The Biggest Loser gets better results than gastric bypass surgery, report

Don't rush into surgery, says Dr. H from The Biggest Loser. The exercise-eating program for contestants is a slam dunk for illnesses related to obesity.

When you watch The Biggest Loser, don't you wonder if there isn't an easier way to lose up to 46% of one's body weight?

Congratulations to Danni, the winner of this season's grand prize. Her transformation was nothing short of astounding. Watch Danni's triumph, here.

According to a study published in 2011 by the American Journal of Medicine The Biggest Loser method demonstrated the beneficial results of diving into the pool of hours-long physical exercise and restricted caloric intake over any other method for morbidly obese, sedentary adults.

• Decrease in body fat was greater with this intervention as compared with gastric bypass surgery and 12-month self-monitored moderate physical activity and diet.
• It is the first of its kind intervention for the morbidly obese that demonstrates simultaneous improvement in atherosclerosis, blood pressure and insulin sensitivity.
• It bests treatment with statins or niacin in reducing thickness of "carotid intima media."

Dr. Robert Huizenga's name is one of the doctors on the paper, but Dr. H has more to report and its timely.

The American Diabetes Association was presented with a final abstract earlier this year, regarding the effect of The Biggest Loser method on Type 2 Diabetes.

"Rapid drug free and surgery free remission of Type2DM, prediabetes, HTN, hypertriglyceridemia and metabolic syndrome is possible in morbidly obese individuals."

Caveat: the results were generated using 56 adults in The Biggest Loser program both when the adults were filmed and after their time on the ranch.

As Dr. H wrote: "The translation of this approach to the general population and the sustainability of these effects require further study."

In a recent statement about the success of the method used on The Biggest Loser, Dr. H said:

"The multiple research findings on 15 seasons of BL contestants (enclosed) pertaining to the remission and cure of diabetes are ground breaking as they give new hope for the 26 million American diabetics (as well as the 40 million plus estimated pre-diabetics).

Just the fact this is the first TV show where legitimate medical research has been conducted is newsworthy – the fact that 17 articles or abstracts have been presented is doubly so."

From a practical standpoint, intense exercise in excess of three hours a day may not be possible for some.

What Dr. H is saying however, is that if you are a non-active morbidly obese adult with medical issues that come with that territory, stop and think before you take the plunge into another method of getting healthy.

Sources: No. 11 AMJ IMT final 2011, Huizenga No. 17 Final ADA Abstract 2013. Used with permission. Image: Bob Harper, Jillian Michaels, Dolvett Quince of The Biggest Loser

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