Blog - Medical Weight Loss Doctors

Wednesday

24Jun

Extra weight does not protect patients who have cancer.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009 at 5:49PM

I have heard patients tell me they didn’t want to lose weight, because if they got cancer, they wanted those extra pounds to protect them from the ravages of cancer. The thought is that cancer causes weight loss, and if you have more weight, you might live longer. A study in JAMA refutes this myth.

Individuals with obesity or overweight had a higher risk of pancreatic cancer. The risk was highest in those who were obese between the ages of 20 and 40 (2 1/2 times higher). Pancreatic cancer is one of the most tragic diseases, since it is usually diagnosed late in the disease. Many patients have metastatic spread at the time of diagnosis, resulting in little chance of cure and in early death.

What is most interesting is that obese patients with pancreatic cancer had a shorter survival. So there was no protective effect of being overweight. They also developed the cancer earlier in life, 2-6 years earlier.

Losing weight early in life is the best way to prevent many forms of cancer. Delaying weight loss can be costly for your health.

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Wednesday

17Jun

Another Myth: Calcium Supplements

Dr. Primack |

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 at 8:54AM

As a bariatrician (weight loss physician), I often see people who are looking for the next quick fix for their overweight. Whether it is a new diet, new book, new drug, or old supplements used in a new way there is an abundance of diet messages out there. Most of this “new” material is false, misleading or just unproven.

Successful weight loss depends on 4 key factors:

1) Less Calories

2) Adequate Exercise

3) Quality Sleep

4) Medical Monitoring/Accountability

These factors have not changed. Another myth

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Does HCG work for weight loss?

Dr. Ziltzer |

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at 3:39PM

The latest fad to hit is the HCG diet. Not so new, HCG-based diets resurface every few years, and they are back in full force. HCG-human chorionic gonadotropin is a hormone produced by the placenta during pregnancy. This is a state usually associated with weight gain.

What is the science behind HCG? Unfortunately, I can find no study that shows a benefit to the use of this hormone. What does lead to weight loss is a diet low in carbs and calories, and high in protein. So if you are on a diet that contains 500 calories, you'll surely lose weight. It's the diet that leads to weight loss, not the HCG. Furthermore, I can find no evidence that HCG help you adhere to a diet.

Gimmick? Probably.

Safe? Maybe.

Effective? Doubt it.

Few large meals vs. frequent small ones.

Dr. Ziltzer |

Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 9:23PM

We were recently asked which was better for weight loss: eating 3 meals daily or frequent small meals. For the answer, consider these facts. Our bodies are under a constant state of break-down and repair. Repair requires protein throughout the day. When our diet does not contain a constant supply of protein, it burns muscle to liberate the amino acids needed for repair. It takes a lot of work to build muscle. The last thing you want to do is break down muscle to help the body heal.

What is the best between-meal snack? Ideally, 200 calories or less and at least 15 grams of protein. Limit the carbs to 25 grams, so that insulin levels remain low enough to prevent fat storage.

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Thursday

14May

Do You Yo-Yo Diet?

Dr. Primack |

Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 7:58AM

Some justify not starting a weight loss program because of the (false) belief that weigh cycling (yo-yo dieting) is less healthy than remaining overweight. This is NOT true. A recent study from the Archives of Internal Medicine dated May 11^th 2009, was done prospectively over a 20 year period on over 44,000 women as part of the Nurses’ Health Study.

The results show almost 19% were mild weight cyclers (yo-yo dieters) having lost about 10 pounds at least 3 times. Very important was that all cause mortality (any cause of death) and cardiovascular mortality (heart disease related death) was assessed and found to not be increased.

So, when you are ready to begin a weight loss program