In addition to being an effective treatment for weight loss, bariatric surgery may create a ‘halo’ effect that allows a patient’s family members to lose weight. The finding recently appeared in the medical journal Archives of Surgery. Researchers at Stanford University’s School of Medicine discovered that 1 year after a patient underwent weight loss surgery, [...]

Alberta’s provincial government is taking steps to combat obesity by increasing access to weight loss surgery and funding programs in the province’s schools. Alberta Health, the provincial health agency, estimates there are one million obese Albertans, and another one million who are overweight. That’s about 25 per cent of the province’s population. The agency has [...]

A new study suggests doctors aren’t discussing weight loss surgery as an option with their patients nearly as much as they should. The study, conducted by the Obesity Action Coalition and Ethicon Endo-Surgery, shows that while four out of five obese individuals had discussed their weight with a doctor, only one in ten who met [...]

For couples who have gone through the experience, it’s no secret that having a partner undergo weight loss surgery can be a challenge. But few understand just how challenging it can be to keep a marriage together after WLS. It’s something that Vincent Welsh of Michigan and his wife Michelle understand all too well. “I [...]

Age does not appear to bring increased risks for elderly obese patients who undergo weight loss surgery, according to a new study. The study followed some 48,000 adults who had gastric banding procedures between 2005 and 2009. Adults over 65 years of age are not at significantly greater risk of health problems a month after [...]

Obese women who undergo weight loss surgery are 42 per cent less likely to develop cancer than obese women who do not have WLS, according to a new study published in the Lancet Oncology journal. The study was conducted over a 10 year period. Obesity has long been associated with cancer, and the Lancet study [...]

You don’t have to be morbidly obese with over 100 pounds to lose to benefit from weight loss surgery like adjustable gastric banding. More and more, people with only 50 or so pounds to shed who’ve struggled with weight loss for many years are choosing to have surgery as a long-term solution to yo-yo dieting [...]

A new study showed 78 percent of type 2 diabetic patients experience complete resolution of diabetes after weight loss surgery and over 85 percent saw marked improvements in their Type 2 diabetes, even if it wasn’t cured. Among the different weight loss surgeries involved in the study, adjustable gastric banding resolved 57 percent of the cases of type 2 diabetes [...]

According to an article published today on Reuters.com, U.S researchers have found that following weight loss surgery morbidly obese and super obese individuals with private health insurance lost more weight than those who were covered by Medicare. The study found that a year after surgery both groups of patients had lost a large amount of [...]

The effectiveness of weight loss surgery for moderately obese individuals (BMI greater than 30) has been further validated by a study recently published in The Cochrane Library (2009, Issue 2). This research, which drew upon the results of 26 previous studies, suggested that surgery produced greater weight loss outcomes than more conventional weight loss regimes, not [...]