Northeast Ohio Bariatric Medicine Newsletter

February 2012 
In This Issue
Obesity and Breast Cancer
Dieting 2 Days per Week
nonSensa
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Greetings!
What a mild winter so far! It has been nice to get outside and enjoy the mild conditions. It really helps to get the exercise program going. Our newsletter this month is going to focus on some of the health benefits of weight loss. This may serve as an encouragement to stay on course for 2012.

Have a great month!
My sig

Obesity and Breast Cancer 
What is the Link?

 

Breast CheckBreast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in non-smoking women. Modern methods of treatment have proven very helpful in reducing the number of deaths due to this common cancer.

Unfortunately, the current epidemic of obesity is only worsening the problem for many women. Let's take a look at the facts and the science behind this problem.



Do you recognize these women: Elizabeth Edwards, Linda McCartney, and Rachel Carson. These are women who lost their battle with breast cancer. Others like Sandra Day O'Conner, Cokie Roberts, and Gloria Steinem have not. No other cancer strikes more women. Only lung cancer claims more lives.

One thing is clear about post-menopausal breast cancer: Obesity increases the risk. While you can't eliminate your cancer risk, combining proper screening, early treatment, and aggressive weight management can reduce your risk of dying from this condition.

Fat cells produce an estrogen-like hormone. Excess estrogen has long been known to promote breast cancer. The main source of estrogenic effect in obese post menopausal women is their fat tissue.
 
High insulin levels may promote cancer growth. In one study, researchers found that women with the highest insulin levels were 2.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than those with the lowest levels (J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 101: 48, 2009). Insulin levels increase with weight gain. The highest levels are found in those with adult-onset diabetes and "pre-diabetes" or metabolic syndrome.

Obese individuals have higher levels of inflammation. Fat cells produce an array of different substances. Some of these are known to promote inflammation. In small amounts, they may be beneficial. But in larger amounts these substances may promote damage to vital body tissues and actually increase cancer risk.


As people continue to live longer lives and the rates of heart disease decline, cancer looms as an increasing cause of death for many Americans. Starting on a program of healthy eating and weight loss may help reduce your risk.

 

 

Dr Hart photlDieting Two Days per Week?
by Robert A Hart, MD

It sounds like a crazy idea. Imagine only sharply limiting calories for 2 days per weeks. Could it really work. According to the results of of one study in the International Journal of Obesity, it just might work for some people.



Researchers randomly assigned a little over 100 obese women to one of two groups: the "continuous" group who cut their calories every day to about 1500, and the "intermittent" group, who cut their calories to 500 calories on 2 days of every week while eating their "typical" diet on the other days. The 500 calorie diet supplied 50 grams of protein. After 6 months, each group had lost about 13 pounds. Although both groups lost similar amounts of weight, insulin levels seemed to drop more in the intermittent group. Also, women in the intermittent group didn't seem to overeat on the other days.

This type of program has not been widely tested. Also, I would not recommend this to diabetics or those over 65 without close supervision due to the risk of rapid changes in blood sugar. Despite these drawbacks, this study has opened the door for further research into a variety of different approaches to weight loss.

If you are interested in setting up an intermittent program, let us know. We can help provide the proper protein supplements to minimize lean body tissue loss and help control hunger cravings. You can reach our office at (330) 473-4525 or (800) 673-5340.
Sensa
Sensa or NonSensa
by Robert Hart, MD
 

Sensa's founder and chief money maker Alan Hirsch claims that his "revolutionary" product can help you lose weight without dieting! Does this claim sound familiar? Many, many supplements have made the same claim over the past few decades. Nearly all of them have been since forgotten. So what about this one? Could it be the real McCoy? Let's take a closer look at what we really know and don't know about this product.

  

What Sensa Claims

  

Sensa is a food taste modifier or "Tastant". According to Dr. Hirsch, when this product is sprinkled on foods it signals our brain that we are satiated (full). This novel approach to weight loss seems almost too good to be true. According to the "studies" from Dr. Hirsch, Sensa users lost about 30 pounds over 6 months compared to the "control" group who lost only 2 pounds (average loss). He enrolled 1436 persons in the study and claimed a 15% weight loss.  Who could argue with evidence like this?

 

NonSensa

 

Unfortunately, Dr. Hirsch's study is flawed. His "control" group did not use a placebo. So the study participants had a powerful motivation to believe they were modifying their food while the control group clearly knew that they were not using anything. This was NOT a "blind" study since Sensa users believed they were getting a positive effect. Also, imagine the process for Sensa users: grab food item, stop, open Sensa packet, sprinkle on food item, and then eat food item. This very process would greatly increase food awareness and decrease impulsive eating. Simply using a control group who used a "fake" powder in the study would have improved the quality of his study. Since his study is flawed, it has NEVER been accepted in any leading medical journal for publication.

My advice is this: Go back to the basics. Until companies like Sensa can back up their claims with high quality, peer-reviewed research, don't waste your money. Rather than spending money on Sensa, just try this for 6 months: before you put anything in your mouth, write it down in your food diary and record the calories. I can nearly guarantee you will have significant weight loss. And this is backed up by good clinical data from multiple sources. Plus, you won't spend an extra penny. You will probably actually save quite a few.
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future newsletters, please contact me. Have a great winter. Stay warm and healthy.

Sincerely,

 


Robert Hart, MD
Northeast Ohio Bariatric Medicine
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Do you read our monthly newsletters? As a way of showing our appreciation for your continued interest in our newsletters, we would like to offer you a free box of protein bars (flavor of your choice) by simply saving these coupons and redeeming them at our office. For each 7 coupons that you bring to the office (each coupon must come from a different newsletter), we will give you one box of 7 bars for free. Start saving your coupons today!

 

February 2012 Protein Bar Coupon