New drug Qnexa

The fact that the FDA advisory committee had voted in favor of this drug does not necessarily mean it will be approved by the FDA but at least it is a good first step. Qnexa is a combination of two drugs that have been in the market for many years and are commonly used, Phentermine and Topamax. I am including a copy of the public communication from OCC.

Obesity Care Continuum (OCC) Applauds FDA Advisory Committee Resounding Approval of QNEXA

For Immediate release
February 23, 2012               
                                                                                                              
For More Information:
James Zervios
Director of Communications
Obesity Action Coalition                                   
(800) 717-3117 
http://us.mc1610.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=jzervios@obesityaction.org
or
Francesca Dea
The Obesity Society
Executive Director                                 
(202) 210-8942
http://us.mc1610.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=fdea@obesity.org

Washington, DC – Members of the Obesity Care Continuum (OCC) are pleased with the FDA’s Advisory Committee near unanimous vote to approve QNEXA, a new drug to treat those affected by obesity and obesity-related co-morbidities, such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and more.

“The robust discussion by the panel surrounding both the risks and benefits of new obesity drugs is both refreshing and powerful,” said Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) President and CEO Joe Nadglowski. “Clearly, our message about treating obesity seriously is beginning to resonate with the FDA,” added Ted Kyle, RPh, MBA, Chair of The Obesity Society’s Advocacy Committee.

The 20 to 2 vote was surprising given the risk-oriented composition of the FDA chosen advisory committee, which included a number of experts in cardiovascular disease and neonatology – FDA suggested risk areas associated with QNEXA. Despite the strong endorsement of the advisory committee that the FDA approve QNEXA, member groups of the OCC remain cautiously optimistic until the agency renders its final decision this April. In 2011, the FDA failed to approve Contrave despite the obesity drug being approved by an advisory committee the previous year.

“Currently there is a vast gap in treatment options.  We have diet and exercise, and we have surgery, with nothing in between. Until we have more treatment options, such as obesity drugs, millions of Americans in this gap will continue to suffer from the devastating effects of untreated obesity,” said Dr. Patrick O’Neil, President of The Obesity Society.” “This a hopeful day for those affected by obesity. We hope that FDA shares this view as well,” added O’Neil.

About the Obesity Care Continuum (OCC):
With a combined membership of more than 125,000 healthcare professionals and patient advocates, the Obesity Care Continuum (OCC) is dedicated to promoting access to, and coverage of, the continuum of care surrounding the treatment of overweight and obesity. The OCC also challenges weight bias and stigma oriented policies – whenever and wherever they occur. The OCC is a coalition of the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC), the Obesity Society (TOS), the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

Trade fat for muscle workout summary

Hi again, I found this workout table that looks simple enough and it is short enough to follow at home. It does not need a lot of gear either.
Please give it a try, you'll like it :)
http://www.menshealth.com/workout-center/workout-program/27592/summary
Dr P
PS: you will not need a stress test before starting

How I Lost 115 Pounds | Yahoo! Health

Please, to everybody who does not believe they can do this with the help of a trained physician, support and medication, look what this woman did with just the main behavioral interventions that I soooo much repeat in every consult.
Please read:)
How I Lost 115 Pounds Yahoo! Health
Dearly,
Dr P

Ohio decision to remove child

Please, if you have a minute read the following press release from the Obesity Society regarding the recent decision to remove a child from his parents care due to his obesity problem.

Bariatric Physicians Do Not Support Ohio's Intervention for Childhood Obesity

The American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) was discouraged to learn of the state of Ohio's decision to remove an 8-year-old child from his home due to excessive weight issues. Media reports state that the boy was on the honor roll, actively participating in school activities, and not in any immediate danger.  The ASBP believes that this type of state intervention sets a dangerous precedent, is extreme and highly unjustified. 

With approximately one out of three children in America considered overweight or obese, childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions. ASBP does not attribute this dramatic increase solely to poor parenting. Race and ethnicity, genetic predisposition, environment in utero and birth weight all affect obesity rates long before any active parenting occurs. After birth poverty, infant feeding practices, parent education level, and the cost disparity between healthy and less healthful foods play a role. Children cannot expend energy as in the past due to the fear of abduction as well as unsafe sidewalks, trails, and parks.  In schools vending machines, poor quality school lunches, and the regrettable removal of physical education and health classes factor in.  If that child turns on a computer and browses the internet, she is barraged by cereal and candy advertisements. Increased caloric densities of foods and portion sizes have also paralleled our obesity epidemic.

This is not to say that parents are completely defenseless to our obesity causing environment.  As physicians who treat childhood obesity, the ASBP recognizes that parental involvement is paramount to a child's long-term success.  Simple changes such as sitting down to dinner as a family, decreasing fast food consumption, controlling electronics and modeling healthy eating behaviors can have a significant impact on the weight of the entire family.  Parents can remove junk foods from the home, decrease processed foods and increase produce (if they can afford to do so and have access to fresh fruits and vegetables).  However, these behaviors alone do not guarantee success.  Consider a family who has made these changes and the child remains severely obese.  ASBP does not agree that the best or only option is to remove the child from his home.

Considering approximately two million children are severely obese, it seems risky to conclude that parental neglect is the common cause. Further the sheer numbers are clearly more than an already overburdened foster care system can handle. Obese children are discriminated against by peers and teachers, are bullied relentlessly, and have a quality of life equivalent to that of a cancer patient.  The additional insult of removing a child from his or her home will in most cases do more harm than good. In addition, given the fact that 2/3 of our society is overweight and 1/3 obese, the chances that a child will be placed in a home of family who itself struggles with a weight problem is more likely than not.

In the case of the 8 year old Ohio boy, there appeared to be an engaged mother who expressed love for her child, but struggled to get him to lose weight. Since there were no reported signs of neglect or abuse in conjunction with this boy's obesity, the ASBP considers state intervention unnecessary, unrealistic and likely damaging to the child long term.

It's all in what you pick

Remember,at the end of the day, all calorie cuts will add up. Check this link!
http://eatthis.womenshealthmag.com/slide/2011-top-swap-pizzas?slideshow=185488#sharetagsfocus

Best and worst restaurants....

Hi! here's a  new list, with details, of what our beloved chain restaurants are really made off. There's the very Best and Worst of them. Read carefully and pay attention, it is still possible to eat out...if you know how to chose:) just click on the link below and you will be reading the article. Enjoy!

http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/best-and-worst-restaurants?cm_mmc=ETNTNL-_-669892-_-08242011#.TlT_EBD2NrQ.mailto

About the protein in your diet

Hi!! long time no posting!!! Here's a litle piece form an article that explains why I keep telling you the importance about the protien in your diet. For the full article I'm including the reference at the end. Enjoy!

Although any

dietary or lifestyle change must be personalized, controlled energy

intake in association with a moderately elevated protein intake may

represent an effective and practical weight-loss strategy. Potential

beneficial outcomes associated with protein ingestion include the

following:

to a greater extent than carbohydrate or fat andmayfacilitate a reduction

in energy consumption under ad libitum dietary conditions;

thermogenesis—higher-protein diets are associated with increased

thermogenesis, which also influences satiety and augments energy expenditure

(in the longer term, increased thermogenesis contributes to the

relatively low-energy efficiency of protein); and

accretion of fat-free mass—in some individuals, a moderately higher

protein diet may provide a stimulatory effect on muscle protein anabolism,

favoring the retention of lean muscle mass while improving

metabolic profile. Nevertheless, any potential benefits associated with a

moderately elevated protein intake must be evaluated in the light of

customary dietary practices and individual variability.

Nutr

1) increased satiety—protein generally increases satiety2) increased3) maintenance orAm J Clin2008;87(suppl):1558S–61S.Dr. P