Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Blood pressure levels on rise among American children and teenagers

Systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels for children and teenagers have risen substantially since 1988, according to a new study supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health. The study links part of the rise to a concurrent increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity.

4 May 2004

Australian researchers at forefront of battle against obesity

Deakin University has been given World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre status for research into obesity prevention and related nutrition and physical activity programs.

4 May 2004

Protein in human milk reduces risk of obesity

Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have conducted the first study to detect the presence of a protein in human milk that may explain the association between breastfeeding and reduced risk of obesity later in life.

3 May 2004

Baby's first eating habits linked to mother's eating habits

Mealtime is a nightmare, the baby won’t eat what’s on his highchair, and instead he seems to grab for whatever mom and dad have on their plates. For many parents it’s a familiar and frustrating story.

1 May 2004

Stroke warning signs and risk factor recognition

May is American Stroke Month, but strokes happen year-round. Each year 700,000 people have a new or recurrent stroke. On average every three minutes someone dies of a stroke. Could you or a loved one be next?

30 Apr 2004

Pre-diabetes is far more common in America than previously believed

"Pre-diabetes" -- a condition that raises a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke -- is far more common in America than previously believed, according to a new HHS estimate released today.

29 Apr 2004

Latest research on obesity, diabetes, hormone replacement therapy to be presented

From reviewing the latest trends and clinical research in the field of endocrinology to debating the nation's obesity epidemic and the ethnic disparities in health care, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists' (AACE) Thirteenth Annual Meeting and Clinical Congress will highlight the current revolution in endocrinology.

29 Apr 2004

British summer of sport starts to tackle obesity

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell MP today launched her Summer of Sport campaign to underline the government's commitment to sport in the UK.

29 Apr 2004

CDC commits $30 million to innovative public health research

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that it is committing almost $30 million in new funding to support innovative public health research aimed at further promoting and protecting the health of Americans

29 Apr 2004

British government warns couch potatoes

The warning came as the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, published a new landmark report on physical activity and health - At Least Five A Week. Smoking and unhealthy diet have long been established as major causal factors for chronic disease but the report says that inactive living is equally important.

29 Apr 2004

Lean beef good for teenagers

Diets rich in lean beef can help teenagers maintain their levels of useable iron, teach important balanced eating habits and dispel rumors that all healthy diets are challenging and lack taste, according to a researcher in the University of Iowa College of Public Health.

28 Apr 2004

How flexing of blood vessels during a heartbeat might contribute to heart disease

Duke biomedical engineers have received more than $2.2 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue their explorations of how the complex moving and flexing of blood vessels during a heartbeat might contribute to heart disease.

28 Apr 2004

John Reid reaffirms British Government’s commitment to tackling health inequalities

Secretary of State for Health, John Reid, reaffirmed the British Government’s commitment to tackling health inequalities and congratulated all those who have been leading local action, at a national conference in London today.

28 Apr 2004

Launch of first national multicultural diabetes prevention campaign

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson and the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) launched the first national multicultural diabetes prevention campaign

28 Apr 2004

Estimates vary, but as much as 20% of new prescriptions never get filled and 85% of refills never leave the pharmacy

Furthermore, a study conducted by the University of Arizona's School of Pharmacy finds that 40% of patients who receive outpatient drug therapy will experience a treatment failure or new medical problem as a result of improper use.

28 Apr 2004

Children don't understand physical activity and health messages

Parents who want their children to be fit and active should be encouraging them to go out and play rather than telling them to exercise, a study of more than 200 children aged 4-12 years shows.

28 Apr 2004

AGT Biosciences Limited and ChemGenex Therapeutics today announced merger agreement

AGT Biosciences Limited of Melbourne, Australia and privately held ChemGenex Therapeutics, Inc. of Menlo Park, California, today announced that they have signed a merger agreement. The cross-border merger creates a new, genomics-driven pharmaceutical company with leading edge capabilities for drug discovery and development, as well as two drug candidates in Phase II human trials for cancer.

28 Apr 2004

Wyeth to appeal $1 billion awarded to the family of a woman who died after using fen-phen diet drug

Wyeth said today it will appeal today's verdict in the case of Jerry Coffey (representing the estate of Cynthia Cappel-Coffey), et al. v. Wyeth, et al.

27 Apr 2004

Sleep apnoea and obesity

Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome is a common disorder with an estimated prevalence of at least 2 to 4% among middle-aged adults, especially common in obesity.

27 Apr 2004

How big should your child be?

Each time you take your child to an annual checkup, most likely the first thing the doctor or nurse does is record your child's current height and weight. The two numbers are then plotted on separate gender-specific graphs to indicate what percentile your child falls into.

27 Apr 2004