Based on a recent green coffee bean extract study
9. května 2012 v 4:13
With the summer months quickly approaching, most people have started to look for proven methods that can help them lose weight before its warm enough to put on a swimsuit. By losing weight, they will have the confidence that they need to take off their clothes and bare their skin in bikinis and shorts. Since summer is almost here, most consumers are trying to find a fast solution to fix their weight issues.
Countless people have turned to weight loss supplements that can help them get rid of their love handles and big bottoms so that they can look and feel their best in a short amount of time. However, the question we should all be asking is 'Are weight loss supplements safe to use
Based on a recent green coffee bean extract study with 16 overweight young adults ranging from 22 to 26 years of age, green coffee extract has been deemed effective and safe to use on a regular basis! It was a double-blind study that was randomized with placebos and two different dosages of green coffee extract. After a period of 22 weeks, the study revealed astonishing weight loss results due to the effects of chlorogenic acid.
Each participant lost an average of 17 pounds over the course of 22 weeks, which is equivalent to approximately 10.5% of their body weight and 16% of their body fat. What is even more remarkable is the fact that there were no reported side effects from the usage of pure green coffee bean extract.
Countless people have turned to weight loss supplements that can help them get rid of their love handles and big bottoms so that they can look and feel their best in a short amount of time. However, the question we should all be asking is 'Are weight loss supplements safe to use
Based on a recent green coffee bean extract study with 16 overweight young adults ranging from 22 to 26 years of age, green coffee extract has been deemed effective and safe to use on a regular basis! It was a double-blind study that was randomized with placebos and two different dosages of green coffee extract. After a period of 22 weeks, the study revealed astonishing weight loss results due to the effects of chlorogenic acid.
Each participant lost an average of 17 pounds over the course of 22 weeks, which is equivalent to approximately 10.5% of their body weight and 16% of their body fat. What is even more remarkable is the fact that there were no reported side effects from the usage of pure green coffee bean extract.
Millions of Americans spend countless hours on the Internet looking for the secret to weight-loss
7. května 2012 v 4:33
Millions of Americans spend countless hours on the Internet looking for the secret to weight-loss; however, new research suggests there may already be an effective solution within inches of their place mats. According to a recent study appearing in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, dieters may experience faster fat loss by eating more black pepper, which contains a special alkaloid that speeds the metabolism.
For years, researchers have been interested in the potential weight-loss benefits of pepper, which is rich in a metabolism-boosting alkaloid called piperine. To better assess the alkaloid's effects on fat-loss, investigators fed overweight rats increasing amounts of pepper to see how it would affect their bodies. Ultimately, they found that the pepper suppressed the accumulation of body fat, thanks to relatively high levels of piperine, which is thought to promote faster fat loss.
Computer models and lab studies confirmed that piperine somehow disrupted the rats' natural genes responsible for regulating the formation of new fat cells. What's more, a previous Australian study found that the beneficial alkaloid may have the power to improve glucose tolerance, lower blood pressure, improve liver function and reduce inflammation and oxidative stress.Although research suggests that black pepper may have the ability to promote faster fat loss in humans; thus far, it's only been shown to promote this effect in rats. That said, if you enjoy the taste of pepper, there's probably no risk in upping your intake to see if it may aid your dieting efforts. On the other hand, if you don't like the taste of pepper, you can find piperine supplements at your local health food store.
Just remember, you're not likely to get skinny fast by eating a lot of pepper. Ultimately, if you want to lose love handles or belly fat, you're going to need to create a caloric deficit by eating fewer calories and exercising more frequently. You can also aid your weight-loss efforts by eating foods that suppress appetite and speed up your body's metabolism.aginas Host Dynamic Battleground for Microbes
For years, researchers have been interested in the potential weight-loss benefits of pepper, which is rich in a metabolism-boosting alkaloid called piperine. To better assess the alkaloid's effects on fat-loss, investigators fed overweight rats increasing amounts of pepper to see how it would affect their bodies. Ultimately, they found that the pepper suppressed the accumulation of body fat, thanks to relatively high levels of piperine, which is thought to promote faster fat loss.
Computer models and lab studies confirmed that piperine somehow disrupted the rats' natural genes responsible for regulating the formation of new fat cells. What's more, a previous Australian study found that the beneficial alkaloid may have the power to improve glucose tolerance, lower blood pressure, improve liver function and reduce inflammation and oxidative stress.Although research suggests that black pepper may have the ability to promote faster fat loss in humans; thus far, it's only been shown to promote this effect in rats. That said, if you enjoy the taste of pepper, there's probably no risk in upping your intake to see if it may aid your dieting efforts. On the other hand, if you don't like the taste of pepper, you can find piperine supplements at your local health food store.
Just remember, you're not likely to get skinny fast by eating a lot of pepper. Ultimately, if you want to lose love handles or belly fat, you're going to need to create a caloric deficit by eating fewer calories and exercising more frequently. You can also aid your weight-loss efforts by eating foods that suppress appetite and speed up your body's metabolism.aginas Host Dynamic Battleground for Microbes
aginas Host Dynamic Battleground for Microbes
3. května 2012 v 4:09
The human vagina is a lively place, full of beneficial bacteria that discourage nasty microbes from invading. Now, new research finds this ecosystem is even more mysterious than previously realized.
Not only do women vary widely in what sorts of microbes call the vagina home, the study finds, but the ecosystem of the vagina can also change rapidly - to no ill effect. That's important, because while some vaginal infections are associated with changes in the vagina's native flora, it's now clear that not every change is a sign of disease.
"I think people are going to be surprised at the extent of variation that we see in these species, and that practitioners and women alike are going to see why they don't behave like their sisters or their daughters or the last patient that they saw," said study researcher Larry Forney of the University of Idaho.Researchers have increasingly come to realize that without the help of the microbes that live on our skin, in our guts and even in our reproductive systems, humans would be in trouble. Disruptions in gut bacteria have been linked to everything from obesity to depression, for example.Now, Forney, his colleague Jacques Ravel of the University of Maryland and their collaborators have shown that this vaginal microbial "fingerprint" changes over time in individual women, with one colony type displacing another, sometimes quite rapidly. The researchers analyzed vaginal microbe samples, taken by a swab twice a week for 16 weeks from 32 women. The women also kept daily diaries of their activities and hygiene.
"With 32 women, we can capture almost all the different types of communities that we have observed in previous samples," Ravel said.
The researchers analyzed the genes of the microbes discovered in order to identify them. They found that the vaginal ecosystem varies widely over time, sometimes changing during menstruation, sometimes swapping from one colony type for another as a result of sexual activity or unknown reasons. In some women, monthly bleeding didn't perturb the microbes at all; in others, the period heralded a short-lived era in which on microbe would reign supreme, only to be replaced when the bleeding ended by another species that dominated the rest of the month.
Not only do women vary widely in what sorts of microbes call the vagina home, the study finds, but the ecosystem of the vagina can also change rapidly - to no ill effect. That's important, because while some vaginal infections are associated with changes in the vagina's native flora, it's now clear that not every change is a sign of disease.
"I think people are going to be surprised at the extent of variation that we see in these species, and that practitioners and women alike are going to see why they don't behave like their sisters or their daughters or the last patient that they saw," said study researcher Larry Forney of the University of Idaho.Researchers have increasingly come to realize that without the help of the microbes that live on our skin, in our guts and even in our reproductive systems, humans would be in trouble. Disruptions in gut bacteria have been linked to everything from obesity to depression, for example.Now, Forney, his colleague Jacques Ravel of the University of Maryland and their collaborators have shown that this vaginal microbial "fingerprint" changes over time in individual women, with one colony type displacing another, sometimes quite rapidly. The researchers analyzed vaginal microbe samples, taken by a swab twice a week for 16 weeks from 32 women. The women also kept daily diaries of their activities and hygiene.
"With 32 women, we can capture almost all the different types of communities that we have observed in previous samples," Ravel said.
The researchers analyzed the genes of the microbes discovered in order to identify them. They found that the vaginal ecosystem varies widely over time, sometimes changing during menstruation, sometimes swapping from one colony type for another as a result of sexual activity or unknown reasons. In some women, monthly bleeding didn't perturb the microbes at all; in others, the period heralded a short-lived era in which on microbe would reign supreme, only to be replaced when the bleeding ended by another species that dominated the rest of the month.
Tracking your eating through self-monitoring noting each morsel you consume
28. dubna 2012 v 4:42
A sample from the stovetop, a nibble on the sly its so easy to slip into a state of mindless noshing, even when you're trying to lose weight. Unaware of how much you consume, those seemingly innocent bites can net weighty calories and sabotage your goals.
Tracking your eating through self-monitoring noting each morsel you consume in a food diary is tied to proven weight loss and weight management. Self-monitoring creates an awareness of the amount you eat, your eating behaviors, and situations that threaten positive eating behaviors.
How to keep track: The paper diary is most common, although online diaries, personal digital assistants smart phone apps and software programs are increasingly used. A paper diary may require more time and effort to look up the nutrient content of foods and to calculate totals, while the others save time via technology, such as Internet connections to food and nutrient databases. However, each approach aids weight loss. A comparison of the effectiveness of the three - paper diary, Internet-based diary, and PDA diary - in a 12-week randomized trial published in the December 2009 Eating Behaviors, found no differences in weight loss among the three.
Consistency counts: Regardless of the method used, consistent self-monitoring reaps benefits. A study in the December 2005 Annals of Behavioral Medicine examined exercise self-monitoring in relation to weight loss and found participants who consistently kept exercise diaries achieved significantly greater weight loss and even exercised more often. Equally positive results occur with self-monitoring weight, according to a weight gain prevention trial published in the same journal. Daily weigh-in was associated with weight loss, while less frequent weighing led to weight gain.Kiwi youth face high mortality rate
Tracking your eating through self-monitoring noting each morsel you consume in a food diary is tied to proven weight loss and weight management. Self-monitoring creates an awareness of the amount you eat, your eating behaviors, and situations that threaten positive eating behaviors.
How to keep track: The paper diary is most common, although online diaries, personal digital assistants smart phone apps and software programs are increasingly used. A paper diary may require more time and effort to look up the nutrient content of foods and to calculate totals, while the others save time via technology, such as Internet connections to food and nutrient databases. However, each approach aids weight loss. A comparison of the effectiveness of the three - paper diary, Internet-based diary, and PDA diary - in a 12-week randomized trial published in the December 2009 Eating Behaviors, found no differences in weight loss among the three.
Consistency counts: Regardless of the method used, consistent self-monitoring reaps benefits. A study in the December 2005 Annals of Behavioral Medicine examined exercise self-monitoring in relation to weight loss and found participants who consistently kept exercise diaries achieved significantly greater weight loss and even exercised more often. Equally positive results occur with self-monitoring weight, according to a weight gain prevention trial published in the same journal. Daily weigh-in was associated with weight loss, while less frequent weighing led to weight gain.Kiwi youth face high mortality rate
Kiwi youth face high mortality rate
25. dubna 2012 v 4:11
New Zealand teens are more likely to die young in motor vehicle accidents or by suicide than in almost every other developed country in the world.In a four part series focusing on adolescent health, medical journal The Lancet analyses the biggest risks to young people globally.
In article Health of the world's adolescents: a synthesis of internationally comparable data, co-authored by Professor George C Patton of the University of Melbourne, international health indicators from 72 countries were compared, with sub-analysis of 27 high-income countries.New Zealand had the second highest overall mortality rate and the highest suicide rate in those aged 10-24 years among developed countries.A league table of road deaths showed only the United States had more young women die on the road, while New Zealand had the fourth highest rate of road deaths among young men behind the US, Greece and Portugal.
The United States had the highest overall adolescent mortality rate, because of its high rate of violent deaths and deaths due to road trauma.University of Otago Department of Psychological Medicine Professor David Fergusson said while the reasons were not fully understood, the high rate of motor vehicle accidents could reflect the young driving age of 15 in New Zealand, giving adolescents more exposure to risk.
The New Zealand Transport Agency tightened the practical driver testing regime this year, with the intention of improving the safety and skills of young drivers.The reasons for higher youth suicide rates were largely unknown, but could be alcohol-related, Mr Fergusson said.What distinguishes some of the countries with high youth suicide rate (NZ, Finland, Ireland) is that these are all small liberal democracies with high rates of alcohol consumption.
In article Health of the world's adolescents: a synthesis of internationally comparable data, co-authored by Professor George C Patton of the University of Melbourne, international health indicators from 72 countries were compared, with sub-analysis of 27 high-income countries.New Zealand had the second highest overall mortality rate and the highest suicide rate in those aged 10-24 years among developed countries.A league table of road deaths showed only the United States had more young women die on the road, while New Zealand had the fourth highest rate of road deaths among young men behind the US, Greece and Portugal.
The United States had the highest overall adolescent mortality rate, because of its high rate of violent deaths and deaths due to road trauma.University of Otago Department of Psychological Medicine Professor David Fergusson said while the reasons were not fully understood, the high rate of motor vehicle accidents could reflect the young driving age of 15 in New Zealand, giving adolescents more exposure to risk.
The New Zealand Transport Agency tightened the practical driver testing regime this year, with the intention of improving the safety and skills of young drivers.The reasons for higher youth suicide rates were largely unknown, but could be alcohol-related, Mr Fergusson said.What distinguishes some of the countries with high youth suicide rate (NZ, Finland, Ireland) is that these are all small liberal democracies with high rates of alcohol consumption.
The news of the appointment of this Sensa reviews watchdog
23. dubna 2012 v 4:26
Sensa weight loss claims from people who have tried out the product will be the main area that the new Sensa reviews watchdog will be looking after in the next few months at Health hound Ltd. This new expert watchdog will be making sure that only genuine reviews of Sensa end up on healthhound.org.
Linda Covier, one of the Directors at Health hound Ltd. said that, "this new watchdog has been needed for some time now in our opinion. We are currently dealing with a new weight loss program or product everyday on our site and we need to make sure that the reviews that are being posted about these products are real and reliable. This new Watchdog that we have appointed has a wealth of knowledge in the health and wellness area and will be scrutinizing and contacting people directly who want to leave a Sense review on our site. We hope that our readers will really appreciate the lengths we have gone to here to make sure that they receive quality information about Sensa."
The news of the appointment of this Sensa reviews watchdog has spread to a number of sites that specialize in different diets and exercise programs. The number of sites that the news has appeared on has grown day by day and the management team at Health hound Ltd. are said to be very pleased that more and more people are hearing about this new appointment.<a href="http://herbalsexmedicine.blog.cz/1204/anti-hiv-pill-could-be-cost-effective-for-high-risk-men">Anti-HIV Pill Could Be Cost Effective For High Risk Men</a>
As well as making the new appointment this week this team at Health hound Ltd. have also come up with a new report on how to lose weight quickly and easily
Linda Covier, one of the Directors at Health hound Ltd. said that, "this new watchdog has been needed for some time now in our opinion. We are currently dealing with a new weight loss program or product everyday on our site and we need to make sure that the reviews that are being posted about these products are real and reliable. This new Watchdog that we have appointed has a wealth of knowledge in the health and wellness area and will be scrutinizing and contacting people directly who want to leave a Sense review on our site. We hope that our readers will really appreciate the lengths we have gone to here to make sure that they receive quality information about Sensa."
The news of the appointment of this Sensa reviews watchdog has spread to a number of sites that specialize in different diets and exercise programs. The number of sites that the news has appeared on has grown day by day and the management team at Health hound Ltd. are said to be very pleased that more and more people are hearing about this new appointment.<a href="http://herbalsexmedicine.blog.cz/1204/anti-hiv-pill-could-be-cost-effective-for-high-risk-men">Anti-HIV Pill Could Be Cost Effective For High Risk Men</a>
As well as making the new appointment this week this team at Health hound Ltd. have also come up with a new report on how to lose weight quickly and easily
Anti-HIV Pill Could Be Cost Effective For High Risk Men
18. dubna 2012 v 4:01
Stanford University researchers have concluded that a once a day pill designed to prevent the spread of HIV could prove cost effective for high risk members of the population. The drug, known as tenofovir-emtricitabine, reduces the risk of HIV infection by nearly fifty percent in a 2010 clinical trial, and the test subjects who reported taking the pill religiously, had upwards of seventy percent reduction in HIVB infection.
The pill, which is sold under the brand name Truvada, is also used for treating those already infected with HIV, but a landmark study in 2010 proved it effective for preventing the spread of the disease The drug's maker Foster City Calif.-based Gilead Sciences has filed a supplemental new drug application to allow its use for prevention purposes.
The scientists at Stanford were interested to see whether giving the pill to large tracts of the population would be cost effective The prevention technique, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, simply aims to prevent the spread rather than cure the virus By focusing on men who have sex with other men who account for more than half of the estimated 56,000 new HIV infections each year, they were able to create an economic model for PrEP.
Jessie Juusola, a PhD candidate in management science and engineering in the School of Engineering and first author of the study said :Promoting PrEP to all men who have sex with men could be prohibitively expensive Adopting it for men who have sex with men at high risk of acquiring HIV however, is an investment with good value that does not break the ban
The pill, which is sold under the brand name Truvada, is also used for treating those already infected with HIV, but a landmark study in 2010 proved it effective for preventing the spread of the disease The drug's maker Foster City Calif.-based Gilead Sciences has filed a supplemental new drug application to allow its use for prevention purposes.
The scientists at Stanford were interested to see whether giving the pill to large tracts of the population would be cost effective The prevention technique, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, simply aims to prevent the spread rather than cure the virus By focusing on men who have sex with other men who account for more than half of the estimated 56,000 new HIV infections each year, they were able to create an economic model for PrEP.
Jessie Juusola, a PhD candidate in management science and engineering in the School of Engineering and first author of the study said :Promoting PrEP to all men who have sex with men could be prohibitively expensive Adopting it for men who have sex with men at high risk of acquiring HIV however, is an investment with good value that does not break the ban
The Simple Idea That Is Transforming Health Care
16. dubna 2012 v 4:21
For decades, numbers drove the treatment of diseases like asthma, heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis. Public-health officials focused on reducing mortality rates and hitting targets like blood-sugar levels for people with diabetes or cholesterol levels for those with heart disease.
Doctors, of course, are still monitoring such numbers. But now health-care providers are also adding a whole different, more subjective measure-how people feel about their condition and overall well-being. They're pushing for programs where nurses or trained counselors meet with people and ask personal questions like: Is your condition inhibiting your life? Is it making you less happy? Does it make it hard to cope day to day? Then the counselors offer advice about managing those problems and follow up regularly.
The logic is simple. People are more likely to manage their condition properly when they have more accessible, personal goals, like being able to do more at work or keep up with their kids, instead of focusing only on comparatively abstract targets like blood-sugar levels. And that, in turn, leads to much better health. Numerous studies show that when people have a higher sense of well-being, they have fewer hospitalizations and emergency-room visits, miss fewer days of work and use less medication. They're also more productive at work and more engaged in the community.
Quality of life happens to be the element that is most important in motivating people to deal with an illness," says Noreen Clark, director of the Center for Managing Chronic Disease at the University of Michigan. "People aren't motivated to follow their clinical regimen if in fact it doesn't improve the way they function and get along with others and manage day to day.On a recent day, she was seeing a stream of castoff patients
Doctors, of course, are still monitoring such numbers. But now health-care providers are also adding a whole different, more subjective measure-how people feel about their condition and overall well-being. They're pushing for programs where nurses or trained counselors meet with people and ask personal questions like: Is your condition inhibiting your life? Is it making you less happy? Does it make it hard to cope day to day? Then the counselors offer advice about managing those problems and follow up regularly.
The logic is simple. People are more likely to manage their condition properly when they have more accessible, personal goals, like being able to do more at work or keep up with their kids, instead of focusing only on comparatively abstract targets like blood-sugar levels. And that, in turn, leads to much better health. Numerous studies show that when people have a higher sense of well-being, they have fewer hospitalizations and emergency-room visits, miss fewer days of work and use less medication. They're also more productive at work and more engaged in the community.
Quality of life happens to be the element that is most important in motivating people to deal with an illness," says Noreen Clark, director of the Center for Managing Chronic Disease at the University of Michigan. "People aren't motivated to follow their clinical regimen if in fact it doesn't improve the way they function and get along with others and manage day to day.On a recent day, she was seeing a stream of castoff patients
On a recent day, she was seeing a stream of castoff patients
11. dubna 2012 v 4:27
The state law has transformed the clinic at the University of Washington into a pain treatment center of last resort and Ballantyne, the pain expert, into an appeals judge of sorts because she sees patients referred for evaluation under the law. On a recent day, she was seeing a stream of castoff patients, including Link, who sat hunched in a wheelchair, suffering from a degenerative joint disease.They all said that I can't treat you, you need to see a specialist Link said of her other doctors.
Before the widespread use of opioids, the University of Washington's medical school was known for an approach to chronic pain that emphasized nondrug treatments like physical therapy and counseling. Some specialists like Ballantyne, who moved here a year ago, are now determined to revive that tradition.If doctors understood how hard it is to get patients off of these drugs, they would not prescribe them to begin with, she said.
Born and educated in England, Ballantyne was in charge of pain treatment for more than a decade at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston before taking a post in 2008 at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia. She and her husband, who is also a doctor, bought an old house there to renovate, but when the University of Washington called, she jumped.Ballantyne, 63, once embraced the wider use of opioids. Her transition to skepticism began about a decade ago, when she noticed that hospitalized patients taking high dosages screamed when they were examined - as if the drugs had increased their sensitivity to pain.
She decided to research long-term data about the drugs and published a medical journal article in 2003 with her findings. It concluded that high doses might not be safe or effective.
Before the widespread use of opioids, the University of Washington's medical school was known for an approach to chronic pain that emphasized nondrug treatments like physical therapy and counseling. Some specialists like Ballantyne, who moved here a year ago, are now determined to revive that tradition.If doctors understood how hard it is to get patients off of these drugs, they would not prescribe them to begin with, she said.
Born and educated in England, Ballantyne was in charge of pain treatment for more than a decade at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston before taking a post in 2008 at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia. She and her husband, who is also a doctor, bought an old house there to renovate, but when the University of Washington called, she jumped.Ballantyne, 63, once embraced the wider use of opioids. Her transition to skepticism began about a decade ago, when she noticed that hospitalized patients taking high dosages screamed when they were examined - as if the drugs had increased their sensitivity to pain.
She decided to research long-term data about the drugs and published a medical journal article in 2003 with her findings. It concluded that high doses might not be safe or effective.
Machines beep and buzz and hum
9. dubna 2012 v 4:49
The lights are dim, the curtains are drawn, Jagjeet Singh's dulcet notes fill the room.I am standing inside an operation theatre at Karachi's luxurious South City Hospital. Above the smooth white dome of the woman's tummy bloated partly from obesity, partly from the carbon dioxide pumped inside her hangs a high definition monitor showing her viscera in intimate detail. The stomach wrapped protectively in layers of yellow fat, the liver resting chummily on top of the stomach, the spleen down below, a discoloured purple all throbbing rhythmically.
Machines beep and buzz and hum. The anaesthesia unit exhales periodically. A wide screen TV mounted on the wall behind the doctor displays the woman's vitals in reassuring detail. There are nearly half a dozen doctors in the room.Then, the cutting starts.
Through one-inch incisions in the woman's tummy, long, rigid laparoscopic instruments with fine, specialised heads are introduced in the abdomen. One of these, a Harmonic Scalpel, shaped like a pair of pliers, firmly grips the jelly-like fat adhering to the stomach and clips it off. With each clip, the fat falls away and a hiss of vapour rises from the scalpel. Soon the greater curvature of the tummy is free of fat and the rosy pink organ comes in full view. Then a laparoscopic stapling instrument loaded with a stapling cartridge is introduced in the body cavity. I watch in fascination as the instrument starts scissoring through the stomach, cutting off most of it so that only a thin strip or sleeve remains
As it cleaves, it also seals, leaving behind three rows of staples on both edges so that the stomach remains closed at all times. Cut off from its blood supply, the bisected portion of the tummy starts turning a sickly purple. The surgeon pushes it to one side and starts suturing the layer of fat removed earlier on the now much smaller tummy that remains. Finally, the bisected portion of the tummy is teased out of the body through an incision in the abdomen and then the incisions themselves are stitched up.Back in the saddle, with pain
Machines beep and buzz and hum. The anaesthesia unit exhales periodically. A wide screen TV mounted on the wall behind the doctor displays the woman's vitals in reassuring detail. There are nearly half a dozen doctors in the room.Then, the cutting starts.
Through one-inch incisions in the woman's tummy, long, rigid laparoscopic instruments with fine, specialised heads are introduced in the abdomen. One of these, a Harmonic Scalpel, shaped like a pair of pliers, firmly grips the jelly-like fat adhering to the stomach and clips it off. With each clip, the fat falls away and a hiss of vapour rises from the scalpel. Soon the greater curvature of the tummy is free of fat and the rosy pink organ comes in full view. Then a laparoscopic stapling instrument loaded with a stapling cartridge is introduced in the body cavity. I watch in fascination as the instrument starts scissoring through the stomach, cutting off most of it so that only a thin strip or sleeve remains
As it cleaves, it also seals, leaving behind three rows of staples on both edges so that the stomach remains closed at all times. Cut off from its blood supply, the bisected portion of the tummy starts turning a sickly purple. The surgeon pushes it to one side and starts suturing the layer of fat removed earlier on the now much smaller tummy that remains. Finally, the bisected portion of the tummy is teased out of the body through an incision in the abdomen and then the incisions themselves are stitched up.Back in the saddle, with pain