By Andrew M. Seaman (Reuters Health) – Obese people who undergo a certain kind of weight-loss operation after age 35 may live longer than obese people of the same age who don’t have the surgery, a study suggests. The findings, reported in JAMA Surgery, show that the so-called gastric bypass operation is associated with a mortality benefit along with its better-known “metabolic” benefits, said lead author Lance Davidson, of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Past research has found weight loss surgeries are tied to reduced deaths from any cause, cancer and heart disease.

As Americans continue to connect the dots between soda consumption and type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other diseases, fewer and fewer Americans are drinking soda. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that we choose water over soda, local and state governments are pushing for new taxes and warning labels on fizzy drinks, and Big Soda…

A new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows that a relatively high intake of dietary cholesterol, or eating one egg every day, are not associated with an elevated risk of incident…

Canned tuna is frequently a major source of mercury in people’s diets. Learn what amounts of tuna can be eaten safely without fear of mercury poisoning.

By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) – U.S. teens are eating healthier diets and showing less severe metabolic syndrome – a cluster of conditions like high blood pressure and elevated blood sugar that can lead to cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes – a new study suggests. Along with these shifts in eating habits, teens also developed increased levels “good” high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol that helps purge blood vessels of debris and lower levels of triglycerides – dangerous fats that can make blood thicker, stickier and more prone to clots. “We found that the decrease in severity of the metabolic syndrome was driven by favorable changes in triglycerides and HDL cholesterol,” said senior study author Dr. Mark DeBoer of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

Title: Vacation Weight Gain Can Lead to ‘Creeping Obesity,’ Study Finds
Category: Health News
Created: 2/7/2016 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 2/8/2016 12:00:00 AM

By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) – Obese people have an increased risk of kidney disease even when they don’t have health problems like high blood pressure or elevated blood sugar that can impair renal function, a large Korean study suggests. In otherwise healthy individuals, obesity was linked to 6.7 more cases of kidney disease for every 1,000 people over five years than occurred among normal-weight patients. The findings contradict some previous research that has found people with what’s known as “metabolically healthy obesity” may not face an increased risk of kidney problems, cardiovascular disease or other issues linked to excess weight, said lead study author Dr. Yoosoo Chang of Kangbuk Samsung Hospital Total Healthcare Center in Seoul.

There is wide agreement that the quality and choices of food at most hospitals is abysmal. Patients are offended, their guests are confused, and the staff is overweight and suffering the chronic illnesses that are driving health care costs to sky high records while also reducing the quality and quantity of life. Although this perception is…