Body Mass Index (BMI) News and Research

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Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure that relates body weight to height. BMI is sometimes used to measure total body fat and whether a person is a healthy weight. Excess body fat is linked to an increased risk of some diseases including heart disease and some cancers.

Sleep apnea may increase the risk of severe COVID-19, say researchers

An analysis conducted by researchers at the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital in Finland has suggested that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be a risk factor for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019).

19 May 2020

Asthma linked to longer intubation time in younger COVID-19 patients

New data suggest that asthma is associated with longer time on ventilators for hospitalized younger patients with COVID-19.

18 May 2020

Children who start nurseries at younger age have higher risk of obesity in later life

Children who start childcare such as nurseries or playgroups at a younger age and attend for most of the week are at higher risk for obesity in later life, according to a new study.

14 May 2020

Study provides further insights into the relationship between smoking and COVID-19

A Canadian study available on the preprint server medRxiv* shows that current smokers are slightly more likely than never smokers to test positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but cautions about the possibility of reverse causality where smokers actually quit to avoid the disease.

12 May 2020

Estonians eat less fiber than recommended, study confirms

For normal gut and body function, the diet should contain sufficient amounts of (at least 25 - 35 grams of) various (a variety of )dietary fibers. Fibers are a type of carbohydrates forming a big group of molecules of very different structures and sizes that have different functions in our body.

12 May 2020

Some foods common in diets of adults with inflammatory bowel disease

American researchers from the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University have found that certain foods such as cheese, cookies, French fries, energy drinks, soda, and other types of junk foods are found more frequently in the diets of adults suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

7 May 2020

A new method of reducing body weight and fat mass using weighted vests

Scientists from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have found a new method of reducing human body weight and fat mass using weighted vests.

30 Apr 2020

Adolescent obesity carries higher thrombus risk later in life

Men with a history of obesity in their late teens are, in adult life, more at risk of a blood clot (thrombus) in a leg or lung, according to a study from the University of Gothenburg study shows.

29 Apr 2020

Childhood family environment adversity linked to heart disease in adulthood

Children who experience trauma, abuse, neglect and family dysfunction are at increased risk of having heart disease in their 50s and 60s, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

28 Apr 2020

Prenatal exposure to air pollutants is linked with growth delays

Prenatal exposure to air pollution has been linked to various adverse effects on children's health, including lower birth weight and respiratory and neurodevelopmental problems.

23 Apr 2020

Healthy lifestyle, greater disease-free life expectancy

For years, doctors have been advocating a healthy diet, more regular exercise, stress relief, and weight control. However, no study has examined a combination of all these factors with the number of years that one can live free of major chronic disease. This could help communicate the benefits of a healthy lifestyle more convincingly than the commonly reported relative risk of disease with each of these risk factors.

6 Apr 2020

Underweight patients with diabetes in Singapore have increased risk of TB

"Persistent cough in underweight patients with diabetes warrants screening for active tuberculosis." This is the message in the editorial of the December 2019 issue of the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, based on findings from a Singapore-based study that have reported that patients with diabetes and who were also underweight had an eight-fold increase in their risk of contracting active TB, compared to obese individuals without diabetes.

23 Mar 2020

Weight gain could lower woman’s chances of getting breast cancer before menopause

Gaining weight from early adulthood is linked to a lower risk of breast cancer before the menopause, a major global study of more than 600,000 women has found.

11 Mar 2020

Computer program analyzes blood plasma to identify weight gain biomarkers

Researchers at the University of Campinas in São Paulo State, Brazil, have developed a computer program that analyzes molecules in blood plasma to search for biomarkers that identify individuals who are at risk of becoming overweight and developing obesity-related diseases.

10 Mar 2020

Biomarker in saliva linked to emergence of childhood obesity

A molecular marker in saliva is associated with the emergence of childhood obesity in a group of preschool-aged Hispanic children.

7 Mar 2020

Automated CT-based biomarkers can better predict cardiovascular events than standard methods

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and the University of Wisconsin have demonstrated that using artificial intelligence to analyze CT scans can produce more accurate risk assessment for major cardiovascular events than current, standard methods such as the Framingham risk score and body-mass index.

5 Mar 2020

Optimal preoperative definition of malnutrition varies by cancer type

The best approach for surgeons to identify malnourished cancer patients before they have a cancer operation may be specifically related to the type of cancer the patient has, according to researchers who found that common definitions of malnutrition do not apply equally to all cancers in assessment of preoperative risk.

26 Feb 2020

Menopause age not associated with heart disease finds study

There has been conflicting evidence regarding early menopause and an increased risk for heart disease among women. This connection has been attributed to the lowering of female hormone estrogen levels in the blood.

26 Feb 2020

Healthy diet, healthier sperm, greater fertility

A new study published in the journal JAMA Network Open in February 2020 reports that Danish men who followed a healthy diet had the highest total sperm counts, and a better hormonal profile concerning hormonal regulators of fertility, compared to those on a Western or other less healthy types of diet.

23 Feb 2020

Bariatric surgery also effective for individuals with early-onset obesity

Surgical treatment of obesity is as effective for individuals who developed the disorder early, by the age of 20, as for those who have developed obesity later in life, a study from the University of Gothenburg shows.

21 Feb 2020