had other habits or risk factors that might explain their increased likelihood of dying from heart disease. The scientists also noted that the study relied on self-reported dietary information. Its also possible that the participants did not always accurately report their eating durations.

Intermittent fasting has been widely touted by celebrities and health experts who say it produces weight loss and a variety of health benefits. Another form of intermittent fasting involves alternating fasting days with days of eating normally. Some people follow the 5:2 diet, in which they eat normally for five days a week and then fast for two days.

But time-restricted eating is generally considered the easiest form of intermittent fasting for people to follow because it doesnt require full-day fasts. It also typically doesnt involve excessive food restriction. Adherents often eat or drink whatever they want during the eight-hour eating period the only rule is that they dont eat at other times of day.

Some of the earliest studies on time-restricted eating found that it helped prevent mice from developing obesity and metabolic syndrome. These were followed by mostly small clinical trials in humans, some of which showed that time-restricted eating helped people lose weight and improve their blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels. These studies were largely short-term, typically lasting one to three months, and in some cases showed no benefit.

One of the most rigorous studies of time-restricted eating was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2022. It found that people with obesity who were assigned to follow a low-calorie diet and instructed to eat only between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily lost no more weight than people who ate the same number of calories throughout the day with no restrictions on when they could eat. The two diets had similar effects on blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and other metabolic markers.

The findings suggest that any benefits of time-restricted eating likely result from eating fewer calories.

Christopher Gardner, the director of nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, said he encouraged people to approach the new study with healthy skepticism. He said that while the findings were interesting, he wants to see all the data, including potential demographic differences in the study subjects.

Did they all have the same level of disposable income and the same level of stress, he said. Or is it that the people who ate less than eight hours a day worked three jobs, had very high stress, and didnt have time to eat?

Gardner said that studying intermittent fasting can be challenging because there are so many variations of it, and determining its impact on longevity requires closely following people for long periods of time.

But he said that so far, the evidence supporting intermittent fasting for weight loss and other outcomes is mixed at best, with some studies showing short-term benefits and others showing no benefit at all. I dont think the data are very strong for intermittent fasting, he added. One of the challenges in nutrition is that just because something works really well for a few people doesnt mean its going to work for everyone.

He said that his biggest complaint with intermittent fasting is that it doesnt address diet quality. It doesnt say anything about choosing poorly when youre eating, he said. What if I have an eight-hour eating window but Im eating Pop Tarts and Cheetos and drinking Coke in that window? Im not a fan of that long term. I think thats potentially problematic.

Do you have a question about healthy eating? Email EatingLab@washpost.com and we may answer your question in a future column.

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Intermittent fasting may raise risk of heart disease death, study shows - The Washington Post

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