Category: Bariatric Surgery

Scientists and doctors call it the obesity paradox—the idea that while obesity may increase the risks of developing heart disease and diabetes for most people, it might actually be protective, offering the possibility of longer survival, in a few lucky individuals.1 Certainly, if you’re among the throngs of people struggling to deal with a higher than recommended body weight, the idea that maybe, just maybe, you are probably hoping to be one of those lucky few who doesn’t need to be concerned. Alas, the problem is that the obesity paradox is not so much a puzzle as it is more …

A Finnish study that included researchers from UCLA, the DNA from nearly 20,000 people was harnessed to identify genetic mutations that may increase the risk of diabetes, high cholesterol and other diseases and conditions. The outcomes suggest the potential for using genomic sequencing to uncover variations that may increase the risk for several common health problems, including heart disease, obesity and metabolic syndrome. The researchers also identified genetic differences that may result in below-average height and weight. The study, ‘Exome sequencing of Finnish isolates enhances rare-variant association power’, published in Nature, the authors from UCLA, Washington University, the University of …