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American Society of
Bariatric Physicians
2821 S. Parker Road
Ste. 625
Aurora, CO 80014
303.770.2526 | asbp.org
Staff
Laurie Traetow, CAE
Executive Director
laurie@asbp.org
Beth Amelon
Administrative Coordinator
beth@asbp.org
Carly Crosby
Administrative Coordinator
carly@asbp.org
Peter Conway
Intern, Marketing & Communications
peter@asbp.org
Heidi Gordon
Director of Marketing &
Communications
heidi@asbp.org
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Obesity Medicine e-Weekly
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News
BELVIQ obesity treatment medication available to U.S. patients beginning today
Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced that BELVIQ (lorcaserin HCl) CIV will be available to patients by prescription in U.S. pharmacies beginning TODAY (Tuesday, June 11). BELVIQ is a new medication approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for use as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for chronic weight management in adult patients with an initial body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or greater (obese), or 27 kg/m2 or greater (overweight) in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbid condition.Click here to read the complete news release.
Do you have an obesity medicine rotation?
As you are probably already aware, despite our nation being in the midst of an obesity crisis, obesity-specific education and training is still severely lacking in many medical schools and residency programs. In an effort to help students and residents learn more about obesity medicine, the ASBP Medical Students Outreach Task Force is compiling resources for medical students, including a list of physicians who currently offer clinical rotations for medical students and/or residents. If you are currently offering a clinical rotation, please send an e-mail to Administrative Coordinator Carly Crosby so that your name and practice information may be included on the list.
Dr. Ethan Lazarus to represent the Society June 13-19 during AMA Annual Meeting of House of Delegates
National Employee Wellness Month continues through June 30: Download free posters for your office
 Now in its fifth year, National Employee Wellness Month helps employers focus on engaging employees in healthier lifestyles. This year, more than 175 companies--including the Society--have pledged support, joining sponsoring organizations Virgin HealthMiles, Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance, Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease and WorldatWork to demonstrate their commitment to promote healthy lifestyles and provide motivation and opportunities for employees to adopt healthy habits. In celebration of this effort, please click here to download PDF posters you can display in your office to encourage and inspire your employees or co-workers this month!
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Resources
Obesity Updates: Click titles to view articles
Henry, R.R., et al. J. Diabetes Complications. May 2013.
Lifestyle changes (dietary modification focused on caloric reduction, increased physical activity, and behavior therapy) can produce weight loss in individuals affected by overweight and obesity. However, sustained adherence to these changes and maintenance of weight reduction is often challenging. This review article discusses treatment options for obesity, including the two compounds that were recently approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration: twice-daily lorcaserin (BELVIQ) and once-daily phentermine and extended-release topiramate (Qsymia).
Carbohydrate intake in the morning and reduced risk of metabolic syndrome
Almoosawi, S., et al. International Journal of Obesity. 2013.
Circadian rhythms control several physiological and metabolic processes in the human body, including glucose homeostasis and insulin secretion. There may be physiological windows of time when consumption of certain nutrients is favored over others. Short-term studies have shown that nutrient composition of meals can influence glucose, insulin and triglyceride responses; however, no epidemiological study has investigated the association between time of day and nutrient composition of eating occasions and the development of the metabolic syndrome. The present study analyzed 1,488 3-day diet records from the 1946 British Birth Cohort from individuals at age 43 years and for whom data on metabolic syndrome was available at age 53 years. They found that increasing energy intake from carbohydrate in the morning at the expense of fat was associated with lower triglycerides and lower likelihood of developing metabolic syndrome and abdominal obesity.
Cost effectiveness of primary care referral to a commercial weight loss program
Fuller, N.R., et al. Int J Obesity. June 2013.
A partnership between primary-care providers and commercial organizations may be a practical approach for patients to benefit from lifestyle intervention for weight management. This study evaluated the cost effectiveness of a commercial program (CP: Weight Watchers) compared with standard care (SC) for both weight loss and quality of life in Australia, the United Kingdom (UK) and Germany. Results show that both treatment groups lost weight, but mean 12-month weight loss was significantly greater for CP than SC; however, CP participants invested significantly more time, as they were required to visit with their group three times as often as SC. This resulted in significantly greater cost for CP, but the cost per kg of weight loss was $122, $90 and $180 for the CP in Australia, UK and Germany, respectively. For SC the cost was $138, $151 and $133, respectively. This indicates that it is cost effective for general practitioners to refer overweight and obese patients to a CP for weight loss.
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June issue of Capitol Resource now available
 This month's issue of the Society's advocacy newsletter, Capitol Resource, is now available for download. Topics include:
- Analysis of state Essential Health Benefits Benchmark plans show discriminatory benefit designs
- Reps. Barletta and Schwartz urge U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to clarify if obesity is a chronic disease
- Final rule on employer wellness programs
- Update on Treat & Reduce Obesity Act
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Education
Attend the Obesity Basic Medical Treatment course this Saturday in Rochester
 The next of the summer Obesity Basic Medical Treatment courses is Saturday, June 15, in Rochester, N.Y. Attendees earn 7 hours of continuing medical education (CME), plus the second and subsequent registrations from the same office receive a $30 discount. The registration fee is $199, if received by the Wednesday prior to th course or $225 from Thursday to Saturday. The course, presented by the Obesity Medicine Association (a division of the Society), provides basic clinical information and tools to effectively treat patients affected by obesity and related conditions. Click here to learn more, or download a registration form and read details about the course. Online registration is also available for these dates and locations:
- June 29 | Milwaukee, Wis.
- July 13 | Virginia Beach, Va.
- Aug. 3 | Providence, R.I.
Register today for the ASBP 63rd Annual Obesity & Associated Conditions Symposium
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