Looks Like We Are Getting Heavier!

Obese people have generally got bigger in the last decade but thin people have stayed the same, a report has concluded.

The Cancer Research UK study said men's waist circumference increased by 3.48cm and women's by 4.35cms.

It also discovered that the proportion of men and women under 45 who were morbidly obese had doubled over the 10-year period - as did the proportion of women with a Body Mass Index of more than 40.

Professor Jane Wardle, director of Cancer Research UK's health behaviour unit and study leader, said: "We found that weight gain in the population has been unequally distributed.

"Slimmer adults today are almost as slim as their counterparts 10 years ago, but the heaviest people in the population are much heavier than they were 10 years ago."

Prof Wardle said snacks and takeaway foods, combined with sedentary lifestyles had contributed to the results.

Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, said: "This research adds to the evidence that the UK is in the grip of an obesity epidemic.

"We know that high body weight increases the risk of a number of cancers and it is important we get this message out to as many people as possible."

For the report, experts studied the weight and waist measurements of almost 12,000 men and women in 1993-4.

They then compared these statistics with weight and waist measurements for a similar group of people taken from the Health Survey for England 10 years later.

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[Dr. E Domanskis]

Economic uncertainty affects cosmetic surgery in U.S.

Newport Beach,Ca--(Marketwire-February 6,2008) -- As the economic downturn in the U.S. continues, businesses that rely on discretionary income have suffered. A prime example of this is the cosmetic surgery industry. The Conference Board reported that the Consumer Confidence index, which monitors consumers’ feelings about the state of the economy, fell sharply in January. The public’s negative perception of the economy has decreased their spending.

“The number of patients I am seeing in my practice has decreased significantly in the past several months,” says Dr. Edward Domanskis, a plastic surgeon in private practice in Newport Beach, California. “This has led me to adjust my surgical fees downward by 20% for the first time in my career,“ continued Dr. Domanskis, President of the American Society of Bariatric Plastic Surgeons.

However, there have been some unexpected benefits to this slowdown like the Federal Reserve decreasing interest rates, which has translated in lower consumer loan rates. “We have seen more patients taking advantage of these historically low rates which makes their cosmetic surgery financing more affordable than ever,” says Tony Seymour SVP of Sales CareCredit, a subsidiary of General Electric and a leading finance company in the cosmetic surgery industry.

Also, the lower interest rates have decreased the value of our dollar. This has resulted in an influx of foreign visitors and their spending. “I have definitely seen an increase in European patients seeking cosmetic surgery,” said Dr. Domanskis. “I trust that this and my own economic stimulus package for my plastic surgery practice will help during this unsettling time,” he said.

It is estimated that about 11million people had cosmetic surgery or a non- surgical procedure like BOTOX®Cosmetic this past year, which would be about the same as statistics reported by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery for 2006.

Contact: Edward J. Domanskis,M.D.,F.A.C.S.

Newport Beach, California 949.640-6324

drdomanskis@surgery-plastic.com

www.surgery-plastic.com

[Surgery Abroad Thailand]

I believe that obesity is one of the main reasons we are seeing huge increases in patients traveling abroad for surgery and weight loss surgery.