Slim Fast : Weight Management E-newsletter

Vol. 2, No 3, September 2007

One of Eight U.S. Federal Health Care Dollars Goes to Diabetes?

A study finds that it costs the U.S. government $79.7 billion to treat people with diabetes.

The study is based on federal spending data from 2005 and was conducted by Mathematica Policy Research for NCDP (National Changing Diabetes Program), a group of diabetes thought leaders. These findings have advocates pushing for a government post to oversee coordination of spending on treatment and prevention among such federal agencies as veterans, prisoners, school lunch programs and food stamps. "Our findings suggest that there are many missed opportunities for the federal government to enhance its impact on diabetes prevention, detection, treatment and management of complications," says Marsha Gold, who led Mathematica's research team.

Source:
Reuters (June 19, 2007)


	Obese Expectant Mothers are More Likely to Have C-sections?
	First-time mothers who are obese in their first trimester of pregnancy are nearly four times more likely to require a cesarean delivery than women who are not overweight. This is according to a study in the February 2007 American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Researchers calculate that obese women have 3.8 times higher risk of undergoing a cesarean delivery as normal-weight women, after considering other risk factors. Source: Reuters Health (March 7, 2007)

Obesity Affects Time to Conceive?

Obese couples may take longer to conceive than normal-weight couples, according to a study published in the journal Human Reproduction. Researchers tracked nearly 48,000 Danish couples over seven years, including about 7,600 couples where both the man and woman were either overweight or obese. If both the man and woman were obese, their chances of more than a year elapsing before the woman became pregnant were nearly three times higher than for couples of normal weight. If the man and woman were both overweight, their likelihood of more than a year elapsing before pregnancy was 1.4 times higher.

Source:
Reuters Health (March 7, 2007)

Obese Women Less Likely Screened for Cancer?

A study concludes that obese women are less likely to be screened for breast and cervical cancer. Researchers found that extremely obese women were 50% less likely than normal-weight women to have had a mammogram in the past two years and 57% less likely to have had a Pap test in the past three years. The study appeared in the June 2007 issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine and was conducted by the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark.

Source:
Reuters Health (May 8, 2007)


	Physicians Rank Obesity as America’s #1 Health Issue?
	When it comes to America’s largest public health issue, physicians rank obesity over chronic disease and smoking.		This is according to a recent survey conducted by Epocrates, Inc. Physicians say lack of exercise and increased portion sizes have significantly contributed to this health crisis. Fifty-two percent of physicians believe that more than half of their patients are overweight and nearly 90% say this percentage has increased in the past five years. While respondents say individuals and the food industry are largely responsible, many believe the government and physicians themselves need to get more involved in helping to address this national epidemic.
	Source: Nutritionhorizon.com (April 26, 2007)