The 14th Plymouth Symposium on obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome, 'Diabesity', will take place at the Plymouth Postgraduate Medical Centre at Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, UK, on 22nd May 2014.
A range of experts from Plymouth University, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, the University of Bristol, and the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, will focus on a number of issues relating to the growing problems of obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Based on the question: "what should weight management clinics offer?", topics will include: bariatric surgery and the non-surgical aspects of bariatric management; the Plymouth weight management clinic; the use of apps and related technology for bariatric follow-up and diabetes management; an update on the National Institute for Health Research By-Band Study; a study of life after weight loss surgery; and obesity and the declining age of puberty, and the impact this might have on future health care provision.
The event is hosted by Professor Jonathan Pinkney, Professor of Endocrinology and Diabetes at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, and Honorary Consultant Physician in Endocrinology and Diabetes at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust.
He said: "I am delighted to be joined by colleagues from across the University and the Hospital, and from further afield, to address these issues which are crucial to the way in which we manage the broad spectrum of weight loss and related therapies. According to statistics from the Diabetes Forum, one in five adults in the UK are overweight with one in 15 classified as obese. It is a growing issue: over the next 20 years the number of obese adults in the UK is expected to rise by 73 per cent to 26 million people. Whereas in the past bariatric surgery and related therapies would have been the exception rather than the rule, today such procedures are becoming increasingly commonplace - with the likelihood that in the future they may become more widespread and mainstream than ever before.
"As a consequence, medical professionals and those forming health policy need to be aware of the issues around bariatric surgery so that this form of treatment, and the ancillary treatments around it, can be adapted and developed for future demand."
Ultra-processed foods drive obesity and metabolic risks