Fewer heart attacks seen after weight-loss surgery

(Reuters Health) - In a new study of obese Swedes, those who had weight-loss surgery were less likely to go on to suffer a heart attack or stroke, or die from one, compared to people who were managed without surgery.

The results jibe with an earlier report by the same group of researchers, suggesting that those participants who underwent bariatric surgery were less likely to be diagnosed with diabetes or die from any cause over the following decade.

But exactly how weight loss influences the risk of heart problems in obese people hasn't been completely clear, they note.

"This is very beneficial in filling that gap -- we just have so little long-term data," said Ted Adams, who has studied bariatric surgery and health outcomes at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City.

Weight Loss

Adams, who wasn't involved in the new research, said the findings will be helpful for informing doctors and patients about the long-term consequences of bariatric surgery and helping them assess the risks and benefits of the procedures.

The study doesn't prove that weight-loss surgery cuts the risk of heart disease, and one expert said there are still many questions about the long-term risks and benefits of the procedures.

The data come from a study of more than 4,000 obese people treated at 500 surgery departments and health care centers in Sweden. Between 1987 and 2001, half of those people and their doctors opted for weight-loss surgery, most often stomach stapling, and the other half were treated with routine care, including advice on lifestyle changes.

Researchers led by Dr. Lars Sjostrom at the University of Gothenburg followed those patients for the next 15 years, on average, to see how many of them suffered a heart attack or stroke.

In total, 199 people who'd undergone bariatric surgery had their first heart attack or stroke, and 28 died as a result. By comparison, 234 people who decided against surgery suffered a heart attack or stroke, and 49 died.

When the researchers took into account the initial health differences between people who did and didn't get surgery, the researchers found that after weight-loss surgery, patients were about 30 percent less likely to have a first-time heart attack or stroke than non-surgery patients, and half as likely to die from one.

They calculated that, based on their findings, about 50 obese people would have to get bariatric surgery to prevent one extra heart attack or stroke.

The surgery typically runs at about $20,000, but cost varies by the type of procedure.

Study participants who had weight-loss surgery started out with an average body mass index (BMI) of about 42 -- equivalent to a five-foot, six-inch person weighing 260 pounds.

They lost an average of 16 percent of their starting body weight over the 15 years after the procedure, while the comparison group, which started out a bit lighter, didn't consistently lose or gain weight over time.

The researchers reported that 13 percent of the surgery group had complications after the operation. Complications can include blood clots and infections around the surgical site.

How much weight patients lost in either group wasn't tied to their chances of having a heart attack or stroke, Sjostrom and his colleagues wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

One explanation for that, Adams said, is that the surgery has other health benefits that are independent of the amount of weight lost, such as a reduction in diabetes, which could ease heart risks. Those are all things to consider when very obese people decide whether or not surgery is the way to go, he added.

"My advice for patients -- and physicians certainly help guide this process -- would be to weigh the risks of the surgery, psychological and physiological risks and clinical risks, with their current health status," Adams told Reuters Health.

For example, an obese person with diabetes might be more apt to choose surgery than someone who's very heavy, but otherwise healthy, he said.

Dr. Edward Livingston, a contributing editor for the journal and a professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, said that the heart benefits seen here were small overall.

Given the uncertainty that still exists about the procedures -- and the number of patients who just end up putting the weight back on -- he thinks it's "wrong" to do bariatric surgery in heavy people without other health risks.

"We don't really know the full spectrum of long-term benefits and risks for these operations," Livingston, who wrote a commentary published with the study, told Reuters Health.

The choice to get bariatric surgery, Adams concluded, "should be a personal, very carefully analyzed decision."

For a world class body visit my website: Get in Shape Fast
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Throw Away All Your Other Vitamins and Get This

Fully Organic Raw 400 Multivitamin Formula

You go to the gym and the first thing the trainer says is for you to immediately get on a multivitamin. I don't want to steer you away from that, but of course that sales technique is not specific to your needs, unless they just did a 100 question lifestyle quiz with you. No? Yeah, I didn't think so. But, never fear, because, realistically speaking, you actually do need to supplement your vitamins. Why? Because the land that we now use to grow our food on is completely depleted of all minerals and naturally occurring fertilizers. The synthetic fertilizers, they do use, have only one or two minerals or supplements in them, and mostly they are just so that the plants produce greener looking leaves, not more nutritious fruits.

That being said, the problem with the vitamin industry is that, like most things, cutting corners means that instead of an actual vitamin, taken from plant / animal life, the only real source of vitamins, they created synthetic vitamins and bottled it. It is not a staggering $3.3 billion a year industry. And, the bad news, the synthetic vitamins at best will simply be flushed out by your body and no harm will be done, at worst they cause cancer and eventually kill you, because you take them every day.

intraMAX Organic Multivitamin

When I first asked about vitamins, at the ripe old age of 14, a pharmacist told me flat out, they are a waste of money and produce nothing but very expensive urine. Of course that is true if the vitamin in question is a synthetic vitamin. And, he was right about that. However, an organic vitamin is completely and utterly different.

Organic vitamins are made from real plant / animal life and are:

• absorbed by the body, not flushed out in the urine
• produce the exact effect needed for the process they are intended for, without having to eat tons of food to get the same result
• provide nutrition to the body

There are many multivitamins on the market that claim that you need them [but are synthetic] or are raw [not a regulated word and don't necessarily mean anything]. Only a few claim they are organic, but when you look at the bottle, and know what you are looking at, some of the ingredients are in fact synthetic. How do they get away with this? Because under FDA regulations you can have a certain percent of a product be non-organic and still qualify as "organic".

The best multivitamin hands down, and recommended by doctors is intraMAX. It is fully organic and has an astounding number of vitamins, enzymes and minerals. The features are:

• 70+, 100% organic microcomplexedTM trace minerals (full spectrum)
• 124 antioxidants ("free radical" scavengers / anti-aging)
• 40 amino acids ("building blocks" of protein)
• oxygen - 427 mg/l (dissolved & stabilized)14 digestive enzymes (pure plant derived)

Ease of Use

Instead of taking many different pill form vitamins, minerals and enzymes, you just drink a bit of this each day. And, because it is in liquid form, it is almost absorbed immediately for full effect and bypasses most of the break downs that have to occur in pill form.

Post-Workout Shake Addition

Nearly everyone that has taken it and reviewed it says, flat out, that it is the best supplement out there. This is where you regain your health. If you are a bodybuilder, this is where all your nutritional needs are met, quick and dirty. And, because it is in liquid form to begin with, you just put it in your pre-workout or post-workout shake. You get twice the punch from your shake.

In a post-workout shake, you want immediate absorption, which is why you want a shake and not a meal. You want replenishment of proteins to go directly to your blood stream. A liquid vitamin formula this perfect is exactly what you should be putting in your shake.

Reviews

Fabulous Product!

D. Corder (Dallas, TX) - I have slowly become something of a health guru after watching my mother's excruciatingly painful last 10 years of life (she believed any and all health problems could/should be solved by popping a prescription medication - obviously not true in her situation, but there you have it). As a result, I've turned to holistic medicine for anything except for medical emergencies. This includes the concept of taking care of your body to the best of your ability - including exercise, diet and supplementing with vitamins and minerals. I tried to get my husband on the band wagon to supplement....(all the men in his family have died at an early age of heart disease). Unfortunately, he absolutely hates to take pills of any sort. This set me on a long search for a liquid vitamin/mineral supplement. I eventually found IntraMax and we have been taking it for a couple of years now. I honestly believe it is the best multi-vitamin available - the flavor is good, it is extremely bioavailable, and it is FULL of minerals, vitamins and a whole host of other goodies. It is not cheap, but considering your health is at stake, you get what you you pay for. The biggest issue I have is the fact that it must be refrigerated after opened. But, in talking with my distributor, I found that you can travel with it (unrefrigerated) for up to 48 hours before it loses it's potency. This still allows time (in most situations) to get it refrigerated at your destination. The other option is to purchase the 2 oz. travel bottles - though this gets a bit pricey. All-in-all, the best multi-vitamin/mineral product I've found!

Excellent, High Quality All-In-One Supplement

Tasman Bay Butterfly "M." (Lakeland, FL USA and Lowick, Berwick-Upon-Tweed, UK) - This product has over 400 healthy supplements combined together. I got it because I was tired of popping a million supplement pills. This supplement works very well and I have seen improvement in my bloodwork. So, I can attest that this is a very good product. The only drawback is the Peach-Mango flavour. It's not bad and it's not enough to put me off completely, but it could be better. It reminds me of a thinner version of Twin Lab's Amino Fuel, except not as acidic and not as bad. I will buy it again. Highly Recommended for your good health.

The 'One'

J. W. Boyce (Tulsa, Oklahoma USA) - I tried Intramax on a lark, and it has turned out to be the best single dietary supplement I've ever encountered... and that's saying a lot! I don't want to sound too superlative in my review, and I receive no incentive for saying this, but in an age of half- truths and shennanigans in the health-wellness-fitness industry, Intramax is the genuine article. I wish I'd found it about $12K ago...Get some!

For a world class body visit my website: Get in Shape Fast
See me on YouTube: Shakaama Live

Olive Oil Scam (video)

Olive Oil Scam

Olympic Athletes Using Olive Oil

Olive oil, which is marketed as being super healthy, is actually the opposite.

Just a casual glance at the history shows that original olive oil growers were lamp oil makers. When the world shifted from lamps to electricity the farmers made a smart decision and claimed olive oil was good to eat. Traditionally olive oil was used in lots of rituals because of its status as a symbol for civilized and refined in the home, i.e. those who used olive oil for their lamps were considered to be quite wealthy, because the oil seemed like such a rich source to just be using for lighting.

Olive oil was also used to splash on the skin in Olympic games, this was nothing more than ritualistic though. Later people copied this as a sign that they were also blessed by the gods.

Olive Oil Lamp

Not missing an opportunity olive tree growers spread the rumor that olive oil was good for the skin. Olive oil vendors then went further and further.

You see an olive tree can live for over 400 years. It is literally a cash cow. There is no way that an olive tree grower is going to give this up. Olive oil is now a multi-billion dollar industry.

After doing some research and putting it to peer review, it was found that olive oil actually slows blood flow. As you may know blood flow heals sore muscles, heals cuts, heals infection. It is the infusion of blood to areas that heals the area. The continuous replenishment of new nutrients to an area is key in healing and removing toxins from an area. If then olive oil decreases blood flow then that is a bad thing.

Flow Mediated Dilation - Blood flow decrease of 60% for 4 hours, after consuming olive oil.

Olive oil is the culprit.

The benefit of a Mediterranean diet is that you eat larger amounts of fruits and vegetables. Consuming olive oil with the Mediterranean diet, is in opposition to it. But, because you are getting so many nutrients from the plants and clean meats, you come out with a NET positive.



For a world class body visit my website: Get in Shape Fast
See me on YouTube: Shakaama Live

How to Get Rid of Man Boobs: Seriously

Aromatization is the word used to describe the processes that transform testosterone into estrogen.  The easiest way to get rid of aromatites is to stop eating any and all soy products.  The video below goes into detail about the rest of what you can do.  Essentially, man boobs are caused by fat on your pectorals.  This fat is located on the pectorals due to higher than normal estrogen levels.  Estrogen dictates that the human body carries more fat and specifically on top of the pectoral muscle.  Get rid of the estrogen, plus a consistent workout, gets rid of man boobage.

For a world class body visit my website: Get in Shape Fast
See me on YouTube: Shakaama Live

Tofu is NOT Healthy, Neither is Any Other Form of Soy

Soy is Poison

We've been told that Tofu is the be all end all in healthy eating.  We've been told that Tofu will give you pink flesh, free of cancer and make you live for 1,000 years.  We've been told ... lies.  Lies by whom?  The soy industry!  In fact, you cant' get soy today that is even organic.  All soy products Americans will come in contact will, are all GMO soy.

Why the concern over soy?  Because, it is a toxin and very dangerous to the human body.  It is actually quite fatal in infants, and yet there is soy based formula.  You have to be 3 ways to stupid to feed your baby soy formula.  The product should really be banned.  Report after report, shows how soy based infant formula is highly toxic to infants, and yet the FDA will not remove the product from the market.

What does soy do?  Here is a laundry list of the toxicity of soy.

• High levels of phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Phytic acid in soy is not neutralized by ordinary preparation methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow cooking. High phytate diets have caused growth problems in children.
• Trypsin inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and may cause pancreatic disorders. In test animals soy containing trypsin inhibitors caused stunted growth.
• Free glutamic acid or MSG, a potent neurotoxin, is formed during soy food processing and additional amounts are added to many soy foods.
• Vitamin B12 analogs in soy are not absorbed and actually increase the body's requirement for B12.
• Soy foods increase the body's requirement for vitamin D.
• Fragile proteins are denatured during high temperature processing to make soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein.
• Soy phytoestrogens are potent antithyroid agents that cause hypothyroidism and may cause thyroid cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.
• Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women.
• Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.
• Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum which is toxic to the nervous system and the kidneys.

If that isn't enough, here is a video by Dr. Mercola explaining it.



For a world class body visit my website: Get in Shape Fast
See me on YouTube: Shakaama Live

Soy Kills Your Libido and Causes Erectile Dysfunction

I have said it many times and will say it again, soy is a toxin to humans.  It is not fit to eat.  It is not healthy.  It is the exact opposite of healthy.  More and more evidence pours in to prove to people that soy is toxic to humans.  No bodybuilder that has done an ounce of research into what he puts in his body would ever consume even a microgram of soy.  Why?  Because, not only is it toxic but it has finally come out that soy has an even more sinister function in the human body.

Soy Causes Erectile Dysfunction

Soy produces estrogen.  As a bodybuilder, estrogen is your enemy.  As a man, estrogen is your enemy.  It wreaks havoc on you period, to consume extra hormones not produced by your own body, as a human, male or female.  Your body produces exactly enough hormones that is necessary.  You should never play with digesting something that will produce hormones, or worse, inhibit hormone production in the body, and that is exactly what soy does.

Soy is your enemy.  Completely remove soy from your diet.  It is toxic and can cause all sorts of dysfunction, disease  and syndromes.  This isn't even a long time frame.  And by long we mean, tens of years.  This can happen quickly within a year.

If you ate grass fed beef for 40 years, absolutely nothing would happen.  If you ate corn fed beef for 40 years, over the course of that time you would start to develop some diseases and dysfunction.  If you ate soy for a mere year, you would immediately notice dysfunction and start having diseases.  Notice that eating goes through your digestive system which kills most toxins.  However, soy is so toxic that it will overcome your digestive defenses and kill you off, fairly shortly.

The worst is a Vegan Diet.  According to the Vegans, soy is the be all end all.  Let's look at that.  Who told Vegans soy was the be all end all?  Why, the soy industry of course.  They hired someone that looked like a guru and a hippy and sent tons of these guy forth to preach the gospel of soy.  They made up reports showing great benefits of soy and show how healthy it is.  They falsified reports saying how Asians worship soy and eat it like candy.  It was all a lie.  There is no scientific independent, evidence, to suggest soy is not toxic and produces estrogen in the human body.




For a world class body visit my website: Get in Shape Fast
See me on YouTube: Shakaama Live

The Vitamin Water Scam (video)

The Vitamin Water Scam

You've seen it in stores, even McDonalds carries it.  That should be a red flag right there, by itself.  Vitamin Water.  It is everywhere.  It is owned by the Coca-Cola company, yet another red flag.  But are there vitamins and water in it?  Well of course there is water, but what else is in it?  Would a soda company really make something that would be good for you?

Law Suit Brought Against Coca Cola over Vitamin Water

According to their lawyers only an idiot would think that it is good for you.  Gee, wonder why those commercials say different?  This was at a trial suing the company over the complete deception about the product.  Sadly, I am sure none of you even knew about the case, nor the outcome, nor what was argued.


For a world class body visit my website: Get in Shape Fast
See me on YouTube: Shakaama Live