New research powerfully strengthens the case against soda and other sugary drinks as culprits in the obesity epidemic.

A huge, decades-long study involving more than 33,000 Americans has yielded the first clear proof that drinking sugary beverages interacts with genes that affect weight, amplifying a person’s risk of obesity beyond what it would be from heredity alone. Read more

(Reuters) – Vivus Inc said it expects a European committee to recommend against the approval of its obesity drug Qsiva, based on preliminary feedback from the committee.

The formal decision from the European Medicines Agency‘s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use is expected following their October meeting.

If a negative recommendation is issued in October and depending upon issues raised, Vivus will either resubmit the marketing application at a later date or appeal the decision and request a re-examination.

“We await the official decision and the formal report which should provide us specifics on any additional requirements leading to the approval of Qsiva in Europe,” Vivus President Peter Tam said in a statement.

Qsiva was approved by the U.S. health regulators in July and was recently launched in the United States under the trade name Qsymia.

(Reporting by Esha Dey in Bangalore; Editing by Roshni Menon)

Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Also Included In: Diabetes
Article Date: 20 Sep 2012 – 1:00 PDT

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Risk Of Diabetes Substantially Reduced By Bariatric Surgery

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Bariatric surgery reduces the long-term risk of developing diabetes by over 80 % among people with obesity. The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has published the results of a study conducted at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

A study conducted by Professor Lars Sjöström, Professor Lena Carlsson and their team at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, has found that bariatric surgery is considerably more effective than traditional care and lifestyle changes in preventing diabetes among people with obesity.

The treatment group consisted of 1,658 subjects who had undergone bariatric surgery, while the control group consisted of 1,771 equally obese people who had received traditional care. During 15-year follow-up, 392 people in the control group and only 110 people in the treatment group developed diabetes.

“Our results show that bariatric surgery can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by more than 80 %”, Professor Sjöström says. “This is an extremely high figure.”

The study is based on an extensive study entitled Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS), which has given rise to more than 90 scientific articles and demonstrated that bariatric surgery is also highly beneficial when it comes to cancer, cardiovascular disease, total mortality and health-related quality of life.

“Both women and men benefited in terms of diabetes”, Professor Sjöström says, “but the degree of obesity at baseline did not affect the results.”

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ATLANTA (AP) — A new report forecasts a sharp rise in obesity in every American state over the next 20 years, though Georgia is projected to remain in the middle of the pack.

The research by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation estimates that if current trends continue, 13 states would have obesity rates higher than 60 percent by 2030; 39 states would have rates topping 50 percent; and every state would exceed 40 percent.

In Georgia, the analysis found that 53.9 percent of adults would be obese, up from 28 percent now. Mississippi would remain the fattest state, with two-thirds of adults being obese. Colorado would be thinnest at 44 percent.

State rates in 2011 ranged from 20.7 percent in Colorado to 34.9 percent in Mississippi.