CVD News watch, May 15

Our heart(y) news watch for this weekend is focusing on obesity, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Happy reading!

CVD obesity watch

The obesity epidemic in the US is due solely to increased food intake
It’s all about food, according to a study by Australian researchers which was presented at the 2009 European Congress on Obesity in Amsterdam last week. It has always been thought that a sedentary lifestyle (e.g. lack of physical activity) is what is tipping the scales for a large number of Americans. Actually it’s the huge amount of food that they consume that lead to the excess pounds and expanded waistline. It seems that the food intake in the US have been continuously increasing since the 1970s. The study looked into the account energy intake, energy expenditure, and body size in 963 children and 1399 adults. So we just have to cut down, that’s it? It’s not going to be easy, according to the authors. “The food industry has done such a great job of marketing their products, making the food so tasty that it’s almost irresistible, pricing their products just right, and placing them everywhere, that it is very hard for the average person to resist temptation. Food is virtually everywhere, probably even in churches and funeral parlors.”

CVD exercise watch

Get Animated with Anna Kournikova
But even though obesity may be solely due to food intake, there is no denying that physical exercise is beneficial to our health. That’s why tennis star Anna Kournikova has teamed up with Cartoon Network to help Boys & Girls Clubs of America get “animated” e.g. teach kids fun, creative ways to stay healthy and active in any typical indoor classroom. The DVD “GET ANIMATED WITH ANNA KOURNIKOVA” presents new and creative ways for kids to be more active and energetic on a daily basis indoors or outdoors, without being especially proficient in a particular sport. Definitely better than watching cartoons, eh?

CVD health care cost watch

Complications and Costs for Obesity Surgery Declining
On another aspect of obesity, a new study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) showed that the rate of postsurgical complications for bariatric surgey decline by 21% from 2002 to 2006. The health care costs associated with the intervention dropped as well. The improvements are largely due to improved surgical techniques.

CVD health care reform watch

Building Momentum as Democrats Forge Health Care Reform

They are not yet quite there but they are building momentum. Major organizations that represent American doctors, hospitals, health plans, and medical suppliers met last May 11 with the US President and pledged to do their part to achieve the administration’s goal of reducing by 1.5% annually the growth of health care spending over the next decade – saving an estimated $2 trillion. Truly an important step in US health care reform.