With obesity emerging as a leading health threat to Americans, it's easy to blame a couch-potato culture addicted to calorie-rich foods. But UC Irvine biologist Bruce Blumberg doesn't believe lifestyle alone explains this phenomenon; he thinks industrial pollutants play a part too. Blumberg (pictured) is among a growing number of researchers exploring how chemicals used in plastics, food packaging, pesticides and cosmetics can trigger dramatic increases in body fat. He has even coined a word for these compounds that corrupt the normal function of metabolic hormones: obesogens. While it's unclear to what degree these chemicals contribute to the obesity epidemic, what Blumberg and other researchers around the world are finding is troubling. In ongoing studies, Blumberg has identified how obesogens target signaling proteins to prompt a developing fetus to make more fat cells. This can have lifelong consequences, raising the likelihood of body fat accumulation as a person ages and making it more difficult to lose excess weight.   More »

Dr. Ninh Nguyen, chief of gastrointestinal surgery at the UC Irvine Medical Center, and colleagues are seeking participants in a nationwide clinical study to test a new, minimally invasive way to treat morbid obesity without altering the stomach through gastric bypass surgery or laparoscopic banding. The Empower study will employ a novel VBLOC Therapy, in which implanted electrodes will block nerve signals carried between the brain and the digestive system that control sensations of hunger, satisfaction and fullness. The five-year safety and efficacy study is being held at five U.S. locations and a site in Australia.   More »

The Bariatric Surgery Program at UC Irvine has been accredited as a Level 1a Bariatric Center by the American College of Surgeons Bariatric Surgery Center Network. The accreditation demonstrates that UCI has the resources to successfully further surgical education and provide high-quality care to patients with greater opportunities for safe and effective outcomes. The Bariatric Surgery Program, led by Board-certified gastrointestinal surgeons, Drs. Ninh T. Nguyen and H. Joseph Naim, offers the most advanced minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques and features a multidisciplinary team of experts, including nurses, psychologists, dieticians, patient coordinators and anesthesiologists. Pictured here is grateful patient Mary Jane Roberts, who dropped from 250 to 120 pounds after her surgery at UC Irvine Medical Center. The surgery enabled Roberts to alleviate harmful obesity-related conditions such as high blood pressure and acid reflux.   More »