NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Losing a huge amount of weight is next to impossible. So, some people have turned to Ozempic and Wegovy. But weight loss specialists know that managing the behavior that led to obesity is a critical piece to losing weight. Ivanhoe has more about how one woman lost over 400 pounds.
Sidney Bynum says, “When my brother called me and told me he had a dream of me dying, that was my turning point.”
By then, Sidney weighed 745 pounds, and had given up.
Sahar Takkouche, MD, Bariatric Medicine at Vanderbilt University explains, “Obesity is a chronic disease, it’s not a willpower, it’s not as simple as eat less, move more.”
Research shows 650 million adults worldwide are obese — meaning a BMI of 30 or higher. This leads to fatty liver disease, diabetes, and metabolic disorder. Thirty seven percent of overweight women are also depressed and suffer with self-blame and loathing.
Sydney says, “I struggled a lot because one I didn’t love myself and I really didn’t just care about life.”
In 2020, she got down to 527 pounds to undergo bariatric surgery; followed by anti-obesity medications. Vanderbilt doctors addressed the mental issues through both in-person visits and telemedicine, because at that time she was not ambulatory.
Doctor Takkouche explains, “It’s important to have a multi-disciplinary approach – somebody who can see this patient holistically and not necessarily just treating the weight or the number on the scale.”
It clicked for Sidney.
Doctor Takkouche says, “She came in and once we met, I saw a spark in her. We connected, and i thought, ‘I have to help this person.’”
“She saw something in me when she first met me. And she saw how I just wanted to give up on myself, but she wouldn’t let me give up.” says Sidney.
Did it work? Sidney now weighs 312 pounds, is able to walk and inside her body is much, much healthier.
Obesity creates low-grade chronic inflammation and metabolic disease. Adipose, or fat tissue, also leads to diabetes. If you suffer from chronic obesity, Doctor Takkouche says seek out a multi-disciplinary program that addresses the behavioral causes behind the weight gain. That’s your best chance to lose it and keep it off.
Contributors to this news report include: Donna Parker, Producer; Roque Correa, Editor and Videographer.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/resources/diseases/obesity/index.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7025495/
WEIGHT LOSS: MANAGING BEHAVIOR IS CRUCIAL!
REPORT #3116
BACKGROUND: Excessive fat accumulation presents a health risk and is defined as being overweight or obese. A body mass index (BMI) over 25 is called overweight, and over 30 is obese. Over four million people die each year because of being overweight or obese according to the World Health Organization. Once considered a problem only in high-income countries, overweight and obesity are now dramatically on the rise in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings. Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for several chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke, which are the leading causes of death worldwide. Being overweight can also lead to diabetes and its associated conditions, including blindness, limb amputations, and the need for dialysis.
(Source: https://www.who.int/health-topics/obesity#tab=tab_1)
PREVENTION AND CONTROL: Many of the causes of overweight and obesity are preventable and reversable. Although other factors are involved, the underlying cause of obesity is an imbalance of calories consumed and calories expended. As global diets have changed in recent decades, there has been an increase in the consumption of energy-dense foods high in fat and free sugars. There has also been a decrease in physical activity due to the changing nature of many types of work, more access to transportation, and increased urbanization. Lowering the risk of overweight and obesity includes reducing the number of calories consumed from fats and sugars, increasing the portion of daily intake of fruit, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts, and engaging in regular physical activity at least 60 minutes per day for children and 150 minutes per week for adults. In babies, studies have shown that exclusive breastfeeding from birth to six months of age reduces the risk of infants becoming overweight or obese.
(Source: https://www.who.int/health-topics/obesity#tab=tab_3)
BREAKTHROUGH IN OBESITY RESEARCH: Researchers led by Director C. Justin LEE at the Center for Cognition and Sociality (CCS) within the Institute of Basic Science (IBS) have discovered something new in to the regulation of fat metabolism. The focus was on the star-shaped non-neuronal cells in the brain, known as astrocytes. The group announced successful animal experiments using the newly developed drug ‘KDS2010′, which allowed the mice to lose weight without dietary restrictions. In the diet-induced obese mouse model, researchers observed significant slowing in the pacemaker firing of the GABRA5 neurons. They continued with the study by attempting to inhibit the activity of these GABRA5 neurons using chemogenetic methods. This in turn caused a reduction in heat production in the brown fat tissue, leading to fat accumulation and weight gain. When the GABRA5 neurons in the hypothalamus were activated, the mice were able to achieve a successful weight reduction. This suggests that the GABRA5 neurons may act as a switch for weight regulation. Center Director LEE also said, “Given that obesity has been designated by the World Health Organization as the ’21st-century emerging infectious disease,’ we look to KDS2010 as a potential next-generation obesity treatment that can effectively combat obesity without suppressing appetite.”
(Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230831121624.htm)
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Craig Boerner
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