Aspirus Hosts First Obesity Treatment Summit

Medical professionals from around the state gathered at the Westwood Conference Center on Friday, October 12 for the first Aspirus Obesity Treatment Summit.

The summit featured speakers on the topics of the obesity epidemic and Type 2 diabetes.

“It’s the biggest healthcare crisis facing our population nowadays,” said Aspirus Cardiologist Dr. Timothy Logemann. “Probably about 50% of the population in the area is obese. So, when you have so much obesity, it’s leads to bigger problems such as hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea and many other problems.”

Investigative Scientist and Health Journalist Gary Taubes was the first speaker at the summit. He talked about many of the misconceptions about obesity and why those misconceptions exist today.

“Instead of counting calories, if you restrict your carbohydrates you end up for the most part eating as much as you want and eating very rich foods to satiety. It’s an entirely different phenomenon,” said Taubes.

Dr. Sarah Hallberg from Indiana University School of Medicine followed Taubes with a talk on Type Two diabetes.

The conference concluded with talks on medication and treatment options for obesity. Dr. Angela Fitch from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University spoke about anti-obesity medication. And Dr. Jon Gould from Froedtert Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin spoke about surgery and endoscopic options for the treatment of obesity.