In the May 22, 2009 edition of WLS News, learn about the link between allergies and obesity, and find out which friendly bacteria can help you shed those extra pounds. Also, get the scoop on a new initiative to address obesity-related heart disease in women, learn which state is now covering weight loss surgery for state employees, and hear one expert’s recommendation for overcoming our nation’s obesity epidemic. We’ll also tell you which deadly sin might be less deadly than thought, and check in with Yvonne McCarthy about what’s new in weight loss support on the World Wide Web. Read the full story

High Prolactin May Lower Metabolism

A recent doctoral thesis by Louise Nilsson of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden explores the function of the hormone Prolactin, which is naturally high in women who are pregnant or breast feeding. Prolactin is what stimulates the mammary glands right before lactation. It is also present in men at lower levels.

This hormone aids in the function of the nervous system and helps provide humans with sexual pleasure. When present in normal levels, prolactin helps regulate the body.

However, the new thesis proposes that prolactin levels can be raised too high by some prescription drugs, by stress or by hypothyroidism. When this happens, the body responds badly.

Fatty tissue in both genders may respond by reducing the amount of another hormone called adiponectin, which aids in fat metabolism. Prolactin can also reduce the ability that human fatty tissue has to store sugar and fat, thus causing the tissue to release those elements into the bloodstream. This alone can raise a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease.

Nilsson’s thesis stated more than 30,000 men and women in Sweden may have raised levels of prolactin. And a study from our National Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Information Service explains that too much of it can be symptomatic of having a tumor in the pituitary gland. Such tumors, however, are almost always benign.

Get the latest updates on research related to the treatment of obesity and related health issues, and lifestyle tips for keeping the pounds off post-op, each week on WLS News!

In the February 27, 2009, edition of WLS News, we’ll look at the relationship between belly fat and migraines, report on how junk food is affecting our teens’ health, and check on the up-sizing of kids’ clothing as a result of rising childhood obesity rates. We’ll also find out which foods can keep your liver healthy, and new research linking obesity during pregnancy with increased birth defects. Plus, WLS Journeys host Yvonne McCarthy will report in with one of her favorite websites for WLS information and support. Click below to tune into this week’s newscast!

Organizations mentioned in this week’s news:

• Migraine Research Foundation
  
• Drexel University College of Medicine
  
• National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
  
• University of Barcelona
  
• Beth Zuber-Beckwith (Registered Dietician)
• UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
• California Health Interview Survey
• Fruit & Veggies Matter (CDC website)
• The Skinny Online (WLS blog by Lisa Sargese)
• Bariatric Girl (Yvonne McCarthy’s WLS support site)
• Journal of the American Medical Association
• Newcastle University (United Kingdom)
• National Childrenswear Survey
• Select Research (U.K. research agency)
• Bariatric Advantage (nutritional supplements)

Bariatric surgeon Dr. Rachael Keilin addresses the benefits of the Lap-Band® for women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant in this quick, informative video.

PREGNANCY WITH THE LAP-BAND®: TRANSCRIPTION

Read the full story

Obesity May Complicate Pregnancy, Studies Say

Women who struggle with their weight and are hoping to have a family should take note. A recent report in the Journal of the American Medical Association notes that women who are obese during pregnancy run a higher risk of having children with certain birth defects.

Doctors from Newcastle University in the U.K. examined nearly 40 previous studies of overweight moms and the risk of birth defects. They found that on average, obese mothers were twice as likely to bear children with neural tube problems, including spina bifida, than mothers who were a healthy weight. The risks of other abnormalities, like heart defects, cleft palates, and hydrocephalus, were also higher in studies of overweight moms.

The researchers involved in the analysis say that further study on the relationship between maternal weight and birth defects is needed to accurately assess the danger to babies posed by maternal obesity.

Now, if you’re overweight and pregnant, don’t let these figures make you upset. The data were derived from large-scale studies of pregnant women and infants – statistically speaking, the extra risk involved in any given pregnancy – say, yours – is relatively small. The best thing you can do to protect your baby is to stay healthy, eat right, and follow the advice of your OB-GYN.

If you’re among the 50,000 or so women of child-bearing age in the United States who have weight loss surgery every year, there’s good news: medical experts say weight loss surgery may decrease post-pregnancy risks.

A recent study funded by the federal Agency for Health Care Research and Quality reports that women who have had obesity surgery have fewer health problems during pregnancy than obese women, and that their newborns have fewer complications, as well.

Data for the report, which appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association, were collated from 75 existing studies published between 1985 and 2008. Several studies indicated that obese women who had Lap-band surgery before their pregnancies had lower rates of gestational diabetes and preeclampsia during pregnancy, fewer premature deliveries, fewer incidences of dangerously low or high birth weight, and less mortality among newborns than women who did not undergo weight loss surgery.

Interestingly, researchers found no differences in neonatal outcomes after gastric bypass surgery. However, patients who had a biliopancreatic diversion procedure were found to have a greater number of miscarriages than those who did not.

Researchers think the increase may stem from nutritional deficiencies – which are common among biliopancreatic diversion patients — and stress the importance of following your prescribed course of vitamins and nutritional supplements if you’ve had this type of bariatric procedure.

Overall, the study findings are good news for weight loss surgery posties who want to have a baby. But, researchers recommend that women who have had bariatric surgery wait at least a year after their rapid weight loss stops before getting pregnant and say that more research is needed to determine exactly how much weight loss surgery may mitigate pregnancy risks.

It’s a happy thing to have a baby – and for moms who struggle to lose weight, breastfeeding may now be another reason to celebrate the birth of a child. The United States Department of Agriculture’s dietary guidelines for new mothers say that breastfeeding may help Mommy shed those extra pounds of “baby weight”.

(Guys, we’re talking about breastfeeding a baby. Don’t get any ideas.)

Data accumulated by the USDA indicated that women who breastfeed their children lose more weight between six months and one year after giving birth than mothers who bottle-feed their bambinos.

Why, you may ask? Because breastfeeding burns extra calories. A lot of the fat that women put on naturally during pregnancy is used as a source of food energy to make breast milk. And since breast milk is an extremely rich food – packed with protein, carbohydrates, omega-3 fatty acids, and minerals – a mother’s body burns off that fat quickly while producing it. This increases her overall metabolic rate, and thus her ability to shed even more extra pounds.

Besides burning more calories, breastfeeding mothers may experience other positive health benefits.  For example, some evidence suggests that moms who breastfeed  have a lower risk of hip fractures and osteoporosis later in life – an important benefit to those who have undergone weight loss surgery, which can lead to loss of bone density if you don’t eat enough.

And many breastfeeding mothers report an overall increase in their self-confidence and feelings of closeness and bonding with their infants – which, of course, can be of immense value to patients recovering from obesity and its well-known self-image problems.

And then there’s the fact that breast milk is the perfect food for a baby – it’s convenient, it doesn’t require midnight warm-ups or frantic trips to the grocery store, it boosts the baby’s IQ potential and immune system, and it may even cut a child’s risk of developing obesity later in life.

If you want to know more about the benefits of breastfeeding, and how it can help moms lose weight, visit the USDA’s nutrition website at www.mypyramid.gov.