ASBP Obesity Medicine e-Weekly: Nov. 27, 2012

The Obesity Medicine Association, a division of the Society, recently announced a partial list of 2013 dates and locations for the popular Obesity Basic Medical Treatment Course. Attendees earn 7 hours of continuing medical education, plus ASBP offers a $30 discount on the second and subsequent registrations received from the same office. The registration fee is $199, if received by the Wednesday prior to the course date. The course provides basic clinical information and tools to effectively treat obese patients and their related conditions. Click here to download a registration form and read details about the course. Online registration is available for these dates and locations:

- Jan 19: Columbus, Ohio
- Jan. 26: Independence, Mo.
- Feb. 2: Birmingham, Ala.
- Feb. 23: Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
- March 2: Buffalo, N.Y.
- March 9: Oklahoma City
- March 16: Richmond, Va.
- March 23: Louisville, Ky.

News

ASBP member's article published in International Journal of Obesity

An article co-authored by ASBP Board of Trustees member Brian N. Sabowitz, M.D., M.S., F.A.C.P., (San Antonio, Texas) appears in the November 2012 issue of International Journal of Obesity. To review an abstract of the article, titled "Bariatric surgery and bone disease: From clinical perspective to molecular insights," click here (full article access is available only via log-in).

Resources
Obesity Updates: Click titles to view articles

Interleukin-1 beta: A potential link between stress and the development of visceral obesity

While it has become increasingly apparent that large amounts of visceral adipose tissue and low-grade inflammation are related to the pathogenesis of obesity, the mechanisms that regulate the distribution of body fat and the functions of inflammatory proteins in healthy adipose tissue remain unclear. This review article presents evidence that repeated exposure to stress contributes to the development of visceral obesity. The authors hypothesize that stress-evoked elevations impair the ability of non-visceral adipose tissue to uptake, resynthesize and retain lipids, and/or to expand in the face of positive energy balance and that these cytokine-driven impairments consequently contribute to the development of visceral obesity.

New twist on measurement of hemoglobin A1c
This review on the history and standardization of HbA1c by David B. Sacks, M.B., Ch.B., F.R.C.Path., provides background of HbA1c standardization and the development of different units. Standardization developed in the 1990s when all HbA1c results were reported as a percentage of hemoglobin. The subsequent development, almost a decade later, of a reference method for HbA1c led to different units. This situation has generated considerable controversy as to how HbA1c should be reported. This review contains the formula for converting patient results from one set of units to the other, and the current state of HbA1c reporting in several countries is indicated. Although this test has become a routine part of diabetes care by providers across the world, there are new developments that have been flying under the radar.

Effects of two different types of fast food on postprandial insulin and glucose
Fast food is popular, and worldwide sales are enormous, which means that favorable changes in fast-food composition might affect a large number of consumers. Fast food is often comprised of an unfavorable combination of simple carbohydrates, low in fiber or whole grain, with a high glycemic index (GI). This study investigated the effects of a conventional and an unconventional fast-food meal on postprandial metabolism in normal and in overweight subjects. Both meals contained the same amounts of calories, protein, digestable carbohydrates and fat; however, fatty acid composition, dietary fiber content and vegetable content were altered in the unconventional fast-food meal. The conventional fast-food meal was a hamburger meal, the unconventional fast food was a salmonburger meal. Postprandial increases in glucose and insulin were 44 percent lower after the unconventional meal, indicating that improvement in food quality might help to control postprandial increases in blood glucose and blood insulin.

Advocacy

Physical education report now available

Download the National Association for Sport and Physical Education and American Heart Association's 2012 Shape of the Nation Report: Status of Physical Education in the USA, which provides a very useful summary of physical education requirements in each state and other analyses of physical education programs.

The American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) is a medical professional association for physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants who are focused on the treatment and management of overweight and obese patients and their related conditions and co-morbidities. ASBP is the primary source for clinical education and training for the medical management of obesity.

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