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Surgery patients on blockbuster weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy could be at risk of choking to death, a study warns. Researchers in California looked at nearly 1 million Americans who had an endoscopy, which examines the upper digestive tract. They found that patients who underwent the procedure - which involves inserting a tube with a camera on the end down the throat while the patient is sedated- were 33 percent more likely to suffer aspiration pneumonia. This causes food, liquids, or saliva to get sucked into the airway, which could lead to choking and kills nearly 60,000 Americans a...

High consumption of soybean oil has been linked to obesity and diabetes and potentially autism, Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, and depression. Add now to this growing list ulcerative colitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, characterized by chronic inflammation of the large intestine. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, examined the gut of mice that were consistently fed a diet high in soybean oil for up to 24 weeks in the lab. They found beneficial bacteria decreased and harmful bacteria (specifically, adherent invasive Escherichia coli) increased — conditions that can lead to colitis. Soybean oil is the most...

If you’ve been paying attention to health news recently, you may have noticed a subtle but real shift in the way society discusses body weight. It started about 10 years ago with the body positivity movement, the idea that we should love our bodies at any size. ...transformational changes picked up speed with the arrival of powerful and wildly popular new medications that have already helped many people shed pounds.... ...widespread adoption of a powerful and effective new class of medications originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes. Those drugs include semaglutide (sold as Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy) and tirzepatide...

Governor JB Pritzker (D-IL) said Monday on MSNBC’s Iowa caucus coverage that the “weakness” of former President Donald Trump was shown in his 30-plus point win. Pritzker said, “Almost half of the base of the Republican Party showing up for this caucus tonight voted against Donald Trump. Think about that. I mean, this is the most famous Republican. He’s the guy who, you know, basically built the modern Republican Party, the MAGA Republican Party that the Democrats are running against. Half of the people in that party did not vote for Donald Trump.” He continued, “I think that is telling....

The founder of Lululemon is blasting the athleisure apparel company's push to include diversity, equity, and inclusion in its marketing— specifically by featuring overweight, plus-size women to model their clothes. Billionaire Chip Wilson is taking swings against Lululemon's DEI programs, saying they are destroying the company he created that once featured fit, healthy women in its ads. "I think the definition of a brand is that you're not everything to everybody. You've got to be clear that you don't want certain customers coming in," Wilson said, adding that the brand is trying to "become like the Gap, everything to everybody."...

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is in the 2024 presidential race to stay. Just ask him. In a new ad released digitally on Thursday, the 61-year-old directly responded to recent calls for him to withdraw and clear the field for a more popular alternative to former President Donald Trump. “Some people say I should drop out of this race. Really? I’m the only one saying Donald Trump is a liar,” Christie said, looking directly at the camera. The White House hopeful — who has focused his long-shot campaign on New Hampshire — will go on air Friday in the...

Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular metabolic diseases and neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia. Long-term exercise improves memory and spatial cognition, reduces age-related cognitive decline, and maintains brain volume, but the mechanisms are not fully understood. A study from Febbraio lab at Monash University reported that voluntary exercise training (VET) improves long-term memory in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice, increases hippocampal neurogenesis and the expression of the neurotrophic factor BDNF in the hippocampus, and decreases the expression of the inflammatory factor TNF, suggesting that long-term physical activity can prevent obesity-induced cognitive decline. Particularly, their results showed that VET...

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), now a CNN contributor, said Monday on CNN’s “The Situation Room” that former President Donald Trump was “scared to death” to debate his Republican primary rival, former Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ). Kinzinger said, “If he was the incumbent running for reelection— you know if this was 2020, like I get that, but he lost. He lost for the Republicans, the presidency. The Republicans have done nothing but lose since Donald Trump, and so I think if he’s gonna ask for their vote he needs to come in front of them again and explain why this...

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he plans to stay in the Republican primary race through next summer’s nominating convention, dismissing a recent CNN poll that shows him trailing former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in New Hampshire — a state he’s invested heavily in winning. n an interview with ABC News, Christie said his campaign will “focus most of our time and energy” on New Hampshire for the time being, but “our next two focuses … will be South Carolina and Michigan.” Christie also called out Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for...

Chris Christie partly blamed his onetime friend Donald Trump for the spike in antisemitism and Islamophobia across the country. The former New Jersey governor posited that Trump’s language has emboldened others to act hatefully. “When you show intolerance towards everyone, which is what he does, you give permission as a leader for others to have their intolerance come out,” Christie told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “And that’s been going on for quite some time, not just with Donald Trump, but with university professors on some of our most elite campuses in this country.”

Researchers have discovered a link between obesity and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease. Using the fruit fly, the research shows that a high-sugar diet—a hallmark of obesity—causes insulin resistance in the brain, which in turn reduces the ability to remove neuronal debris, thus increasing the risk of neurodegeneration. Although obesity is known to be a risk factor for neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, exactly how one leads to the other remains a mystery. The study focused on this by taking advantage of the similarity between humans and fruit flies. Having previously shown that a high-sugar diet leads...

A study reveals a direct link between high insulin levels, common among patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes, and pancreatic cancer. The study provides the first detailed explanation of why people with obesity and type 2 diabetes are at an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. The research demonstrates that excessive insulin levels overstimulate pancreatic acinar cells, which produce digestive juices. This overstimulation leads to inflammation that converts these cells into precancerous cells. "Alongside the rapid increase in both obesity and type 2 diabetes, we're seeing an alarming rise in pancreatic cancer rates," said Dr. James Johnson. "These findings help...

A woman is suing her health insurance company for $700,000 for refusing to cover her obesity treatment and claiming she owes them. Luci 'Lynette' Solorio is suing Regence Blueshield over claims it is refusing to provide her with the 'lifesaving' bariatric surgery she had in 2017. At the time she got the initial op she was covered by her insurer at the time, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Four years later, she needed to have a follow-up operation. According to a lawsuit she filed in Washington state court in June, Ms Solorio's new insurer would not cover it because...

I was watching Bloomberg’s Business Show this morning when a headline got my attention. Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have begun clinical trials of their weight loss drugs Mounjaro and Ozempic on children as young as 6-years old. Certainly a small percentage of children might need these drugs but I can’t help feeling the vast majority of overweight children would be much better served by more physical exercise and a better diet and far less internet game playing and cell phone usage

Obesity often involves hyperlipidemia (high concentrations of fats/lipids in the blood), diabetes, hypertension, chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, which increase susceptibility to CVD. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is a nanoparticle that transports cholesterol in blood. Cholesterol, which is good in moderation, is essential for normal cellular function. "Our results showed that in obesity, it is not the quantity but the quality of LDL that contributes to disease: 'bad cholesterol' becomes worse due to obesity-associated inflammation. As a result, cholesterol delivery is shifted from normal to abnormal, so more cholesterol is retained in the arterial wall, ultimately forming plaques that occlude the...

Experiencing discrimination may change how the brain and the gut communicate with each other, a new study has found. The disruption, the researchers say, could promote behaviors that increase people’s risk of obesity. The study, published Monday in the journal Nature Mental Health, included more than 100 participants, mostly women, who filled out questionnaires to gauge their experiences of discrimination in their day-to-day lives. The participants then underwent brain scans as they were being shown pictures of sugary and fatty foods, such as cake and ice cream, along with pictures of lower-sugar and low-fat foods like fruit and salad. They...

A record number of doctors applied to be certified to treat obesity this year amid the soaring popularity of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Nearly 1,900 doctors signed up for the annual exam this October, the medical board behind the test said, which was a 50 percent increase compared to the previous year. Passing the exam distinguishes doctors as competent in treating obese patients and could set them on A path to rake in higher salaries. It comes after official data showed a record 40 percent of adults are now obese in three states — West Virginia, Louisiana and...

A weight-loss drug has been proven to also reduce the risk of a stroke or heart attack, according to a new trial. The makers of Wegovy, Novo Nordisk, say its latest study shows it cuts risk of a cardiovascular event in overweight people with heart disease by a fifth. The firm hailed it a "landmark trial", saying it would change the way obesity is regarded and treated. While the findings still have to be fully reviewed, experts agreed the results were potentially significant. The injection is popular in places like the US, and was approved for weight loss in the...

Brione Ramsey-Brooks hasn’t played a down for the TCU Horned Frogs yet, but he just might be their most famous player at the start of the new college football year. Ramsey-Brooks, standing at 6-feet-5-inches, and weighing 455 pounds, has been taking social media by storm with his shocking size and highlights from high school play that just seems unfair. Nicknamed "Big Bubba," the South Oak Cliff High School, Texas, recruit is set for his freshman season at TCU, where he hopes to compete for a spot on the offensive line. ~snip~ Ramsey-Brooks was rated a three-star recruit by 247Sports, ranking...

Chris Stewart, 37, used to drink 12 cans of Mountain Dew a day and eat large McDonald’s meals for lunch — until he saw a photo of himself at his dad’s funeral that made him feel “sick.” “Who is going to carry my casket?” Stewart recalled to SWNS. “I thought if I didn’t change something I’m going to die.” The Illinois forklift driver weighed 400 pounds at his heaviest, wearing a size 5XL. He would consume two cans of Mountain Dew each morning when he woke up and two McDonald’s cheeseburgers, a McChicken sandwich and fries for lunch.