Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Counseling program to promote education and lifestyle change in lupus patients

According to a new study by Hospital for Special Surgery investigators presented at the American College of Rheumatology meeting on October 21 in Philadelphia, most lupus patients are not aware that their condition puts them at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and a counseling program is a valuable way to promote education and lifestyle change.

19 Oct 2009

Unlike obesity, overweight does not increase mortality rate

Contrary to what was previously assumed, overweight is not increasing the overall death rate in the German population. Matthias Lenz of the Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Natural Sciences of the University of Hamburg and his co-authors present these and other results in the current issue of Deutsches -rtzeblatt International (Dtsch Artzebl Int 2009; 106[40]: 641𔃆).

19 Oct 2009

NFL, NDC launch 'Fuel Up to Play 60' to tackle childhood obesity

The NFL and National Dairy Council (NDC) today launch Fuel Up to Play 60, a new initiative aimed at tackling childhood obesity by giving youth a voice in changing the school nutrition and physical activity environment. The program will reach 36 million youth in 60,000 elementary, middle and high schools during the 2009/2010 school year.

15 Oct 2009

NBC Universal's 'Healthy At NBCU' to connect its health and wellness content with consumers

NBC Universal will unveil a new company-wide initiative today, "Healthy At NBCU," aimed at connecting consumers, employees and marketers with its breadth of health and wellness content. The announcement was made by Lauren Zalaznick, President NBC Universal Women and Lifestyle Entertainment Networks, who is spearheading the initiative.

15 Oct 2009

New range of foods from marine animals and plants to help fight human diseases

Milk drinks that lower blood pressure, meat products that reduce the risk of heart disease, chocolate that calms you down and a new range of foods that can fight obesity can be created from marine animals and plants. Japan already has several product ranges on the shelves and research programmes are underway all over the world to create more.

15 Oct 2009

National Institutes of Health grants $12 million to WCDRC for obesity research

The Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center (WCDRC) recently received six research grants from the National Institutes of Health - totaling more than $12 million in funding - that will support the work of researchers focused on the prevention and treatment of obesity.

15 Oct 2009

Researchers to study gastric banding procedure on overweight, type 2 diabetic patients

In the first trial of its kind in the world, researchers at Monash University's Centre for Obesity Research and Education (CORE) will examine the benefits of a gastric banding procedure on overweight people with Type 2 diabetes.

15 Oct 2009

Required flu vaccines for New York health workers draws criticism

The New York Civil Liberties Union is criticizing a regulation that requires hundreds of thousands of state health workers to get both seasonal and swine flu vaccinations. Critics say it violates workers' right to decide their own medical treatment.

15 Oct 2009

Interest groups campaign against proposed health taxes

"Insurance companies, unions, medical device makers and others in the health care industry are furiously lobbying lawmakers to shift burdens onto someone else — anyone else — before they find themselves saddled with billions of dollars in taxes under new health care legislation," The Associated Press reports.

15 Oct 2009

ValenTx to present its first clinical study for the treatment of morbid obesity

ValenTx, Inc. announces the presentation of the first clinical study of their endoluminal approach for the treatment of morbid obesity at the 2009 American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress.

15 Oct 2009

State-level education policy essential to reverse childhood obesity

The new issue of The State Education Standard, the journal of the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE), examines how education policymakers can best address childhood obesity in school settings.

14 Oct 2009

Swedish Risk Drinking Project surveys physicians and nurses of Sweden

The proportion of health care personnel reporting that they always or often queried their patients regarding alcohol use has increased significantly. This is particularly notable with nurses, where the proportion has doubled to 60 per cent, and midwives, where 92 per cent estimate their capacity to identify risk consumption as good or very good.

14 Oct 2009

Increase in adiponectin hormone levels protects against sepsis-related mortality

A hormone naturally found in the fat that surrounds the abdominal organs for the first time has been linked to death related to sepsis, surgeons reported at the 2009 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons. A study exhibited at the conference showed that low levels of the hormone adiponectin placed animals at a profoundly high risk of death from a septic insult.

14 Oct 2009

Galapagos extends collaboration with Merck to develop new therapies for atherosclerosis

Galapagos NV announced today that it has expanded its global strategic alliance in metabolic diseases with an affiliate of Merck & Co., Inc to incorporate the development of new therapies for atherosclerosis.

14 Oct 2009

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to support research in numerous health areas

As part of the $5 billion in grants announced by President Obama, the National Institutes of Health has granted Kaiser Permanente more than $54 million over two years through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to conduct health research on a multitude of critical public and clinical health areas.

14 Oct 2009

Good nutrition and exercise vital to stay young and healthy

Keeping fit at a young age may be one of the secrets to living a long and healthy life, according to new research co-authored by researcher Oscar Franco, MD, PhD, Assistant Clinical Professor in Public Health at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom.

14 Oct 2009

Positive results from BioMimetic Therapeutics' Phase III trial comparing Augment Bone Graft to autograft

BioMimetic Therapeutics, Inc. today announced positive top-line results from its North American pivotal (Phase III) randomized controlled trial comparing its fully synthetic, off-the-shelf bone growth factor product, Augment Bone Graft (“Augment”), to autograft for use in hindfoot and ankle fusion surgery.

14 Oct 2009

Today's selection of opinions and editorials

"Yes, we are going to crack down on health insurance company abuses and extend health insurance coverage. But, just as important, we are going to give our citizens access to a 21st century health care system — one that is focused on preventing obesity and disease, and helping us to live healthy, active, productive lives" (Sen. Tom Harkin, 10/12).

14 Oct 2009

States eye budget cuts and health reform

Pennsylvania's hospitals got a small piece of good news when an overdue budget came with smaller than expected cuts. But there and in other states, programs continue to find programs and budgets on the chopping block.

14 Oct 2009