Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Genetic risk of pre-eclampsia linked to blood pressure and BMI, study reveals

An international study, coordinated by experts from the University of Nottingham, has revealed that the genetic risk of pre-eclampsia – a potentially dangerous condition in pregnancy – is related to blood pressure and body mass index.

25 Nov 2020

Researchers suggest new indicator for measuring health impacts of air pollution

Researchers from IRD, the CNRS and UGA took part in a European study of sources of fine particulate matter that are harmful to health, coordinated by the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI, Switzerland).

25 Nov 2020

Health risks of prolonged sitting are reduced by exceeding weekly activity goals

Research has shown that people who sit for long periods are at an increased risk of early death and several health issues.

25 Nov 2020

Regulation of fat production is abnormal in obesity, shows study

Gut hormones play an important role in regulating fat production in the body. One key hormone, released a few hours after eating, turns off fat production by regulating gene expression in the liver, but this regulation is abnormal in obesity, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found in a new study.

25 Nov 2020

Bariatric surgery linked to lower risk of hospital and intensive care unit admission

A Cleveland Clinic study shows that among patients who have obesity and who tested positive for COVID-19, a past history of bariatric surgery was significantly associated with a lower risk of hospital and intensive care unit admission.

24 Nov 2020

New findings support benefits of bariatric surgery in severely obese adolescents

Eighty to 90% of adolescents benefit from lasting weight loss following bariatric surgery, and most experience the remission of obesity-related complications such as elevated blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and musculoskeletal pain, among others.

24 Nov 2020

Disproportionate COVID-19 mortality in England linked to non-white ethnicity and poverty

In a paper published on the preprint server medRxiv, researchers from various departments of Imperial College London, UK, discuss how they analyzed mortality data of individuals 40 years and above in local communities in England to determine local variations in increased mortality during the first wave of the pandemic – between 1 March and 31 May 2020 - and to identify the community factors associated with these mortality patterns.

24 Nov 2020

Hormone that suppresses food intake could be used as potential treatment for obesity

A hormone that can suppress food intake and increase the feeling of fullness in mice has shown similar results in humans and non-human primates, says a new study published today in eLife.

24 Nov 2020

More sedentary time increases risk of heart failure in older women

Even with regular physical activity, older women (ages 50-79) who spend more waking hours in sedentary behaviors, such as sitting or lying down, have an increased risk of heart failure serious enough to require hospitalization, according to new research published today in Circulation: Heart Failure, an American Heart Association journal.

24 Nov 2020

Study underscores the importance of maintaining services to prevent, treat cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality in Europe, and World Health Organization (WHO) heart disease goals will not be achieved by 2025 unless urgent action is taken. That is the finding of a European Society of Cardiology (ESC) report published today.

24 Nov 2020

Antimicrobial found in soaps worsens fatty liver disease in mice

University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers found evidence that triclosan -- an antimicrobial found in many soaps and other household items -- worsens fatty liver disease in mice fed a high-fat diet.

23 Nov 2020

New CDC report describes COVID-19 in NYC in early spring

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), has published an update on the outbreak in New York City. The report is titled, "COVID-19 Outbreak — New York City, February 29–June 1, 2020".

23 Nov 2020

Leptin plays a strong role in controlling the body weight of children

Young children of African ancestry are more at risk of developing obesity if they possess a genetic variant that reduces their ability to produce the hormone leptin.

23 Nov 2020

Inflammatory factors that aggravate COVID-19 may come from adipose tissue

There is growing evidence that adipose tissue plays a key role in the aggravation of COVID-19. One of the theories under investigation is that fat cells (adipocytes) act as a reservoir for SARS-CoV-2 and increase viral load in obese or overweight individuals.

20 Nov 2020

Assessment tool accurately predicts outcomes for COVID-19 patients

A study published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine this month reports on an assessment tool developed by Kaiser Permanente researchers and physicians that helps ensure patients get the right care, when they need it, by accurately predicting the probability that patients with COVID-19 symptoms will experience severe disease or even death.

20 Nov 2020

Research reveals T-cell abnormalities in severe COVID-19 cases

There is an idea within the coronavirus research field that there is some kind of T cell abnormality in critically ill COVID-19 patients, but specific details have not yet been clarified.

20 Nov 2020

Furin inhibition may mitigate severe COVID-19, study finds

Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, a researcher at the Institute for Functional Medicine in the United States, has explained the role of furin protease in developing severe COVID-19 illness.

20 Nov 2020

Age is no barrier to losing weight, study shows

Obese patients over the age of 60 can lose an equivalent amount of weight as younger people using only lifestyle changes, according to a new study from the University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust that demonstrates that age is no barrier to losing weight.

20 Nov 2020

$Are bone fractures more common in non-meat eaters?$

Are bone fractures more common in non-meat eaters?

A new study has found that in comparison with people who eat meat, vegans, vegetarians, and pescatarians may be at a higher risk of hip fractures.

20 Nov 2020

Texas Biomed awarded $1 million to evaluate MAb therapeutics for COVID-19

Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, was awarded $1 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to test the efficacy of human monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

19 Nov 2020