Study Reveals Bariatric Surgery Less Effective in Middle-Aged Adults (ContributorNetwork)

If you're morbidly obese and middle-aged, weight-loss surgery may not decrease your chances of dying, according to a study published Sunday in the online Journal of the American Medical Association. Morbidly obese is defined as having a body mass index greater than 39 and generally means someone who is 100 pounds or more overweight.

Researchers were interested in studying the mortality rates of middle-aged and older adults after bariatric surgery. Data available prior to this study was based almost solely on young, white females who had had the weight-loss surgery. That group of individuals has a lower incidence of mortality related to obesity even before bariatric surgery than do older adults, according to study researchers.

The purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness of weight-loss surgery in populations with an increased risk of death related to obesity; these populations were identified as being highest in men and minority populations.

The research team studied follow-up data for 850 men with a mean age of 49.5 years and a mean BMI of 47.4 for an average of 6.2 years. The men in the study had the weight-loss surgery between the years 2000 and 2006. Their mortality (death) rate was compared to a control group of 41,000 other men who did not have the surgery, reports Yahoo! News. All the men were patients at medical centers of Veterans Affairs.

Researchers concluded that bariatric surgery in morbidly obese middle-aged men did not decrease their risk of death compared with care that did not include the surgery. Still, this population may opt for weight-loss surgery based on factors other than mortality rate, such as the reduction of body weight, control of obesity-related health conditions and improved quality of life.

In the United States, weight-loss surgery usually involves one of four procedures, explains the Weight-Control Information Network. The four procedures, each with its own risks and benefits, are: adjustable gastric band (AGB); Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB); biliopancreatic diversion with a duodenal switch (BPD-DS); and vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG). The AGB works by decreasing food intake while the other surgeries involve not only the decreased ability to take in food but also affect food absorption and other factors.

Your physician will weigh conditions such as your health, obesity-related health conditions and your eating behaviors in helping to determine which, if any, of the weight-loss surgeries would be to your benefit. The outcome of this new study into mortality rates following bariatric surgery may be a factor in your consideration of the procedure now also.

Smack dab in the middle of the baby boomer generation, L.L. Woodard is a proud resident of "The Red Man" state. With what he hopes is an everyman's view of life's concerns both in his state and throughout the nation, Woodard presents facts and opinions based on common-sense solutions.

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Sleep Apnea and CPAPs: Not Just for Overweight People (ContributorNetwork)

Studies done on lab mice revealed a link between sleep apnea and the spread of cancer. There's a persistent and dangerous myth circulating that only fat people have Obstructive Sleep Apnea. OSA is a congenital, structural problem in which breathing stops during sleep.

This rumor is a convenient, but illogical fallacy. Wouldn't it be nice to think that sleep apnea would disappear if only sufferers lost a little weight and exercised more? Alas, like all convenient delusions, it's what people tell themselves when they don't want to face facts. It's also dangerous to pooh-pooh OSA. Sleep apnea kills people.

Sleep apnea (from the Greek meaning "without breath") is caused when nasal passages collapse like drinking straws when the air is sucked out of them. When that happens, the body must manually restart breathing. It happens with a loud snort or gasp associated with sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is primarily a hereditary problem. I have sleep apnea. My mother I have always snored heavily. My mother snores heavily as did both of my grandparents. They very likely would test positive for sleep apnea if they had a sleep study done. No one in our family was obese or overweight.

Even as a baby, my family says that I snored and was restless. I have also walked and talked in my sleep and had vivid dreams. I have done this all my life. Up until age 12, I would gently bang my head against my pillow to fall asleep. One of my sons did this as a child too. It was unnerving for anyone who has no experience with it. For Jake and I, it was how we got to sleep. I can't speak definitively, but I believe that we did this in response to sleep apnea.

For people with extreme sleep apnea, the reverse can be true. Having sleep apnea can cause weight gain. How? Sleep apnea is debilitating. During one night, I have several hundred apneas. All those wake-sleep jags are exhausting. A normal person spends 40 percent of their sleep in deep, delta sleep. This is the most restful sleep. My sleep showed that only 1 percent to 2 percent of my sleep was delta sleep.

I suffered from persistent stress-induced depression. I began taking Paxil for to combat anxiety. I fell asleep all the time: talking to people, driving, everywhere. I couldn't go more than about two hours without falling asleep, no matter how long I spent in bed at night. I had no energy. I was in constant muscle and back pain. I got sick very easily.

All my life, I weighed between 110-135 pounds all of my life. A lifetime of not resting and constant pain coupled with the SSRI medication made me put on weight. Dieting was no problem, but exercise left me exhausted. After a walk downtown I would fall asleep as soon as I got home.

Having the sleep study and starting the CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) breathing machine has revolutionized my life. I've quit the Paxil. I can sleep five or six hours and feel refreshed. I don't need daily naps. I don't fall asleep driving. My energy level is up. I'm losing weight. I'm not depressed anymore. The back pain is more manageable.

I've heard people say that sleep studies will always show that a person has sleep apnea so that they can start people on CPAPs. A CPAP isn't great fun to wear. It's cumbersome. The straps make my eczema flare up. Sometimes it's uncomfortable. Despite having a plastic mask covering my face, air blowing at me and a hose wrapped around my neck, I sleep like a log. If I can sleep that well with all those inconveniences, the CPAP must be doing something right. It's drug-free, low maintenance, and relatively painless. I'm not seeing the problem.

Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes from 22 years parenting four children and 25 years teaching K-8, special needs, adult education and home-school. Marilisa has written extensively about parenting and health for the Yahoo! Contributor Network.

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