Obese children at risk in surgery and for surgery

Using a database at the University of Michigan, researchers looked at 6,017 pediatric surgeries at the UM Hospital from 2000 to 2004. They found that nearly a third of the patients – 31.5 percent – were overweight or obese. More than half of those children qualified as obese, according to the study, which appears in Journal of the National Medical Association, VOL. 99, NO. 1, JANUARY 2007, p. 46-51 (this is a journal that promotes the interests of physicians and patients of African descent). You can read this article full text without registration.

"The prevalence of overweight children having surgery presents challenges to surgeons, anesthesiologists and their teams. Overweight adult patients are more likely to have conditions such as type II diabetes, hypertension, asthma and other breathing problems, and are more likely to develop infections in their wounds after surgery. The researchers on this study say those conditions also are becoming common among overweight and obese children.

The results also suggest that children who are overweight or obese have an increased likelihood of requiring certain types of surgery. The surgeries these children were having performed most frequently included the removal of tonsils and adenoids, as well as other surgeries designed to assist with breathing problems and sleep apnea; orthopedic surgeries to fix broken bones and other ailments; and procedures designed to mend digestive and gastrointestinal issues." Summary from the UMHS press release.

Finally, an expert who agrees with me

A recent issue of JAMA reviewed positively the book What to eat: an aisle by aisle guide. . . by Marion Nestle, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006. $30, ISBN 0-86547-7043.

The reviewer thought it was well written and indexed, and I was impressed to read that a nutritionist says what I do. . . "eat less, move more" and eat lots of fruits and vegetables and go easy on junk food (we called this "eating all the colors" in the old days).

Fat sells big

Last week I noticed the following titles on the best seller list in USAToday.

The best life diet by Bob Greene
"A pretty down to earth read for anyone trying to incorporate a healthy lifestyle. Not just a quick fix for weight loss!" Comment at Amazon.com


You: on a diet by Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz
"It is VERY informative, and covers things that I have never read in other books..I highly recommend this book to all waistfull and waistless people." Comment at Amazon.com

The Calorie King Calorie, Fat & Carbohydrate counter by Allan Borushek
It is so very easy to use and I have yet to look up some food, packaged or natural, that was not listed there, along with calories, fat and carbos.

The best life diet daily journal--goes with first title above

South Beach Diet by Arthur Agatston
"The good news: if you follow this diet you will lose weight! I lost 7 lbs in 3 weeks even with an occasional deviation. The bad news: sticking to the diet will not be easy." Comment at Amazon.com