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Balancing Act: Fatty Acids and Our Food Supply

EN1017_cover2 As the diabetes and obesity epidemics continue to flourish, a closer look at our food supply is needed. A new study suggests that getting the right amounts of fatty acids – especially omega-6 and omega-3 – back into our diets is the first vital step.  Last year, the British Medical Journal online journal Open Heart...
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Compounding Interests: The Risks of Bioidentical Hormones

According to an Endocrine Society Scientific Statement, patients need to be counseled about the risks of custom-compounded bioidentical hormones. The preferred treatments should have been vetted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, not Oprah. Physicians may need to take time to explain to patients the potential risks of using “bioidentical hormone” formulations made by...
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Bariatric Surgery or Medication/Lifestyle Modifications: Which Has Better Long-Term Effect on Type 2 Diabetes? Cleveland Clinic-Led Multicenter Trial to Assess Approaches

$10.2 million NIH grant to support first long-term study A team of Cleveland Clinic researchers is leading a first-of-its-kind multicenter clinical trial to assess the long-term outcomes of bariatric/metabolic surgery compared to medical and lifestyle therapy for treating Type 2 diabetes. The Alliance of Randomized Trials of Medicine versus Metabolic Surgery in Type 2 Diabetes...
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Weighing Options: Obesity Treatment Guideline Emphasizes Prevention

shutterstock_122081065-rev With the number of children with obesity at epidemic levels, clinicians need to redouble prevention efforts — and even get involved in advocating policies to fight obesogenic environments. Prevention is the best hope for combating pediatric obesity because current treatments are limited in efficacy, according to a new Endocrine Society guideline. “Intensive, family-centered lifestyle modifications...
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Adolescent Obesity Linked to Early Mortality from Cardiovascular Diseases

New Israeli study shows even BMIs in normal range associated with increased cardiovascular risk While there is solid evidence that adolescent overweight and obesity are associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke, less is known about the association between body mass index (BMI) and rarer cardiovascular diseases. A new large-scale, 45-year Israeli study published...
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Endocrine Society Issues Scientific Statement on Obesity’s Causes

Statement calls for studying factors that undermine long-term weight maintenance A new Scientific Statement issued by the Endocrine Society calls for more research aimed specifically at understanding the underlying mechanisms that make it difficult to maintain long-term weight loss. Despite decades of research and billions of dollars spent each year on treatment, understanding of the...
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Making the Grade: Should You Get Certified in Obesity Medicine?

shutterstock_180134717 As trends go, obesity continues its climb to epidemic levels. Likewise, over the last five years the number of physicians certified in obesity medicine has increased tenfold. For clinicians who treat obese patients, getting certified in this specialty is a viable option.   As the obesity epidemic — and the need for evidence-based responses —...