Gut bacteria could be heavily linked to obesity risk

A team of scientists have found that ‘good’ gut bacteria could play a key role in determining if you become or overweight or obese and help to protect against suffering from a heart attack or stroke – medical problems often caused by being overweight.

The findings from two studies demonstrate that by adhering to a diet rich in fibre, this could help to alter the makeup of these germs, and allow people to more easily shed excess weight.

“We know gut bacteria affect health and obesity, but we don’t know exactly how,” commented Dusko Ehrlich, one of the co-authors of the two new studies and coordinator of the International Human Microbiome Standards project.

He added: “People who put on the most weight lack certain bacterial species or have them at very low levels. This opens ways to develop bacterial therapies to fight weight gain.”

There are many health experts who are adamant it is the gut that is the primary area that is crucial in regards to weight gain or weight loss.

Jeffrey Cirillo, a professor at Texas A&M Health Science Center’s department of microbial pathogenesis and immunology, says: “It is now well known that bacteria in our gut play an important role in our health and well-being, possibly as important as our own immune response and proper nutrition. This means that disruption of the bacteria in our gut by use of antibiotics or eating foods that help only particular bacteria grow can have effects upon our entire bodies.”

Back in March a study was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, explaining that gastric bypass surgery resulted in weight loss (in mice) due to changes in their intestinal bacteria.
The new studies were published yesterday in the journal Nature, and in one of them, the researchers looked at gut bacteria of 169 Danish people who were obese and 123 Danish people who were not obese.

Those obese were generally found to have ‘less diverse’ gut germs, with more abnormalities with regards to metabolism. Those with a less diverse group of germs also tended to put on weight.
Cirillo says that although there is some uncertainty how obesity and bacteria are linked, from the research it would seem that the germs themselves have metabolisms which impact the overall metabolism within the human of where they live.

Study co-author Ehrlich says there may be a practical application to be had from the research, commenting: “The study lays ground for a simple test, which should tell people what their risk for developing obesity-linked diseases is,” If they are found to be at risk, diet changes may be necessary he says.

For a second study, researchers tracked the gut bacteria of 49 overweight and obese people as they were put on diets that were low-fat and low-calorie in an attempt to lose weight, but were also high in protein and included foods rich in fibre such as fruit and vegetables. The participants subsequently seemed to benefit from a change in the bacterial makeup within their guts because of the diet.

“Although these are relatively early and small studies on the topic, they suggest that management of our own diets can improve the richness of the flora within our guts and decrease our chances of becoming obese,” said Cirillo. “This does not mean that changes in diet will be effective for all people or that they can prevent obesity no matter how much someone eats, but that they can help the situation.”

Almost 80% of adults don’t do enough exercise

Nearly eight out of every 10 adults in England may not be getting enough exercise each week and putting their health at risk.

This worrying statistic comes from a study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and conducted by the University of Bristol, where researchers looked at data from over one million adults in England from the Active People Surveys (APS).  It was discovered that 80% were not adhering to governmental targets of engaging in moderate exercise at least 12 times in a four-week time period.
The APS analyses an individual’s socioeconomic position in addition to factors such as the weather and availability of sports facilities to them.

According to the researchers, the study demonstrates a clear association between a person’s education, household income and local area deprivation in accordance with the amount of physical activity they engage in.

It was found that better educated and wealthier individuals were more likely to exercise, whilst the poorer and less educated were more likely to not bother with much exercise. However on the whole, the majority of adults are seemingly way under the recommended levels of activity required to keep healthy.

Those with a degree apparently only had a 12% chance of being inactive but those without any qualifications were in fact three times more likely to not exercise.

Other findings from the study were the fact 8% of people physically capable of walking had not done this for even a mere five minutes continuously in the previous four weeks. Involvement in the most common activities was found to be ‘very low’.

In addition, researchers said nearly half (46%) had walked for less than 30 minutes continuously during leisure time, whilst 88% had not been swimming and a staggering 90% had not even been to a gym in the last four weeks.

Unsurprisingly, the study findings suggested that warm weather provided people with more motivation to exercise and rain decreased the amount of physical activity.

Carol Propper, professor of economics at the university’s Centre for Market and Public Organisation, said: “Physical inactivity is the most important modifiable health behaviour for chronic disease, so knowing who is physically inactive is important for designing cost-effective policy interventions.”

Tam Fry, spokesman for the National Obesity Forum and honorary chairman of the Child Growth Foundation, hit out at the figures and said: “No-one should be at all surprised by these woeful statistics,” and blamed the government for not  doing enough to use the London 2012 Olympics as a springboard for more participation in grassroots sport.

To stay healthy, NHS guidelines state that adults aged 19-64 should try to be active daily and get at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week. This can include fast walking, hiking, volleyball, rollerblading or basketball. However, on top of this the NHS recommends to engage in muscle-strengthening exercises on 2 or more days each week. This can include heavy gardening (such as digging and shovelling), lifting weights, yoga and exercises that use your body weight for resistance (such as push-ups and sit-ups).

It is apparent that many of the population are simply not doing enough to stay active and this in conjunction with poor diets are causing more and more people to become overweight or obese. The good news for those overweight or obese is that it is never too late to make positive changes and a healthy, balanced diet in conjunction with exercise and a weight loss aid such as Xenical, Alli, or XLS-Medical will provide you with the tools to live a much healthier life.

30-stone woman demands taxpayer-funded gastric op

A woman who weighs 30-stone and ironically married to a qualified fitness instructor, has demanded gastric surgery on the NHS after claiming she is too big to work and cannot lose the weight.

Wendy Phillips, a 46-year old mother-of-three from Barnstaple, Devon, is currently a size 36 and says her large frame has induced back problems that have forced her to quit her job at a care home.

Her 5ft 2in height and 30-stone weight means that Wendy’s Body Mass Index (BMI) is an incredible 76.8. A BMI reading of between 30 and 40 is deemed obese and anything over 40 is described as ‘very obese’ – posing life-threatening health risks such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and many more. A ‘healthy’ BMI range is between 18 and 25, which further highlights the seriousness of the situation.

She complains she cannot shed the weight by herself and says she needs a £15,000 gastric op – which will ultimately come out of taxpayer’s pockets. This is on top of the £30,000 that she has already claimed over the previous five years from sickness benefits.

Wendy reached her current weight after leading a poor diet for 20 years that primarily comprised of junk food. The NHS unfortunately has rejected her pleas for a weight loss operation and understandably wants concrete evidence she will change her lifestyle indefinitely.

Wendy’s husband Sean is now a nurse, but still goes to the gym three times a week and even completed a marathon last year. It seems his guidance has not had any effect.

She says: “Sean’s advised me about nutrition and exercise, but I don’t have as much willpower as him. I’m sensitive about my weight so he doesn’t push me”, adding it is ‘unfair’ she has been denied a gastric op because she hasn’t proved she is willing to alter her lifestyle. She added: “I know I’ve been stupid – now I’m too fat to work. I was greedy and ate too many sausage rolls. But it’s too late for me to help myself now. I try to diet, but exercise is painful. I worked and paid my taxes for 20 years, so I didn’t expect the NHS to shut the door in my face. If they don’t help me, I’ll die. Taxpayers see fat people as a burden, but alcoholics get help. I’m being treated unfairly.”

Before falling pregnant at the age of 21 to a different partner, Wendy was already a size 16 and subsequently gained six stone through her pregnancy – reaching a size 24 and weighing 19-stone.

She comments: “I’d eat a cheese sandwich for brunch with a packet of crisps, and have a steak and kidney pie with mash for dinner. I’d snack on a large wedge of cheese. I thought it was OK because I was eating for two.”

Reminiscing on meeting her current husband Sean, she says: “He was so fit – 6ft 4 and 16-stone – and worked out every day, but he told me he’d weighed 25-stone before losing 9-stone. He didn’t judge me – he just liked me for me.”

Incredibly though, Wendy has only ever attempted to stick to a diet once – for her wedding. Proving that weight loss can be achieved with the correct lifestyle, Wendy lost three stone to be able to fit into her wedding dress.  Old habits were resumed though and Wendy’s battle with her weight continued.

She says: “I lost 3st by cutting down on carbs and going for walks but despite dropping to 22st and my back pain improving, I was 28st again within a year. Sean was disappointed, but accepted I didn’t have the willpower. People would look at me disapprovingly in the street, but Sean told me to ignore them. I’m ashamed I haven’t been able to work and I’ve claimed so much in benefits. I wish I could stick to diets, but some people just don’t have self- control – it’s not our fault.”

Even though Wendy seems certain that weight loss surgery is the only option, GP Dr. Sarah Jarvis says: “If Wendy stuck to a healthy diet she could lose weight – surgery isn’t her only option. Patients who are unable to lose weight prior to gastric surgery will be less successful afterwards anyway.” In addition, there are numerous potential dangers of gastric surgery that Wendy should consider first.

The myth of the person who has a ‘slow metabolism’

We probably all know the person who battles with weight struggles, pinning the problem down to their apparent ‘slow metabolism’, some even arguing that this has even been passed down to them through ancestors suffering with these dodgy genes that hinder any potential weight loss. However, just how true is this? Do overweight and obese people really suffer with a ‘slow metabolism’?

On the flip side there are then the people who regularly consume takeaways, chocolate bars, beers, without seemingly growing a belly of any kind, don’t add any inches to their waist, and don’t seem to gain a single pound. How do they do it? Are they superhuman compared to the rest of us, do they work incredibly hard at the gym on a regular basis on the sly, or are they possessed with a metabolism faster than the speed of light?

Firstly, we must understand what exactly a person’s metabolism is. Many people automatically assume that metabolism is merely the body burning up calories, and thus leading to weight loss. Whilst this is half-true, there is more to it than this. In fact metabolism is the complex process by which the body breaks down food and converts it into energy (measured in kilojoules). Therefore surely somebody with a ‘slow metabolism’ would actually not receive the necessary energy from the food they eat and would actually lose weight!

The breaking down of food and conversion to energy are processes called anabolism (constructive metabolism) and catabolism (destructive metabolism). In anabolism, small molecules are changed into larger, more complex molecules of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Anabolism to work successfully, needs energy via the calories in food, and is the process by which the body stores energy. In catabolism, the large molecules are broken down by cells in order to release energy and dispose of waste. This energy release provides fuel for anabolism. Therefore anabolism and catabolism exist in balance with each other and are the two most important factors of metabolism.

An important term that should be taken into account when considering weight gain/weight loss is basal metabolic rate (BMR). This refers to how many calories you use up over the course of a day if you just did nothing besides resting all day long. Basically it is the release and use of energy purely for the functioning of vital organs to keep you alive including; heart lungs, nervous system, kidneys, etc.

A good, accurate reading of a person’s BMR is taken by analysing their levels of oxygen breathed in and the amount of carbon dioxide breathed out. The best times to deduce a more accurate reading are first thing in the morning, after an overnight fast, or when the person is lay down in relaxing and comfortable surroundings. After testing BMRs for a number of people, scientists have found in numerous studies that overweight people actually use up more energy to keep their bodies ticking along. This is mainly because larger individuals will have bigger organs and muscles to go with their larger frame.

Therefore it makes little sense for somebody overweight to blame this on a ‘slow metabolism’. If anything, they will no doubt have a higher BMR in comparison to those of a more average weight as their bodies and muscles have to work that little bit harder each day to cope with the extra weight. More muscle mass results in more energy being expended when dormant and a higher metabolic rate. In general, men tend to have much larger muscle mass than women and will thus typically have a higher BMR too.

So what about the person who is overweight and blames this on their ‘slow metabolism’? You can now tell them that this is just a myth. Remember that weight loss only happens when the amount of energy the body uses is more than the amount of energy it is taking in. If the body is taking in more calories than it is burning up, then these calories will be turned into and stored as fat.

A ‘slow’ or ‘fast’ metabolism depends is the basal metabolic rate; somebody with a low BMR will burn fewer calories whilst resting compared to somebody else with a high BMR. Those who want to lose weight will need to re-evaluate their daily diet intake and consider becoming more active. Eating less, or moving more are the obvious ways to lose weight, but preferably doing both would be advantageous. In addition, both weight training and aerobic exercise are sure-fire ways to start increasing your BMR. There should be no excuse that a ‘slow metabolism’ is in your genes when you can start doing something about it today!

Don’t get weighed down with fat thoughts, it could make you obese

A warning to all who are always worried and feeling stressed about their weight…Feeling fat during adolescence can apparently make you obese during your later life, according to the findings of a new Norwegian study.

Experts at the Norwegian University of Science, carefully examined data collated from 1196 healthy male and female teenagers who were of normal weight. The teens were tracked for a two year time period between 1995 to 1997, as part of a survey titled ‘Young-HUNT1’.  The researchers then followed them again for another two year period, during 2006 to 2008. This part of the analysis was named ‘Young-HUNT3’, and here all the subjects were now aged between 24 and 30.

It was discovered that about half of the subjects involved in the study still had what could be classed as a ‘normal weight’ in their adult life. The findings were very intriguing in regards to those in the overweight category.

The study determined that 59% of the girls, who had said they had felt fat when they were a teenager, then became overweight in later years. These results came about after researchers used the body mass index (BMI) as the weight scale. However, when waist circumference was instead utilised as the measure of obesity, the percentage of participants that regarded themselves as fat as teens who then were overweight as adults, was now 78%.

Interestingly when using the BMI model for weight measurement, it was found that only 31% of the girls were overweight who had said they did not think they were fat during their teenage years. For waist circumference, the figure rose to 55%.

The study ascertained that teenage girls seemed to be more paranoid about their weight in comparison to the boys. Overall, 22% of the teenage girls in the first study said they felt they were fat, compared to just 9% of the boys.

Koenraad Cuypers, a researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, spoke on his team’s findings. He commented, “Adolescents seeing themselves as overweight may focus more on food and shift to unhealthy dietary behaviours resulting in weight gain. Another explanation may be that young people who see themselves as fat often change their eating habits by skipping meals, for example. Research has shown that dropping breakfast can lead to obesity.”

Cuypers also offered his thoughts on why the trend of more girls than boys being weight-conscious could be occurring and offered his advice. Koenraad says he thinks this particular result could be down to media pressure, with more focus on female celebrity bodies than their male counterparts. He said, “Girls thus experience more psychosocial stress to achieve the ideal body. Society needs to move away from a focus on weight, and instead needs to emphasise healthy eating habits, such as eating regular and varied meals and eating breakfast. Good sleep habits are also an advantage. And by reducing the amount that teens are transported to and from school and recreational activities, teens might also be able to avoid getting a ‘commuter belly’.”

It comes as no shock to Medical Specialists Pharmacy to learn about just how self-conscious today’s youths are about their weight and body image. There are so many media outlets such as newspapers, magazines, television shows, which all never seem to hesitate in scrutinising people in the public eye and reporting on even a few pounds of weight gain. A popular show amongst the current teenage generation is ‘The Only Way Is Essex’, and almost every week without fail, two of its stars – Gemma Collins and Lauren Goodger, have their weight struggles documented and many websites do not hesitate in making fun of them. The results of the study do raise some interesting points but Medical Specialists think more research needs to be conducted instead of just analysing simply 1196 people.

The interesting main conclusion of the study we believe is that so many young children are growing up in a world where they feel they have to look ‘perfect’ and slim, and the media are not doing much to help this or promote healthy, regular eating. Instead what we could now see is children skipping meals and then missing out on vital vitamins and minerals which are essential for their body development. Imagine if your child refused to eat his or her cereal each morning and all that calcium they are not taking in. This is vital for the growth of teeth and bones and will lessen the chances of osteoporosis in their later years. We think the government needs to act on this issue rapidly before this problem escalates even more.

Many gastric surgery patients pile the weight back on in the future

Weight loss surgery, also called bariatric surgery, first came to public recognition around a decade ago after it was offered as a last-ditch weight loss method by government watchdog NICE, for individuals who are dangerously obese. This includes those with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 40 or those with a BMI of more than 35 and who also have a serious health condition which could be helped by weight loss such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

The most common forms of weight loss surgery remain either a gastric band or a gastric bypass. The former is where a band is inserted into the stomach to reduce its size. The aim is that it will take a smaller amount of food to make you feel ‘full’. With a gastric bypass, the digestive system is diverted past most of your stomach. This then results in the digestion of less food and it takes much less food to make you feel full. By bypassing part of the small intestine, this means a reduction in how much food and nutrients are absorbed, leading to weight loss.

There is currently a massive demand on the NHS for weight loss surgery operations, so much so that there is more demand up and down the country than available supply, resulting in a long waiting list. Although roughly 8,000 weight loss procedures occurred last year in England on the NHS, this is probably a small portion of the obese population. In the UK an estimated 60.8% of adults and 31.1% of children are at least classified as ‘overweight’.

If somebody wanted to go private and not join the ever-growing NHS waiting list, it would set them back between £5,000 – £8,000 for a gastric band and it is even more expensive for gastric bypass surgery, usually costing between £9,500 – £15,000. However, the big question everybody is now asking – is it all worth it?

Information from various studies from across the globe, expert opinions, and those who have had the procedures themselves paint a damning view of the actual benefits of weight loss surgery. If the cost alone is not off-putting, other factors could be. A Brazilian study that analysed 782 patients who had undergone weight loss surgery, found that 63% actually gained weight within two years. In addition, a German review into a collection of studies on weight loss surgery discovered that 30% of patients piled on their previously lost weight within merely 18 to 36 months.

The weight gain has led to a high volume of people even requesting a second operation. One Dutch study of patients who’d had a gastric band fitted, found that approximately a third required another operation within 5 years and half needed one within 10 years. A famous figure to have had repeated weight loss surgery is Kerry Katona, who first caused controversy by undergoing £15,000 liposuction surgery in August 2008, just four months after giving birth.

Althought Katona initially dropped from 12 stone to 8; by June 2009 she had piled on 2 stone of what she had lost. Then in January 2011 she paid £650 for mesosculpt treatment to get rid of the stretchmarks on her stomach. Just nine months later she had piled on another stone and in April of this year she forked out a further £8,500 for more liposuction.

What people aren’t prepared for it seems is the after-life of having weight loss surgery. Many patients will struggle to adjust to the fact their stomach will not cope with the same sized portions as previously, or the fact they will have to try and adhere to a strict diet plan. Bianca Scollen, of the support group Weight Loss Surgery Info, says “In the first year, or two years, after the surgery, you feel like you’re walking on air. But three or four years on is a very different thing. In a way, losing the weight is the easy part; it’s changing your lifestyle and keeping it off that’s hard. Some people find the sight of their new, slimmer shape is enough to keep them motivated, but for others it’s not so easy.”

Professor Jane Ogden, of health psychology at the University of Surrey, further comments, “Hunger isn’t just a biological process — it can be about feeling fed up and wanting comfort, or feeling bored. Unless patients have changed their attitude towards food, they end up cheating — grazing, or drinking lots of water so their stomach can manage more food.”

The most worrying aspect of bariatric surgery though is that there still seems to be many health risks involved, when the main point of the surgery is to benefit the patient’s long term health. Many private companies offering weight loss procedures do not provide adequate aftercare, important in avoiding weight regain. Moreover, this leads to risk of a multitude of complications such as vomiting, infection, gastric bands slipping or leaking and intestinal blockages. According to statistics from the Medical Defence Union, there has been a doubling of negligence claims against independent bariatric surgeons between 2008 and 2010. With evidence of weight gain post-surgery, and serious health complications involved, it could be time for people to rethink their weight loss strategy!

Women who frequently work long hours and eat out may pile on the pounds

Warnings have been released this week in regards to women at work and their weight. Firstly, an Australian study claims that women who put in more than 35 hours at work each week are likely to gain weight. The researchers say that those who stay late at the office will probably not bother spending the time to prepare a healthy meal when they get home, or engage in any exercise.

The same study also indicates that those women who are working for more than 49 hours each week are at a higher chance of smoking and drinking more. This backs up what we reported last week, where we analysed the links between work and alcohol intake.

Research was led by Dr Nicole Au from the Centre for Health and Economics at Monash University, Melbourne. Dr Au and her team assessed 9,276 women aged between 45 to 50 years old, spanning over a two year time period. Over half (55%) gained weight during this time, with the average gain being 1.5% of their initial weight. The above average weight gains were said to be ‘extreme’. In addition, it was discovered that 65% of subjects involved had a ‘risky’ level of alcohol intake and 36% did not bother to do any kind of exercise at all.

Dr Au gave some explanations on why the women may have piled on the pounds, saying, “This study highlights the increasing number of women entering the workforce and the effects on their ability to maintain a healthy weight. Longer work hours may reduce the time spent preparing home-cooked meals, exercising and sleeping which are risk factors for obesity. Policies that assist women who work long hours to reduce the time costs of sustaining a healthy diet and their physical activity routine may have positive benefits.”

In a separate study that has been published online in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Diabetics, links between women who ate out often and weight gain were investigated. The news may come as a blow to women at work who regularly ‘meet the girls’ for their lunch-break and share a joke about abandoning their diet for the day (which usually spirals into more days!).

Dr Anne McTiernan led the study and she spoke on the findings, saying, “When it comes to weight loss, evidence from randomised, controlled trials comparing different diets finds that restricting total calories is more important than diet composition such as low-fat versus low-carbohydrate. Therefore, the specific aim of our study was to identify behaviours that supported the global goal of calorie reduction.”

Her team discovered that the women who maintained a personal food diary, actually lost around 6lbs more than the others. Also it was noted that women who ate out at least once a week lost an average of 5lbs less than those who instead opted to eat at home.

Dr McTiernan added, “For individuals who are trying to lose weight, the No. 1 piece of advice based on these study results would be to keep a food journal to help meet daily calorie goals.  It is difficult to make changes to your diet when you are not paying close attention to what you are eating. We also think skipping meals might cluster together with other behaviours. For instance, the lack of time and effort spent on planning and preparing meals may lead a person to skip meals and/or eat out more. Eating in restaurants usually means less individual control over ingredients and cooking methods, as well as larger portion sizes.”

However, some could argue that the study results do not fairly reflect a large population of the women around the country. After all, the analysis came from just 123 women who were aged 50 to 75. All were assigned specific diets and exercise patterns, with each woman being overweight or obese to begin with. Perhaps a better, more accurate study would have centred on women from all age groups and a higher number of the population than just 123 women. In addition, allowing subjects to eat their usual foods would have brought back different results without question.

With 30,000 Brits dying each year from various complications from obesity, both men and women need to consider how best to maintain their weight and health. Government predictions say that with current trends continuing, by 2025 nearly half of men and over a third of women will be obese.
You can act today though and make positive changes to your life. Firstly, an intelligent new calculator has been created by researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Click here  to see where you are on both a national and global scale. You may just receive the shock required to kick-start a new you!

Weight loss can give obese men a rise in testosterone levels

Results from a study into diabetes conducted by Irish-based doctors were delivered on Monday night at The Endocrine Society’s 94^th Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas. Doctors from Dublin analysed almost 900 males for their ‘Diabetes Prevention Program’. The men who were involved in the study had an average age of 54 years old and all had prediabetes, which means they were at a heightened risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and also at a good risk of developing heart disease. Prediabetes is also known by other names such as non-diabetic hyperglycaemia and impaired glucose tolerance.

It is common knowledge that if you are overweight you are more at risk of developing diabetes. Men who are at risk of the disease can drastically reduce their chance of getting diabetes through weight loss and overweight men are also at a higher chance of having low testosterone levels. With this in mind, study co-author Frances Hayes and colleagues decided to further investigate the correlation between weight loss and testosterone levels. They decided to ignore men who had been prescribed medicine that could potentially conflict with their testosterone levels, or those who had previously been diagnosed with hypogonadism. This is a term for when the sex glands lack the ability to effectively produce hormones.

The men recruited for the study were segregated into three parties. The first group consisted of 293 men and these were instructed to begin 150 minutes of exercise each week, eating fewer calories and a low-fat diet. The second group included 305 men and they were given the diabetes medication metformin and finally the last group of 293 men were given a placebo to take.

After a year of their respective programs, it was found that the incidence of low testosterone in both the groups taking metformins and placebos was mostly unchanged. The numbers slightly decreased from 24.8% to 23.8% and 25.6% to 24.6% for each group respectively. However, most change was noted in those who had made alterations to their lifestyle, with this group seeing a massive reduction in low testosterone; down to 11% from an initial 20% at the beginning of the study.

Dr Hayes gave her view on the results, “Doctors should first encourage overweight men with low testosterone levels to try to lose weight through diet and exercise before resorting to testosterone therapy to raise their hormone levels. Losing weight not only reduces the risk of prediabetic men progressing to diabetes but also appears to increase their body’s production of testosterone.”

It appears then that we can conclude weight loss has many benefits to obese middle-aged men. Obviously it will probably boost their confidence with the opposite of sex but it seems getting rid of your love handles can also boost sex drive, give you a stronger erection and improve your sperm count. If you are suffering from erectile problems and are interested in receiving information on the vast range of treatments available at Medical Specialists Pharmacy, you can click here. The medications we provide for male impotence can be obtained with or without a private prescription, and pending approval from one of our registered Doctors, can arrive to you within a mere 24 hours. Prices start from as little as £29.97 for 4 Viagra tablets. We also have Cialis, Levitra and Levitra ODT at great prices too.

Obesity costs the NHS millions of pounds each year

More news has emerged this week that demonstrates just how bad the obesity epidemic is within the UK. Statistics show that there are approximately over 110,000 people in England alone, who have a Body Mass Index of over 50. To put this into context, a person who has a BMI score that falls between 25 and 29.9 is classed as ‘obese’. There are an ever-growing number of overweight people with sky-high BMIs that are over 50 and these people are apparently costing the NHS over £450million each year.

The figures emerge less than a month after Medical Specialists Pharmacy reported how Welsh teenager Gemma Davis had to be removed from her house and hospitalised due to complications arising from her obesity. Gemma’s weight was last noted as 63stone, with a staggering BMI of 142.3 Claims also arose last month that suggested there are at least 200 morbidly obese people in the UK who are draining the NHS of £16million annually because they are too big to leave their home. In addition, it is believed there are 11million people in England alone with a BMI of at least 30. The epidemic clearly needs rectifying by the government as soon as possible.

Even worse, it is expected that by the year 2025, nearly half of men and over a third of women will be obese. This has been calculated using The Foresight report, a scientific model that is used to aid government policies. According to figures published back in 2009, nearly a quarter of adults (22% of men and 24% of women) in England were in the ‘obese’ category.

The problems sometimes start at an early age. This is shown in new research from experts at Newcastle University, who electronically monitored 508 schoolchildren who were all aged between 8 and 10 years of age. The children were tracked on just how active they were during the time they were actually awake and on average across both sexes, only 4% of their time (about 20 minutes) was actually because of physical activity. However, the boys in the study were shown to be more active than the girls. One main reason for the shocking inactivity in the children has been identified as the growing number of children these days that prefer to sit indoors and play computer games instead of playing out with their friends.

Dr Mark Pearce was lead researcher and he spoke out on their findings, “Given the importance of physical activity in maintaining good health, we know we need to get our kids more active. What we hadn’t known until now is how young we need to be catching them.” According to the Department of Health, children who are aged between 5 and 19 years of age should ideally participate in at least an hour of moderate to vigorous activity every day. Within all this, they also should engage in sports and exercise than strengthens their core muscles and bones, including gymnastics, skipping and dancing.

Obesity experts have warned that factors such as increasing demands for junk food from children are not helping matters. Also many older fathers may have more responsibility at work and working longer hours, which then leads to less time for their children and simple things like playing football with them, etc. Tam Fry, a member of the National Obesity Forum, gave his opinion on the crisis, “Exercise alone won’t bring down obesity levels but it is desperately important to the health of the child and it will make them concentrate better in the classroom and improve their behaviour.”

63 stone Georgia Davis is in a stable condition

Georgia Davis, dubbed ‘Britain’s fattest teen’ was last night appearing to be in a much better and stable condition at Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. The 19 year old who is believed to weigh 63 stone, was admitted to hospital on Thursday on the urgent advice of a GP, due to breathing problems and chest pains arising from her obesity. Georgia is currently on a specialist ward where doctors have put her on a strict diet of 2,000 calories per day in an attempt to help the teen lose weight. Her mother and stepfather are also providing her with plenty of fresh fruit in an attempt to further encourage the weight loss. This is a stark contrast to her recent previous diet which consisted of a frightening 13,000 calories each day. She currently has a Body Mass Index of 142.3. People with a BMI over 30 are classed as obese.

Georgia had initially dropped from 33 stone down to a healthier 18 stone back in 2009 during a period of just 9 months, thanks mainly to the efforts of a US boot camp who fed her with plenty of lean buffalo meat and salads. After returning home from boot camp and discovering that her stepfather Arthur had been diagnosed with lung cancer, Georgia returned to her old eating habits and by August 2011 had soared up in weight to an incredible 45 stone. She blamed this on the stress brought on by the lung cancer of Arthur and also poor health of her mum Lesley.

Last year she commented, “I was looking after them all the time. I was feeling so sad that they were both going downhill so fast and I stopped taking care of myself. I’m only managing to get out the house about once a week when I try to go to town on the bus. Of course people stare, but I don’t care what they think any more, I’m used to it. We have fish and chips for lunch quite often and usually I eat two portions. Otherwise, it’s sandwiches with six slices of bread and crisps. I find snacks harder to resist as the day goes on and I often eat two Snickers bars at a time. At night I eat a main meal, then more biscuits, crisps and chocolates as I get bored. Afterwards, I feel terrible as I know I’m letting myself down. But I don’t even care what I look like. I’ll just put on any clothes that fit me.”

Arthur and Lesley are currently staying in a hotel after a team of 50 police officers, firemen engineers and medics were involved in the 8-hour long process of removing the front of the family’s house and the transportation of Georgia to hospital. Arthur, who has blamed himself for Georgia’s huge weight gain, commented on the events that led up to her being hospitalised, “She has been gaining weight steadily ever since she returned from fat camp in America. But over the last two or three weeks she was finding it harder and harder to stay mobile. Most days she would stay in her bedroom watching American Idol on telly or messaging friends on the computer. However, she would manage to come downstairs to eat or chat to us by sliding on her bum. But on Monday she called for her mum and confessed that she could no longer stand up. Georgia had been in terrible pain for a long time but as usual she was trying to protect me and her mum so she kept it from us. But when she couldn’t get downstairs she had to finally confess. She tried so hard to come down on her bum as usual but couldn’t make it because of the pain of the sores and the swelling in her feet.”

He went on to praise the efforts of everybody involved in getting Georgia the medical attention she required, saying, “The emergency services were wonderful and treated her with great respect and dignity but she still needed morphine and an oxygen mask to calm her down. But she was not suffering from a seizure or heart failure as some people have suggested.”

Kevin Smith loses weight after Refusal from Plane

US Director Kevin Smith has recently lost nearly five stone and admitted he was shamed into losing the weight after he was told to leave an airplane because he was too overweight for one seat.

The 'Clerks' filmmaker famously launched angry rants on Twitter at Southwest Airlines last year after the humiliating incident.

“I’ll lose the weight, but I’m not putting on thinner clothes.

“I feel mixed feelings... I sympathise far more with heavier people than I ever will with thin (people). I’ll never be thin. Look, Let's be honest, I’ve lost 65 pounds, but nobody’s going ‘I want to sleep with you’, they’re just like, ‘Keep going, you look better.’” Smith Said.


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