Symposium to highlight latest thinking related to obesity

The 15th Plymouth Obesity, Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome Symposium will take place at Plymouth Postgraduate Medical Centre on 21st May.

Entitled "New Ideas and Controversies in Obesity", the event will bring together a stellar panel of experts from research institutions and the NHS across the UK.

The symposium will show the latest thinking in a number of areas related to obesity including: surgical solutions; whether obesity is a psychological disorder; the relationship between bile acids and incretins (metabolic hormones that stimulate a decrease in blood glucose levels); using groups in the management of obesity; adipose (fat) tissue health; the origins of diabetes in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome; the challenges ahead for the implantation of the latest NICE guidance on obesity; and following up the Plymouth EarlyBirds as adults - one of the only studies in the world to follow the same cohort from early childhood to adulthood.

Experts include: Professor Francesco Rubino, Chair of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery at Kings College London; Dr. Jennifer Logue, Clinical Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, Glasgow; Professor Jason Halford from Psychology Sciences at the University of Liverpool; Dr. Royce Vincent, Consultant Chemical Pathologist at King's College Hospital; Dr. Mark Tarrant, Senior Lecturer in Psychology Applied to Health and Dr. Katarina Kos, both at the University of Exeter; Dr. Joanne Hosking, PhD Statistician at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry; and Professor Jonathan Pinkney, Consultant Endocrinologist from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry and Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust.

Professor Pinkney will chair the symposium. He said: "Obesity is recognised as a serious threat to health in the developed world, as well as a key contributor to pressures on health services around the world. This is our 15th Plymouth Obesity, Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome Symposium, which has run for the same time as our ground breaking EarlyBird project, and we are delighted to welcome a wide range of experts from across the UK who are true leaders in their fields. For anyone with a professional interest in obesity - be that clinical, research, policy or administrative - this symposium is a 'must attend' event."