CardioExchange Archive

February 3rd, 2011

Lancet Papers Outline Worldwide Trends in Obesity, Hypertension, and Cholesterol

Larry Husten, PHD

Three papers published in the Lancet provide the most detailed view yet of worldwide trends over the last 3 decades in body-mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and cholesterol, and also include numerous details about different regions and countries. Here are a few highlights of the reports from the Global Burden of Metabolic Risk Factors of Chronic […]

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October 11th, 2010

Obesity: Good News and Bad News

Larry Husten, PHD

Two new trials and accompanying editorials published online in JAMA offer hope that lifestyle interventions can result in significant weight loss. The bad news: The results are fairly modest, and it is difficult to obtain reimbursement for lifestyle interventions. In one study, Cheryl Rock and colleagues compared usual care with a program that included free prepared […]

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October 8th, 2010

Abbott Withdraws Sibutramine from U.S. Market

Larry Husten, PHD

Abbott has pulled its weight-loss drug sibutramine (Meridia) from the U.S. market. A safety communication from the FDA said the “drug may pose unnecessary cardiovascular risks to patients.” Earlier this year the drug was withdrawn in Europe. Sibutramine was approved by the FDA in 1997. The FDA recommendation is based upon a recent analysis of data […]

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October 4th, 2010

Study Finds Deep Ties Between Sleep and Weight Loss

Larry Husten, PHD

A good night’s sleep might be a key to losing weight. In a crossover study among 10 overweight people, Arlet Nedeltcheva and colleagues compared the effects of 2 weeks of dieting with 8.5 or 5.5 hours of sleep each night. They found that during the sleep curtailment period, weight loss came more from lean body […]

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September 1st, 2010

NEJM Editors Call for Removal of Sibutramine from U.S. Market

Larry Husten, PHD

Earlier this year, following the discovery of signals of potential danger in a large clinical trial, the weight loss drug sibutramine (Meridia) was withdrawn from the market in Europe while the FDA added a strongly worded contraindication to its use in people with cardiovascular disease. Now, 2 weeks before an FDA advisory panel will vote […]

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August 10th, 2010

A Family Affair

Juan J. Rivera, MD, MHS

The surplus of specialists and neglect of primary and preventive care in modern American medicine has led to a very sharp focus on individuals, with little regard for families. A perfect example of how this imbalance has detrimental effects at the population level is the childhood obesity epidemic. Many healthcare professionals perceive obesity as an […]

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