Referral for bariatric surgery should be the basic standard of care for all morbidly obese patients, an Australian obesity specialist suggests this week.

Associate Professor John Dixon, Head of the Obesity Research Unit at Monash University in Melbourne, says that despite the evidence of remarkable improvements in health, quality of life, and increased life expectancy with bariatric surgery only 1% of morbidly obese patients receive such treatment.

Weight loss surgery may improve pregnancy outcomes for morbidly obese women, according to data presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine 64th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

American Idol's beloved bassist Randy Jackson turned a lot of heads when he joined his legendary colleagues Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell at the judge's table in 2004. The Grammy Award-winning producer was looking a whole lot slimmer than he had in previous seasons of Fox's blockbuster talent search show. Four years later, he continues to keep off his impressive 100-plus pound loss, after peaking at a hefty 350 pounds.

Cholesterol-lowering drug could help women

Women who have polycystic ovarian syndrome had their symptoms controlled at least as well or better than the standard treatment when they were given statin drugs, usually used to treat high cholesterol. Because PCOS, which includes multiple ovarian cysts combined with symptoms such as irregular periods and excessive hair growth, is often associated with risk factors for cardiovascular disease, researchers in Poland decided to try the statin Zocor as a treatment.

Having come of age with Jane Fonda workouts, along with the wisdom of Kenneth Cooper, many baby boomers feel that we actually invented the fitness movement. Indeed, the "work for the burn" and "no pain, no gain" philosophy of the 1970s fitness represents a far more aggressive philosophy than the New Age, touchy-feely methods that are popular with today's younger generation.