Managing Obesity-Related Skin Conditions: Dermatological Insights and Interdisciplinary Strategies – Tuesday 29th October

Join the next EASO COMs network webinar, “Dermatological Considerations in Obesity Treatment” on Tuesday 29th October 2024 at 11:30am-12:30pm UK / 12:30-1:30 pm Paris.

This webinar will focus on dermatological considerations important for the effective management of obesity. This session will provide an overview of common conditions associated with obesity, such as psoriasis, and examine the underlying mechanisms linking obesity to these dermatological challenges. Preventive strategies to reduce the onset or worsening of skin conditions in people with obesity will be discussed, alongside the benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration between obesity specialists.

Dr Barbara McGowan, Co-Chair of the EASO Obesity Management Working Group, will host this webinar. Attendees are encouraged to actively participate in the webinar Q&A.

Schedule (Paris):

• 12:30-12:35 pm: Welcome and introduction
• 12:35-12:40 pm: Patient Perspective on Living with a Skin Condition – Ms Mari-Mette Graff (ECPO Patient Advocate and Deputy Chair of the Norsk lymfødem og lipødemforbund, the Norwegian Lymphedema and Lipedema Association)
• 12:40-1:00 pm: Recognising Dermatological Challenges in Obesity – Professor Teodora Handjieva-Darlenska (Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical Faculty, Medical University, Sofia, Bulgaria and President of the Bulgarian Association for the Study of Obesity and Related Diseases)
• 1:00-1:20 pm: Integrated Management of the Endocrinologist and Nutritionist: Clinical and Medical Management of VLCKD in Patients with Psoriasis and Obesity – Dr Ludovica Verde (Department of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II and team member of EASO-accredited COM C.I.B.O. Obesity Center – Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria – Policlinico Federico II, Italy)
• 1:20-1:30 pm: Q&A between speakers and audience, close

Register for this EASO COMs webinar using this registration link.

33-ият конгрес на Европейската група по детско затлъстяване ще се проведе от 8 до 10 октомври 2024 в Гент, Белгия.

We extend a warm invitation to the upcoming ECOG 2024 congress, scheduled for October 8-9-10, 2024. This congress will be hosted in the historic city of Ghent, in Belgium.
The program will be thoughtfully designed to delve into a wide array of fresh insights pertaining to our collective mission of guiding children and adolescents with obesity, alongside their families, toward sustainable weight management or averting the development of chronic weight issues among the youth.

Drawing from Ghent University’s rich tradition of embracing a multidisciplinary approach to childhood obesity, and building upon the wisdom gleaned from experts across various fields, our scientific committee is crafting an engaging program to share with all of you.

In response to the overarching question, „Can we do more?“ we have allocated a significant portion of
the program to encompass lectures, workshops, and skill-building sessions, all centred around critical aspects of best practices within our domain. This includes exploring questions such as: What constitutes healthy dietary habits, and how can we instil a wholesome lifestyle in families, children, and older adolescents? What is the latest knowledge on shifting sedentary habits toward sustainable and increased physical activities for this demographic? What unique roles do pediatricians and psychologists play in this context?

Furthermore, our program also dedicates space to the examination of novel policies and preventive measures from different countries, taking into account the perspective of the World Health Organization (WHO). We will also delve into additional interventions, such as AOM, designed for individuals grappling with severe obesity when lifestyle modifications alone prove insufficient. The Bijloke conference venue is onveniently located near the picturesque ‘Leie’ river, just a 15-minute journey from the local train station or the enchanting old city. Hotel Opera can be reached with a brief 10-minute walk, while Hotel Cathedral is a 25-minute stroll away, or you can opt for Tram 1. Ghent enjoys excellent accessibility by train, being only 30 minutes away from Brussels, Bruges, and Antwerp.

We wholeheartedly invite professionals from all walks of life who are passionate about addressing CHILDHOOD OBESITY, regardless of their career stage, to join us at the ECOG 2024 conference and consider submitting an abstract.

For more information HERE.

Prof. Dr. Caroline Braet Prof. Dr. David Thivel
Chair of the Organizing Committee President of ECOG

Новини от 31-ия Европейския конгрес по затлъстяване, който се проведе от 12-15 май във Венеция, Италия

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the entire EASO team, I want to express our gratitude and thanks for your participation in and contributions to the 2024 European Congress on Obesity in Venice. This year ECO saw a record 3000 delegates join us from 103 countries. We owe the success of the European Congress on Obesity to you.

Thank you to our faculty and speakers, our sponsors and supporters, our fantastic local hosts, organising teams and congress managers, our early career network and our colleagues across the European patient community. Your knowledge, experience, and passion for understanding obesity and improving obesity care have significantly impacted our work. The community benefited from the exceptional scientific program and engaging teaching workshops in the collaborative and welcoming environment that greeted us in Venice.

We would like to extend a special thank you to our gracious Italian hosts Società Italiana ‘Obesità (SIO Italia), and patient organisations ECPO, La Mattina Dopo and Amici Obesi whose work was instrumental in creating a truly memorable congress.

As I undertake my role as president of EASO, I want to reaffirm our focus in the coming years on capacity building across the society, including within our national membership associations and Collaborating Centers for Obesity Management, across our Early Career Network, and through collaboration and engagement with sister societies and related disease areas across the NCD community.

Thinking ahead, initial preparations for the 2025 European Congress on Obesity in Malaga Spain are already underway. Beyond stunning beaches and sunshine, Malaga boasts a walkable city center replete with historical and cultural sites, excellent conference facilities and a vibrant scientific and medical community. We look forward to welcoming you next May!

With best wishes,

Volkan

Volkan Yumuk, MD

President, EASO

Осем фактора, за да сме здрави и да живеем дълго без хронични заболявания

This is Dr JoAnn Manson, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. I’d like to talk with you about a recent report on the American Heart Association (AHA) Life’s Essential 8 metric and its association with both life expectancy and health span or life expectancy free of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, diabetes, and dementia.

This study leveraged the UK Biobank and included more than 135,000 UK adults with a mean age of 55. The AHA metric was defined as including the following lifestyle behavioral factors:

• Not smoking;
• Regular physical activity;
• Healthy weight;
• Healthy diet;
• Healthy sleep (defined as an average of 7-9 hours nightly);
• Blood pressure in a healthy range:
• Blood glucose in a healthy range; and
• Non-HDL cholesterol in a healthy range.

This study was just published in JAMA Internal Medicine. I’d like to acknowledge that I’m a coauthor of this study, along with my colleagues at Tulane.

We divided the study population into three groups: those with low, moderate, and high scores on the Life’s Essential 8 metric — low, moderate and high cardiovascular health. Overall, the average life expectancy free of chronic disease was estimated to be age 50, with 25 additional years in men and 30 additional years in women.

We saw large differences across the Life’s Essential 8 metric group. Men with high cardiovascular health scores tended to have an additional 7 years of life expectancy free of chronic disease compared with those who had poorer scores. In women, the difference was about 9.5 years between high scores and lower scores. Also, the number of years lived with chronic disease was compressed in those with high cardiovascular health scores. They tended to have fewer years living with those chronic diseases but more years living free of chronic diseases.

We were interested in how these results might differ by socioeconomic status, educational level, and income level, as well as the Townsend deprivation index. We were intrigued by the finding that the gain in life expectancy free of chronic disease was very similar across all socioeconomic strata — education and income gained as chronic disease–free life expectancy as much in terms of chronic disease–free life expectancy as those who were in the higher socioeconomic strata.

Overall, the findings make a compelling case for the importance of lifestyle factors in extending health span and years free of chronic disease. It can be motivating to tell our patients that a healthy lifestyle not only extends life expectancy but also extends years of health free of chronic disease.

Nonetheless, we do have many disparities in life expectancy and health span. So it will be very important to population health to narrow those health disparities through education about the importance of lifestyle factors, more research on implementation of lifestyle factors and behaviors, and public policy to make a healthy lifestyle both affordable and accessible to all people across all of these socioeconomic groups.

Thank you so much for your attention. This is Joann Manson.

Original here: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/989752

Световен ден за борба със затлъстяването

Пресконференция на Българското сдружение за проучване на затлъстяването и съпътстващите го заболявания по повод Световния ден за борба със затлъстяването 11 ч., 27 февруари 2023, БТА

Пресконференцията ще бъде дадена от доц. д-р Теодора Ханджиева-Дърленска, председател на сдружението, доц. д-р Светослав Ханджиев, почетен председател на сдружението, г-н Красимир Станев, изпълнителен директор на Албена АД, проф. Арман Постаджиян, председател на Българската лига по хипертония и доц. д-р Михаил Околийски, представител на Световната здравна организация за България 61.7% от българите са с наднормено тегло или затлъстяване, показват последните данни на Световната здравна организация (СЗО) . В тази категория влизат всички хора на 18 и повече години с индекс на телесна маса (ИТМ) по-голям от 25 са с наднормено тегло, а при индекс над 30 – със затлъстяване. Индексът на телесна маса е основен показател за определяне на хората с наднормено тегло и затлъстяване. Той се формира от теглото на човек в килограми, разделено на ръста му в метри повдигнат на квадрат. 58.67% е делът на хората в Европа, които са с наднормено тегло, а в ЕС – 59.35%, показват още данните на СЗО . Едва в 5 държави на Стария континент броят на хората с наднормено тегло е по-голям от този в България, а именно в Чехия (62.3), Гърция (62.3), Израел (64.3), Малта (66.4) и Англия (63.7). Около 13% са хората по света със затлъстяване, а в Европа те са 23.3%. В България делът им е 25% от популацията на 18 и повече години, показват данните на СЗО .

Според Световната здравна организация затлъстяването е хронично рецидивиращо заболяване, характеризиращо се с прекомерно натрупване на мастна тъкан, което представлява риск за здравето. Затлъстяването не е само заболяване на „богатите“ държави. Затлъстяването нараства сред по-бедните държави. Преобладаващо е при по-бедни и по-уязвими общества. Причините за това заболяване са многобройни: биологични, психически, здравословни, генетични, фактори на околната среда, достъп до медицински грижи или утра-преработени храни. Затлъстяването не е в резултат от дефицит на волята. Хората, които живеят със затлъстяване, са в риск да се разболеят от други хронични заболявания като захарен диабет тип 2, сърдечно-съдови заболявания и някои видове рак. Освен това, затлъстяването е рисков фактор за по-тежко протичане на КОВИД-19.
Според Европейската комисия всяка година около 7% от националния бюджет на страните в ЕС отиват за покриване на здравни разходи, свързани със затлъстяването и неговите усложнения или около 70 млн евро общо или 1 трилион долара по света.

Във връзка с 4-ти март, Световния ден за борба със затлъстяването, през март месец стартира кампанията „Нека да говорим за затлъстяването“. Тази инициатива се осъществява от Българското сдружение за проучване на затлъстяването и съпътстващите го заболявания съвместно с Асоциацията на студентите по медицина в България. Във всички медицински университетски градове (София, Пловдив, Варна, Бургас, Плевен и Стара Загора) ще се проведат антропометрични измервания и лекции-беседи за затлъстяването като заболяване и съвременните насоки в терапията му. Освен това, в съответните търговски центрове по градовете ще се осъществяват същите дейности. От месец април до края на септември месец в к.к. Албена ще започне Сезон 2023, насочен към здравословното хранене. От 8-ми април ще се провежда десетото юбилейно издание на „Училището за здраве – за деца, родители и учители“. През целия сезон ще се провеждат лекции за здравословното хранене и антропометрични измервания.

През септември месец също в Албена Световната здравна организация провежда курс за здравословно хранене на децата за здравните специалисти, които работят в областта на храненето и затлъстяването в България. От 7-10 септември ще се проведе в Албена 32-ия европейски конгрес по детско затлъстяване. Очакваме участници от цяла Европа и от други държави.

EASO – Novo nordisk foundation prize and awards for scientific excellence

We are pleased to announce the EASO-Novo Nordisk Foundation Obesity Prize for Excellence, a new award that recognizes outstanding research or technological contributions to the understanding of obesity, its etiology, complications, prevention and treatment.  The prize is supported by a grant of DKK 2 million, of which DKK 300,000 is a personal grant to the winner, and includes:

• A special plenary lecture at the EASO annual European Congress on Obesity (ECO)
• A special reception and dinner for the winner and key stakeholders at the ECO
• An invitation for the winner to return to the ECO 2 years after the Prize award to present the research undertaken via the award grant.

The Prize will be awarded based on nomination and the following criteria:

• The primary criterion in the selection process is an outstanding scientific contribution to obesity research (understanding, prevention or treatment).
• Only employees of universities, hospitals or other non-profit institutions will be considered.
• Candidates must be renowned in their field and can be of any nationality

The deadline for receipt of nominations is Friday 10 March 2023

The Excellence Prize and New Investigator Awards are a collaboration between the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) and the Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF). EASO has established an independent Assessment Committee to review nominations and elect successful candidates.  Financial support for the prize comes from the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Learn more…