What Is MRSA? All About the Infection Sidelining Giants’ Daniel Fells

Photo: Getty Images

After discovering that tight end Daniel Fells has MRSA, a serious skin infection, the New York Giants are scrubbing down their facilities as a precaution against the extremely contagious and potentially deadly bacteria.

Fells, 32, was already being treated for an ankle issue when doctors discovered MRSA on his leg. He is expected to make a full recovery, according to ESPN, but this will end the season for him.

MRSA, which stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is dangerous because it’s resistant to the antibiotics that are typically used to treat normal staph infections, according to the Mayo Clinic. It more commonly occurs among patients in hospitals or dialysis centers, but it can also show up in healthy people, especially in crowded settings like a locker room. This type, known as community-associated MRSA, often spreads via skin-to-skin contact and athletes, from high school wrestlers to pro-football players, are among the most at risk.

RELATED: How to Clean Everything Better

In fact, two years ago, there was a MRSA outbreak among the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which pulled three players out of their lineup that year. One was able to return to the team the next season, while the other two have not played since.

The Giants said that they’ve cleaned the locker room, training room, and all meeting rooms to be safe, as MRSA can spread incredibly quickly in these settings.

“We are working with infectious disease specialists, and we have defined protocols that we are following in consultation with the Duke Infection Control Outreach Network and local infectious disease specialists,” team spokesman Pat Hanlon said in a statement on Tuesday. “Those protocols are being followed carefully.”

RELATED: 12 Germs That Cause Food Poisoning

MRSA looks like a large, red pimple, and can feel painful and warm to the touch. Many people think it’s a spider bite at first.

By definition, the normal antibiotics don’t work on MRSA, but certain drugs can be used. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises doctors to drain the infection site and send the “specimen” (aka pus) out for testing to determine which antibiotics the infection might respond to.

Prompt medical attention for something that might be MRSA is important because the infection can spread from the skin to bones, lungs, and the bloodstream, which can spell a much more serious, life-threatening problem.

RELATED: The 8 Germiest Places in the Mall

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1jOxX4X

Cigarettes May Sabotage Alcoholics’ Recovery

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 7, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Smoking greatly increases recovering alcoholics’ risk of relapse, a new study warns.

“Quitting smoking will improve anyone’s health. But our study shows that giving up cigarettes is even more important for adults in recovery from alcohol since it will help them stay sober,” said lead author Renee Goodwin. Goodwin is an associate professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York City.

The study included tens of thousands of recovering alcoholics in the United States who were followed for three years.

Smokers were two times more likely than nonsmokers to start drinking again, even after the researchers accounted for factors such as mood and anxiety disorders, illicit drug use and nicotine dependence.

The study was recently published online in the journal Alcoholism: Experimental and Clinical Research.

It’s not clear why smoking seems to increase recovering alcoholics’ risk of relapse. However, the study authors said previous research identified behavioral and brain chemical links between smoking and drinking.

Treatment for alcoholism typically includes treatment for illicit substance use, but not for smoking, which is common among problem drinkers, the researchers said.

It’s thought that asking alcoholics to quit smoking while they try to curb their drinking is “too difficult,” Goodwin said in a university news release. She said it’s also been assumed that smoking makes no difference to drinking abstinence in the long run.

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has more about treatment for alcohol problems.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1N0eyaK

Excess Weight Helps Women With Heart Failure, Hurts Men: Study

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 7, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Overweight and mildly obese women with heart failure may live significantly longer than similarly heavy men with the progressive disease, a new study suggests.

These heavier women may also outlive normal-weight females with heart failure by as much as 16 percent, said lead researcher Dr. Leslie Cho, director of the Cleveland Clinic Women’s Cardiovascular Center.

The bottom line: “It is not doomsday when an overweight or mildly obese patient, especially female, develops heart failure, as the prognosis may be quite good,” said Dr. Carl Lavie, medical director of cardiac rehabilitation and prevention at the Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans.

“There is an ‘obesity paradox’ in heart failure,” said Lavie, who co-authored an editorial accompanying the study.

“Despite the adverse effects that overweight and obesity have on heart disease risk and on heart function, many studies, including several of my own, show that overweight and at least mildly obese patients with heart failure have a better short-term prognosis than do lean heart failure patients,” he explained.

The study involved nearly 4,000 people with heart failure, a conditon where the heart doesn’t pump blood the way it should. This potentially fatal disease affects about 5.7 million Americans, according to the American Heart Association.

The study results were published Oct. 7 in the journal JACC: Heart Failure.

Cho said the obesity paradox does seem real, but perhaps only for women in cases of heart failure.

On the one hand, overweight and obese men with heart failure should lose weight to improve heart function. On the other hand, women don’t need to get to an ideal normal body weight, Cho said.

However, “the message is not that women with heart failure should go out and eat ice cream and gain a whole bunch of weight,” she said.

Cho cautioned that this study only shows an association between weight and survival. It doesn’t prove that being overweight is the reason for a woman with heart failure living longer.

While the mechanism behind the obesity paradox is unknown, Cho said it may be that women need more fatty acids than men for better heart function.

“We are just beginning to understand the difference gender makes in heart function,” she said.

Lavie suggested that fitness, muscle mass and obesity severity also may play a role in the survival paradox.

For the study, Cho’s team looked at medical records of more than 3,800 patients with heart failure.

Initially, the investigators noted an overweight advantage among men and women. But the men’s survival benefit disappeared after taking into account factors such as smoking, diabetes and medications. Obesity and overweight actually shortened men’s lives compared to normal-weight males with heart failure, the researchers said.

Women with the greatest survival advantage had a BMI (body mass index) of between 25 and 29.9, the researchers found. BMI is a calculation of body fat based on height and weight. A BMI over 25 is overweight; over 30 is considered obese.

Morbid obesity, a BMI of 40 or more, conferred no benefit, the researchers said.

Lavie said adults should strive to prevent heart failure in the first place. Maintaining a healthy weight is part of prevention, he said.

“Improving physical activity and fitness should be emphasized to prevent heart failure and improve its prognosis,” Lavie said. Moderate and severe obesity need vigorous prevention and treatment, he added.

More information

For more on obesity, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1N0eyaB

Tanning Bed Use, Skin Cancer Rates High Among Gay Men: Study

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 7, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Indoor tanning is far more popular among gay and bisexual men than it is among heterosexual men, a fact that may explain why they also have higher skin cancer rates, new research suggests.

“Overall, the rate of indoor tanning among these men is between three to six times greater than it is among heterosexual men,” said study co-author Dr. Matthew Mansh, an intern in the department of internal medicine at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco.

“Gay and bisexual men also have about twice the rate of skin cancer compared with heterosexual men,” he added, “both in terms of melanoma and non-melanoma.”

The results stem from a review of state and federal government data that involved nearly 78,500 adult straight men and more than 3,000 gay and bisexual men. About 108,000 straight women were also included, alongside more than 3,000 lesbians.

Mansh and his colleagues report their findings online Oct. 7 in the journal JAMA Dermatology.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautions that indoor tanning is in no way safer than unprotected outdoor sun exposure. Both can bring about premature aging of the skin, spotting and wrinkling. But above all, both raise the risk for developing skin cancer, which now strikes more than 5 million Americans year, the study authors noted.

Regardless, indoor tanning remains stubbornly popular, with the CDC statistics showing that roughly 400,000 Americans continue to develop skin cancer each year as a result of indoor tanning.

The problem is particularly acute among young white women. In fact, some of the data in the study revealed that nearly a third of white women between the ages of 18 and 21 engage in indoor tanning. Although that figure slowly dips with age, nearly a fifth of white women between the ages of 30 and 34 still attend tanning salons, the data showed.

Since tanning behavior among gay men and women has never been studied, Mansh and his team set out to see how their indoor tanning histories might stack up.

The researchers found that indoor tanning risk among self-identified gay and bisexual men (aged 18 and up) shot up sixfold compared to straight men. By contrast, the practice was only half as common among gay/bisexual women as it was among straight women.

What’s more, tanning trends were strongly associated with increased skin cancer risk. For example, the national data found that gay and bisexual men had almost a 7 percent risk of skin cancer, while straight men only faced a 3 percent risk.

Conversely, gay and bisexual women were found to be half as likely to develop non-melanoma skin cancer as straight women, although no difference was seen in terms of melanoma risk.

What might account for the trends? Mansh pointed to past studies that have focused on young white women, among whom the main motivators seem to be a desire to enhance appearance and look youthful. “It’s something that needs to be specifically studied, but we assume it’s probably a similar situation among gay and bisexual men,” he said.

Meanwhile, Aaron Blashill, author of an editorial that accompanied the study, described the current effort as both “novel and highly significant.”

“There currently aren’t any known public health interventions targeting tanning or skin cancer among these sexual minorities,” noted Blashill, who is an assistant professor in the department of psychology at San Diego State University.

“So, one major implication from this study is that it will hopefully encourage researchers to further study this population to better understand what are the factors that are placing sexual minority men at risk for skin cancer.

“Once we have a better understanding of those risk factors,” said Blashill, “targeted skin cancer prevention [efforts] can then be developed, and implemented in the community.”

More information

There’s more on the risks associated with indoor tanning at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1VE9y35

This 50 Push-Up Challenge Will Transform Your Body in 30 Days

Photo: Getty Images

It’s been almost 20 years since Demi Moore starred in G.I. Jane, but that crazy-inspiring scene in which Moore (as Jordan O’Neill) pumps out push-up after push-up has stuck with me. I’ve always wanted to be able to do that.

Why? The classic push-up comes close to a perfect exercise, challenging multiple muscle groups in the arms, chest, back, and core to build overall functional strength. But let’s just say my upper body has never been my better half. On a good day, I could eke out maybe eight push-ups max—and they weren’t pretty. I have—or had, I should say—a long way to go.

Last summer, I decided to see just how far I could get. I called New York City-based Master Trainer Shaun Zetlin, who is something of a push-up guru. Earlier this year he published a book all about this body-changing move (and its many variations) called the Push-up Progression ($16, amazon.com). Zetlin suggested a goal—50 reps in a month’s time (gulp)—and outlined the 30-day plan below. “This is totally doable,” he promised, as I stifled a guffaw.

RELATED: Jillian Michaels’ Calorie-Burning Workout

But of course, Zetlin was totally right. Here’s what happened over the next four weeks.

Week one

I was grateful for this gentle warm-up period because it gave me a chance to focus on my form. I’d start each session in a straight-arm plank and run through a mental checklist of Zetlin’s tips: Find a neutral spinal position—so shoulder blades align with upper back and glutes. Engage those glute muscles. Draw abs in. Keep hips from drifting up, and elbows from flaring past wrists. And most importantly, breathe.

Zetlin describes the push-up as a “movable plank,” which was a helpful image as I lowered myself down. All week long I did my reps as mindfully as possible, until the movement started to feel natural.

Week two

I can’t say I ever considered push-ups fun in the past. (“Torturous” and “depressing” are better words.) But during week two, I began to enjoy the challenge. Hitting my target each time was surprisingly motivating. And knowing the jump from one workout to the next was never more than 2 or 3 reps made the process feel feasible.

Week two is also when I began to appreciate the convenience factor of this old-school move: It can be done anywhere, any time, in virtually any clothing. And as the mom of a 18-month-old, I am all about squeezing exercise into small pockets of time. That often meant banging out my reps in my pajamas, after my little guy finally fell asleep—or in my work clothes, just before he woke up.

RELATED: 6 Ways to Get MORE Out of a Push-Up

Week three

“The third week is when it gets a little daunting,” Zetlin had warned me. He was right about that, too. I was in a very satisfying groove until I tried to drop and give myself 20. I needed to pause (read: collapse on the floor) after 15 push-ups; then I struggled through the last 5. The same thing happened all week: I’d end up breaking each session into two (sometimes three) sets. I sent Zetlin an email to ask if breathers were a big deal: “It’s always better to hit your target number without stopping,” he explained, because the longer muscles are under strain, the harder they’re working. Plus: There are aerobic perks to staying in motion. But if I needed to rest, I should, he said—as long as I kept each break shorter than a minute.

Week four

As the target numbers climbed higher, I found that the time of day really mattered: It was easier for me to perform the reps in the morning than in the evening, when my muscles were already tired. I noticed that my breathing became key as well.

“Take a deep breath as you go down and then exhale as you’re pushing away from the floor,” Zetlin had instructed me. “Breathing is where you get your power to come up.” That certainly seemed true whenever I felt like I had nothing left. And focusing on my breath helped distract me from the burning in my arms.

RELATED: 30-Day Plank Challenge

The last two days

I’m not going to lie: Going from 42 reps to 50 in three days was rough. I finished the challenge with two sets of 25 push-ups, the last of which involved an embarrassing amount of grunting. But I was damn proud of myself. Fifty push-ups! In a row! I honestly didn’t think I could do it.

Aside from bragging rights, I’ve also picked up better posture. Zetlin predicted that would happen too, thanks to muscle memory: “If you learn how to find the neutral spinal position in your workout, you’ll start doing it in your everyday life,” he said. Indeed, while I’m waiting in line or standing on the subway, I’ll catch myself lifting my head, drawing in my abs, straightening my pelvis, until my body feels perfectly aligned. I truly feel transformed.

Now it’s your turn. Challenge yourself and your friends. If I can get to 50 push-ups in 30 days, I’m sure you can, too!

RELATED: 20 Ways to Do a Plank

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1JT1mzK

Watch This Pregnant News Anchor Shut Down Body-Shamers

The idea that anyone would body shame a pregnant women seems completely preposterous and yet it happens…quite often. Whether it’s a woman in the public eye or one just walking in public, everyone has an opinion and some are scathing.

Fortunately we have women like Australian news anchor Sarah Harris in this world to tell the judgmental set exactly where they can stick their criticism.

After a tabloid published photos of the pregnant TV host while she was casually dressed during the off-camera part of her day, Harris felt particularly ambushed by negativity over her appearance…while she is creating a human inside of her body. Instead of staying quiet on the subject, she took the liberty of airing her grievances on television, and her words are wonderful.

“I hope those photos make other pregnant women feel better about their bodies because I’m kind of fed up with the body-shaming that happens when you’re pregnant and then the pressure that comes afterward to lose the baby weight,” she said during her monologue. “On behalf of all of the pregnant women out there who might be feeling a little bit chubby and bit flabby, I want to say to the haters, get stuffed!”

This article originally appeared on MIMIchatter.com.

MIMI Chatter is an endless stream of beauty content. We bring together the must-knows and the how-tos from your favorite sites, beauty influencers, our editors, and YOU.

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1JSRtSH

12 Pumpkin Spice Foods You Didn’t Know Existed

Admit it, you get at least a tiny bit giddy when pumpkin spice season (otherwise known as fall) rolls around. But Starbucks is far from the only company featuring the flavor—many brands have jumped on the pumpkin bandwagon and created their own seasonally spiced treats. Many make us wonder why someone didn’t think of it sooner (hello, pumpkin-spice oatmeal), but some, well…we’ll let you be your own judge. If you’re feeling adventurous, try these seasonal (and sometimes strange) pumpkin-flavored foods.

RELATED: 17 Delicious Pumpkin Recipes

Oatmeal

We’re big fans of starting the morning with a heart-healthy bowl of oatmeal. For a fast, easy, and seasonal take on this fiber-filled breakfast, Quaker has rolled out a pumpkin spice version of its convenient instant packets. Quaker Pumpkin Spice Limited Edition Instant Oatmeal ($8, amazon.com) 

Cereal

For another way to begin your day, chow down on a bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats layered with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger. Though this cereal is high in fiber, at 6 grams per serving, watch your portions—it’s also fairly high in sugar. Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats Pumpkin Spice ($11, amazon.com) 

Yogurt

Get a healthy serving of protein-packed Greek yogurt AND your pumpkin fix in one sitting with Chobani’s latest seasonal option. Oh and don’t worry, the fall flavor invasion doesn’t stop with the pumpkin yogurt—Chobani’s grab-and-go cup also comes with piecrust crumbles, crunchy pecans & salty-sweet glazed pumpkin seeds. Chobani Flip Limited Batch Pumpkin Harvest Crisp ($2, freshdirect.com)

RELATED: 4 Things You Can Make With Greek Yogurt

Granola

Just in case you feel like Chobani’s seasonal yogurt hasn’t quite reached its pumpkin potential, have no fear; you can top it off with pumpkin spice granola. Archer Farms Granola Pumpkin Spice ($3, target.com) 

Pancakes & Waffles

A weekend brunch at home wouldn’t be complete without some delicious fresh-off-the-griddle pancakes. Sure, you could whip up some pumpkin pancakes from scratch, OR you could take a shortcut with Williams Sonoma’s spiced mix. Williams-Sonoma Spiced Pecan Pumpkin Pancake & Waffle Mix ($12, williams-sonoma.com)

Trail Mix

If you want to take the flavors of fall with you everywhere you go, grab a pack of Archer Farms pumpkin spice trail mix to snack on anytime, anywhere. Archer Farms Pumpkin Spice Monster Trail Mix ($3, target.com)

RELATED: 4 Addicting Snacks That Are Actually Good For You

Chocolate

M&Ms dress up in different colors for the holidays (red and green for Christmas, pink for V-day, etc.). This season, they’ll be getting a pumpkin flavor. M&Ms Pumpkin Spice Latte ($3, amazon.com)

Also keep an eye out for Nestle Toll House Pumpkin Spice Chips ($6, amazon.com) and Ghirardelli Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Caramel Chocolate Squares ($13, amazon.com) if you just can’t get enough chocolate-meets-pumpkin goodness.

Marshmallows

Pastel-colored Peeps are a sugary treat for the spring, and now these marshmallows are getting a fall makeover. Available only at Target, the little chicks are currently orange, pumpkin spice flavored, and dipped in white fudge. Peeps Pumpkin Marshmallows ($2, target.com)

Cookies

Last year, Oreo added pumpkin spice to its repertoire. And good news for all you sandwich-cookie lovers—the flavor is back this fall! (Just be sure to enjoy them in moderation.) Pumpkin Spice Oreos ($6, amazon.com)

Ice Cream

For yet another way to satisfy your sweet tooth, Edy’s (or Dreyer’s if you live west of the Rockies) features pumpkin ice cream from September to October. Edy’s Pumpkin Ice Cream (Edys.com)

RELATED: 16 Easy, Guilt-Free Cookie Recipes

Granola Bars

To get your pumpkin spice fix in a convenient and healthier snack, Kashi offers pumpkin-spice granola bars. Kashi TLC Crunchy Granola Bar, Pumpkin Spice Flax ($6, amazon.com) 

Gum

Get rid of coffee breath after your PSL with…pumpkin spice gum? Extra now sells pumpkin gum to sink your teeth into. Extra Sugarless Chewing Gum Pumpkin Spice ($8, amazon.com)

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1JSRtSw

Jessica Biel’s ‘Funny or Die’ Series: The Sex Ed We Wish We Had

FYI: your copper IUD is not attracting lightning strikes, “guzzling” birth control pills does not increase effectiveness, and no one (that we know of) has coughed up a condom from vaginal sex. These are only a few of the funny myths busted in a vaginal health series featuring Jessica Biel, Whitney Cummings, and Joy Bryant on Funny or Die.

Aside from being hilarious, the videos are actually the brainchild of Biel and the non-profit WomenCare Global. The goal: creating a healthy dialogue about women’s bodies and the importance of reproductive health education.

“We don’t want women’s reproductive health issues to be hidden under stigma and taboos anymore,” Biel, 33, said in a recent Good Morning America interview, alongside WomenCare Global CEO Saundra Pelletier. “Can we please laugh about all this crazy stuff that happens to [our bodies]?”

RELATED: Top 10 Myths About Safe Sex and Sexual Health

The trio have girl talk in the kitchen to bust common (and ridiculous) myths about contraception, including condoms, oral contraceptives, and intrauterine devices.

“The baggy condom is not a good look,” Cummings cracks in the first video from the series.

And when it comes to the IUD, there are some hard-hitting logistical questions these ladies need answers to.

“I have no idea about lightning striking metal inside the body,” Biel wonders in the most recent clip about having a metal device in her uterus. “I’d have a super vagina?” (The spot then states that IUDs are actually mostly plastic, which is not a conductor of electricity. Phew.)

“Superwoman’s IUD got struck by lightning,” Cummings chimes in. “That’s how she learned to fly.”

Watch the rest below: 

RELATED: 16 Worst Birth Control Mistakes

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1MZXRvY

PTSD Can Affect Female Vietnam War Vets, Too: Study

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 7, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Women who served in Vietnam may be at far greater risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than female military service members who were stationed in the United States during that war, a new study finds.

“Because current PTSD is still present in many of these women decades after their military service, clinicians who treat them should continue to screen for PTSD symptoms and be sensitive to their noncombat wartime experiences,” wrote study leader Kathryn Magruder, of the Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Charleston, S.C., and colleagues.

PTSD, an anxiety disorder, can occur after witnessing or experiencing traumatic events. Magruder’s team concluded that job performance pressures and wartime exposure to sexual harassment and discrimination were more prevalent overseas than on U.S. soil, thus accounting for the possible discrepancy in PTSD occurrence.

The researchers sought to understand the impact of wartime deployment on the thousands of American women who served in the Vietnam era — from the mid-1960s to 1973. The study results were published online Oct. 7 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Roughly 5,000 to 7,500 American women served in Vietnam. Another 2,000 were stationed in Asia at bases in Japan, the Philippines, Guam, Korea and Thailand, and 250,000 remained in the United States.

Most of the women deployed to Vietnam were nurses, but some women worked in clerical, medical and administrative positions. Although excluded from combat, they were still exposed to casualties and other sources of stress, the study authors said in a journal news release.

Magruder’s team analyzed survey responses of about 4,200 women who served in the Vietnam War and were interviewed beginning in 2011. The researchers also reviewed VA medical records to validate responses.

Roughly 2,000 of these vets surveyed were stationed in Vietnam, 657 were near Vietnam and about 1,600 served in the United States. The majority who served in the United States and Vietnam were in the Army, while most stationed near Vietnam were in the Air Force.

At some point in their lives, 20 percent of the female Vietnam vets experienced PTSD, compared to 11.5 percent of women serving near Vietnam and 14 percent for women stationed in the United States.

Many of these women, now mostly in their 60s, still suffer because of their experiences. The prevalence for current PTSD (active within the past year) was close to 16 percent for women stationed in Vietnam, about 8 percent for women near Vietnam and about 9 percent for women who served in the United States, the study found.

The results suggest that exposure to stressors such as sexual harassment and job performance pressure increase the odds of PTSD. Sexual discrimination, which was related to PTSD in each analysis, was more common among the women deployed overseas, the researchers also noted.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health provides more information on PTSD.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1jOc5q9

Suicide Risk May Rise for Some After Weight-Loss Surgery

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 7, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Troubled people who have weight-loss surgery are more likely to attempt suicide following the procedure, a new study suggests.

These patients were about 50 percent more likely to try to take their own lives after they lost a lot of weight, while more than nine of 10 suicide attempts involved patients with a history of mental health problems, the Canadian researchers found.

“While we are clear and confident about the medical benefits of weight loss, especially through weight-loss surgery, I think we’re not as attentive to the potential psychological benefits or harms of it,” said Dr. Amir Ghaferi, director of bariatric surgery at the Ann Arbor Veterans Administration Healthcare System in Michigan.

Weight-loss surgery can cause a dramatic change in a person’s life, and people struggling with mental illness or depression may not be able to cope, said Ghaferi, who co-wrote a commentary accompanying the study.

The study was published in the Oct. 7 online edition of the journal JAMA Surgery.

Weight-loss surgery helps people who are morbidly obese lose weight. About 6 percent of Americans are morbidly obese, the study authors said, which is defined as a body mass index (BMI) that’s 40 or higher or a BMI higher than 35 if it’s accompanied with a serious health problem linked to obesity.

People who are morbidly obese often suffer from mental health problems, and previous studies have suggested that candidates for weight-loss surgery have a suicide risk that’s four times higher than that of the general population, according to the researchers.

To see how weight-loss surgery might affect that suicide risk, researchers led by Junaid Bhatti from the Sunnybrook Research Institute in Toronto tracked more than 8,800 patients in Ontario for three years before and three years after their procedure.

Out of that group, 111 patients had 158 self-harm emergencies during the follow-up period, the study found. Most of the suicide attempts occurred in the second and third year after the surgery, the findings showed.

And about 93 percent of those suicide attempts occurred in patients diagnosed with a mental health disorder prior to surgery, the researchers reported. The most common type of suicide attempt was an intentional overdose, which occurred in 73 percent of cases.

The researchers said that previous studies have pointed to several possibilities for why this is so: changes in alcohol metabolism after surgery; a substitution of substance misuse for food; increased stress; and changes in the levels of hormones that might affect the likelihood of depression and suicidal behaviors.

However, this latest study did not prove that weight-loss surgeries cause an increased risk in suicide attempts among the morbidly obese.

The findings do point to the need for improved screening of candidates prior to weight-loss surgery and better follow-up care in the months after, Ghaferi said.

People must receive a mental health assessment prior to surgery, but the rules surrounding this requirement are fuzzy, he explained.

“We don’t really have a good way of screening these people,” Ghaferi said. “We don’t have a good standard.”

After surgery, patients often struggle to adapt to the way their rapid weight loss is shaking up their relationships with important people in their lives, Ghaferi said.

He gave the example of couples who are both obese.

“There’s a problem when the partner who has surgery begins to lose weight,” Ghaferi said. “Potentially they gain some self-confidence from that, but then their loved one begins to shun them because they’re no longer alike. I’ve had patients say, ‘My husband left me because I got too thin.'”

Doctors are rarely available to help patients through these changes, Ghaferi said.

“Bariatric surgery follow-up is notoriously poor,” he said. “We try to maintain at least one-year follow-up with our patients, but it’s hard. Patients fall off the radar. They move, or it’s the type of operation where if they’re doing well or doing poorly, they’re not going to come see you.”

Dr. Mitchell Roslin, chief of obesity surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, agreed that some patients with morbid obesity have problems in life that will not be solved through weight-loss surgery alone.

“These may be people who haven’t been doing well in the game of life to begin with,” Roslin said. “You hope that you’ve changed their destiny, and it turns out you haven’t at all.”

However, Roslin said he’s against limiting weight-loss surgery only to well-functioning people with stable support systems, given that there is a chance that the surgery could improve the life of nearly any candidate.

“We know that high-risk patients don’t do as well, but we live in a land of opportunity. Are we going to use outcomes as a way to deny opportunity?” he asked.

More information

For more about weight-loss surgery, visit the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1L6HF9B