I'm curious about what you meant about African Americans and men "not responding as well" to this surgery. Is there anything published about this that you've seen that I can read? Love the cover art, btw.

African-Americans and males lost significant weight after gastric bypass surgery, but not as much as their white and female counterparts, according to a new study presented here at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).The study found African-Americans lost about 10 percent less of their excess weight than whites, while men of all races lost 10 percent less than women. Increasing age and higher initial weight were also identified as significant factors in predicting weight loss. Researchers from Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia followed 1,096 gastric bypass patients with at least one-year follow-up. Patients were on average 45-years-old, and had an average body mass index (BMI) of 47.6.Excess weight loss was 63.2 percent in African-Americans and 71.9 percent in whites, and 63 percent in males, compared to 71 percent in females. Resolution or improvement of obesity-related conditions, were similar across all groups.

African-Americans and males lose significant weight after gastric bypass surgery

Obesity - Abstract of article: Weight Loss and Health Outcomes in African Americans and Whites After Gastric Bypass Surgery[ast]

Race Might Play Role in Success of Weight-Loss Surgery: MedlinePlus

Thanks for the info, it's much appreciated. I am a bit skeptical of the first article b/c men usually do better than women, period, b/c they have higher muscle mass. It's the rare woman that can lose as much weight as a man, let alone more. I'm also wondering how the sleeve compares to the GB mentioned in these articles.

From wapt.com:
Body mass index, a common measurement of obesity that compares weight to height, overestimates body fat in black people, according to a new study.
Dr. Samuel Dagogo-Jack said that a black person with the same BMI as a white person — that is, the same gender, waist size, weight and height — will usually have lower fat and abdominal fat.Dagogo-Jack and his team at the University of Tennessee used more direct measurements of body fat to see if they corresponded to what BMI seemed to indicate.He said that the finding that black people have lower body fat suggests that average muscle mass may be higher in black people.

He said that the finding that black people have lower body fat suggests that average muscle mass may be higher in black people.


This has always been my impression, in general black folks have more muscle mass/can grow more muscle mass,so it's nice to see it backed up! Not surprised at all that this would be overestimated as fat in BMI...it's one of the flaws of using BMI to start with and why something else should be used, like body fat/lean muscle mass testing.

I was talking to my friend. She was telling me how she had wanted to weigh 160 lbs but she had went for some test and realized she had 160lbs of muscle so she had to up her ideal weight because of it. I am thinking I wonder how much muscle my body is. I am going to have to get a scale with a body fat measurement on it. I wonder how the scale knows how much body fat you have? Anyways that may be a start for most African Americans is actually finding out what amount of muscle you have and then you can determine how much body fat you need. Since we are all so unique in design and build. It just gives you a lot to think about. As far as healthy goes for African Americans.

I have a Tanita scale that measures bodyfat that was just as accurate as the medical testing I paid for at my local hospital.

I need to get me a scale like that because I want to know how much muscle and body fat I have. When I went to go check mines the scale wasn't working

You can also get someone to give you bodyfat testing if you go to a gym.

I found a more recent study from June 2012 Race Might Play Role in Success of Weight-Loss Surgery "Further study is needed to determine if the reasons are genetic or because of differences in body-fat distribution or both," said Torquati, director of the Duke Center for Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery

I FOUND THIS ABSTRACT, while doing some research on how much water weight a person should have thought I would share.: Biological differences exist in the body composition of blacks and whites. We reviewed literature on the differences and similarities between the 2 races relative to fat-free body mass (water, mineral, and protein), fat patterning, and body dimensions and proportions. In general, blacks have a greater bone mineral density and body protein content than do whites, resulting in a greater fat-free body density. Additionally, there are racial differences in the distribution of subcutaneous fat and the length of the limbs relative to the trunk. The possibility that these differences are a result of ethnicity rather than of race is also examined. Because most equations that predict relative body fat were derived from predominantly white samples, biological variation between the races in these body-composition indexes has practical significance. Systematic error can result in the inaccurate estimation of the relative body fat of blacks, and therefore of definitions of obesity, if these inherent differences are ignored. Measures of body composition in blacks and whites: a comparative review

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Study Shows Black Women Can Be Healthy At Higher Weights

By carolyn_r on Mar 31, 2011 10:00 AM in Dieting & You

By Carolyn Richardson and Mary Hartley, RD
Black women can carry more weight than white women and still be considered health. That was the finding, reported by Reuters Health, of a 2011 study conducted by Peter T. Katzmarzyk associate executive director for Population Science and his colleagues at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. Katzmarzyk's group calculated the Body Mass Indexes (BMIs) and measured the waist circumferences of over 6,000 men and women of all races to look for the threshold at which weight becomes significantly associated with disease.

According to the National Institutes of Health's Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, a BMI of 30 or higher is linked to more cases of high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure. But Katzmarzyk found that the cut-off does not seem to hold true for black women. While there was no racial difference for men, Katzmarzyk showed that, for black women, the risk didn’t increase until they reached a BMI of 33. For example, for a 5'5" tall woman, the statistical risk for disease would increase at 180 pounds if she was white but at 198 pounds if she was black. A black woman can be healthy with a bigger waistline as well, according to the study. Dr. Katamarzyk thought a possible reason for the contrast might be the difference in the way body fat is distributed in women among the races. Men and women of other races were not included in this study.

Black Women and Obesity

Regardless of the cut-off point, obesity is still a problem in the black community The National Center for Health Statistics reported that, &#8***;As a group, African American women have the highest percentage of overweight/obesity in the US. Three out of four African American women are either overweight or obese.” For white women, that number is one in two. (However, if the threshold was adjusted to BMI 33, fewer black women would fall into that category.) While promoting healthy weight in African-American women is essential the factors behind these statistics are complex.

Other Differences

Many factors contribute to obesity among black women, including genetics and socio-economic status (SES). Genetically, African American women tend to have slower metabolisms according to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition - still, that does not guarantee that they will be overweight. How SES impacts weight is not quite as clear. A handful of studies have tested the hypothesis that low SES is a predictor of obesity; however, a well- researched review showed that association between SES and obesity varies by ethnicity and that ethnic/racial differences in BMI are not fully explained by individual SES.

Solutions for All

Speaking to the Congressional Black Caucus in 2010 Michelle Obama talked about childhood obesity in the black community and the role that adults can play in improving their children’s health and their own well-being.

&#8***;The fact is that many of us, and many of the folks that we know and love, have struggled with our weight,” she told the group, adding later in her remarks, "The reality is that we all need to start making some changes to how our families eat.”

That’s advice that would apply to any ethnic or racial group. To lessen the problems of overweight and the chronic diseases that accompany it, we all need to modify our recipes to cut calories, reduce our portions, order healthy food when eating out, and get exercise.

While we can find reasons why obesity affects certain communities more than others, we’re all in this together.


Your thoughts....

Does it validate black women to hear they can be healthy at a higher weight? Is it possible to be both heavy and healthy?
Study Shows Black Women Can Be Healthy At Higher Weights

Good and helpful reading. But I know I need to loose this weight. I've been affected by it for some time now. I'm ready to feel better and live a better and healthier life. Thanks for sharing.

Current BMI
The current BMI is weight requirements are too high for Asians and to little for African Americans. Due to this did you know 60% of African American men and 78% of African American women are identified as overweight. In addition, 28.8% of men and 50.8% of African American women are considered obese. I read this and LOVED IT BECAUSE IT IS WHAT WE ALWAYS SAY : Strangely enough, BMI might be least valuable for athletes. Proof comes in the singular argument that Michael Jordan at his best playing weight would be considered borderline overweight in the BMI tables. Clark said an entire demographic group, African American women, might be susceptible to BMI scores that are misdirected. "I look at a female African American athlete and think, 'She is 120, maybe 130 pounds,' " Clark said. "Then it turns out her weight is 150, even 160. The bone mass of active African American women just tends to be much more dense [than that of other ethnic groups]." (The Ideal Weight Isn't Just About Numbers - Los Angeles Times)

Children
Very athletic children, particularly athletic teenage African-American boys, may have a higher than normal BMI due to extra muscle mass, not body fat.
Read more: Height & Weight Guidelines For Children | LIVESTRONG.COM

Cultural Influences
It was also found that cultural influences was a determination in rather AA's gained their weight back or maintained it. Religious faith seemed to play an important role in losing and maintaining weight. A researcher noted in a study of AA's and body weight “The study identified the role of faith as a potentially important one for maintaining weight loss for African-American women, suggesting that faith communities can be a potentially important source of motivation and social support for weight loss and maintenance,” she said. (Researchers study weight-loss challenges among African-American women) When it came to our commitment to working out we all should already know what our BIGGEST DILEMMA was, hairstyle management!! Our hair was an important influence on our physical activity though this was noted they are considering further research on the actual affect of processed hair vs. natural hair. In the same survey it showed AA' women intentionally gained back some of their weight because they felt they looked too skinny. “A healthy appearance can mean different things for individuals from differing cultural groups.” Another issue reported why African Americans have difficulties losing weight is that AA's seem to have less guilt when they cheat while dieting.

BMI Athletes
Indeed, a study from the University of Miami shows how BMI is ineffective for female college athletes of different races. Average body fat percentage was found to be very different among the racial groups, but the average BMI was nearly equal for all three groups. For example, African American athletes had the highest average BMI of all at 23.8, but they had the lowest average body fat percentage at 24.1. White athletes tied for the lowest BMI at 22.8 with Hispanic American athletes, but had highest average body fat percentage at 27.2. Hispanic American athletes had a body fat percentage of 26.3 percent.


Earning Potential
Economist John Cawley estimates that overweight and obese white women earn 4.5 and 11.9 percent less, respectively, than normal weight white women. Among African-American and Hispanic women, on the other hand, obese women earn between 6 and 8 percent less than those of the same race with a BMI under 25; there is no penalty for black or Hispanic women who are only overweight. A similar study by economists Christian Gregory and Christopher Ruhm found that the wages of white women peak at a BMI of 22.5 (well within the normal range), while wages for black women peak at a BMI of 26.1 (just above the normal range) a 2004 study estimated that obese Hispanic males earn less than normal weight Hispanic males, but obese African-American males earn more than normal weight black males. Other studies found that overweight/obese status rarely affects hourly wages for males but does decrease the likelihood of being employed for all males except African-Americans. in a 2010 study it found that increases in body fat reduce wages but that increases in fat-free mass increase wages. For example, a one kilogram increase in body fat was associated with approximately a 1 percent decrease in wages for all groups except black males. At the same time, a one kilogram increase in fat-free mass increases wages between 1.4 and 1.8 percent for males and between 0.3 to 0.5 percent for females


Find further articles: African American Health
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psycho...ogy/Vashti.htm (good one)