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American Society of
Bariatric Physicians
2821 S. Parker Road, Ste. 625
Aurora, CO 80014
office 303.770.2526 | asbp.org
Staff
Laurie Traetow, CAE
Executive Director
laurie@asbp.org
Colin Bennett
Director of Events &
Corporate Sponsorships
colin@asbp.org
Carly Crosby
Administrative Intern
carly@asbp.org
Heidi Gordon
Director of Marketing &
Communications
heidi@asbp.org
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Obesity Medicine e-Weekly |
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News
Don't Forget: Early-registration rates for ASBP Spring Obesity Conference END TONIGHT
 If you are considering attending the ASBP Spring Obesity Conference in San Diego on April 24-28, do not wait any longer! Rates will increase by more than 20 percent TOMORROW (April 3). Click here to learn more.
Are you prescribing Qsymia? Whether the answer is "yes" or "no," the Society wants to know! The Society is interested in learning more about members' use of the new prescription medication Qsymia for weight management. Even if you never or infrequently use Qsymia in your practice, please consider taking this very brief survey. All responses will remain anonymous, so please answer each question honestly and with as much detail as possible. Click here to be directed to the online survey.
ASBP members continue outreach efforts during Texas Association for Bariatric Surgery meeting
 As the Society continues to grow, so does its ties to other leading professional medical societies and organizations. This past January in Dallas, four ASBP members (Dr. Deborah Bade Horn, Dr. Jenny Seger, Dr. Michael Seger and Dr. Brian Sabowitz) gave lectures at the annual meeting of the Texas Association for Bariatric Surgery (TABS), a chapter of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). The Society was also instrumental in recruiting Deputy Commissioner of the Texas Department of Insurance Katrina Daniel to give a very informative and eye-opening lecture about health care reform and what physicians in Texas might expect in terms of obesity coverage in the coming years. TABS President Glenn Ihde, M.D., offered these comments about the meeting:
"The field of bariatrics involves treatment of a multidisciplinary illness and therefore is a multidisciplinary art. Treatment involves lifestyle changes, medical therapies, treatment of comorbid conditions, mental health experts, dietitians, counselors and surgeons. TABS is dedicated to making all of these treatment modalities available to our patients. We support and appreciate the American Society of Bariatric Physicians' participation in our annual conference. We found much interest and value in their lectures, and plan to make their participation an ongoing event. Already I have instituted some of the things I have learned from their lectures into my own practice. I encourage the continued working relationship that our societies have."
Obesity is a chronic disease that requires a comprehensive, long-term approach to care. We hope that ASBP members around the country will continue to work on cultivating relationships with other physicians who are equally committed to the prevention and treatment of obesity. While not every state has its own chapter of ASMBS, click here for a list of states that do.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) study finds school kids eating more fruits and vegetables
 Students at elementary schools participating in USDA's Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program consumed 15 percent more fruits and vegetables, based on an agriculture department study released today. The study, conducted by USDA's Food and Nutrition Service, found that fruit and vegetable consumption increased by a third of a cup among students participating in the program, compared to non-participating students. Increased consumption of fruit accounted for most of the change. The increase in fruit and vegetable consumption through the program does not appear to substantially increase calories in children's diets. Click here to read a summary of the study's findings, or download the complete report. |
Obesity Updates: Click titles to view articles
Individuals with obesity spend approximately 40 percent more on health care than normal weight adults, and if an individual has diabetes, they spend about 2.3 times more than people without diabetes. Lifetime Medicare spending for adults starting at age 65 is 15 to 35 percent higher among adults with obesity. Since obesity is associated increased health care costs, a research study was conducted to examine the impact of weight loss on 10-year and lifetime Medicare spending among adults with overweight and obesity and age 65 years and older. The study showed that permanent weight loss of 10 to 15 percent will yield $8,070 to $13,474 in gross per-capita savings over 10 years and $9,445 to $15,987 throughout a lifetime. Similarly, initial weight loss of 10 to 15 percent followed by 90 percent weight regain will still result in savings of $6,456 to $8,911 over 10 years and $7,556 to $11,109 over a lifetime. Medicare does not currently cover anti-obesity medications; however, it may benefit from considering coverage in light of the potential savings and health benefits with even modest weight loss.
Basseri, R.J., et al. Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2012. Animal studies have shown that the presence of a certain family of organisms, called "archaea" in the gut, is linked with weight gain and releases small amounts of methane gas. Methanobrevibacter smithii, a member of archaea, is present in the intestinal tract of about 70 percent of people and is elevated in about 30 percent. To test whether methane in the breath was predictive of obesity in humans, breath samples were collected and analyzed for methane in subjects with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. Higher levels of methane in the breath were associated with a BMI nearly seven points higher on average than those with lower levels of methane. The researchers aim to identify people with obesity that have elevations in this microorganism, in hopes of manipulating the gut microbiome to benefit weight loss attempts in that group of people.
Batada, Ameena. Center for Science in the Public Interest Report: Kids' Meals: Obesity on the Menu. 2013.
American families go out to eat more frequently now than they did 50 years, and nearly half of all money spent on food is spent at restaurants. Almost all restaurants offer kids' menus, which often consist of fried chicken fingers, hamburgers, French fries and sugary drinks. The Center for Science in the Public Interest recently released a report on nearly 3,500 kids' meals and found that about 97 percent of the meals did not meet the basic nutritional standards. |
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Patient Education
Obesity Action Coalition's Understanding Obesity brochure can help your patients
 Patients recently diagnosed with obesity often have many questions about what it means and how the diagnosis is determined. The Understanding Obesity brochure, produced by the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC), can help fill the gaps in a patient's knowledge of obesity. This easy-to-understand brochure includes information such as the difference between overweight and obesity, health risks associated with obesity and possible treatments. For a patient at the beginning of his or her weight-loss journey, understanding how obesity affects one's life and health is an important first step. Remember that as a member of the Society, you also hold membership in OAC, and, therefore, you have access to educational resources (such as the Understanding Obesity brochure) that could benefit your patients. To order copies of Understanding Obesity or other educational resources, please use the online order form. |
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 Education
Don't delay another day!
Register by midnight TONIGHT before early-registration rates END
(Friday, April 26 - Sunday, April 28) - 17 CME hours
Click here to learn more about the conference, including details about the speakers, sessions and registration.
Hotel Accommodations
Conference hotel reservations for the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego may be made online or by calling Hyatt Central Reservations at 1.800.233.1234 and mentioning "ASBP Conference." Rates start at $199+taxes (single/double); however, these special conference rates expire TODAY (Tuesday, April 2). Reservations past this date are subject to availability. [NOTE: The Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego is now sold out of rooms for Wednesday, April 24. To receive alternate reservation options for this date, please contact Hyatt Group Reservations Coordinator Sabrina Crumback at 619.358.6727 | sabrina.crumback@hyatt.com. Please feel free to leave a message, and Sabrina will reply as soon as possible during her normal business hours (Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. PDT).] |
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