Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Australian RAAF aircraft used to take obese woman to hospital

The chartering of an RAAF Hercules to transport an obese patient to hospital has triggered a heated debate.

9 Apr 2008

Discovery of a critical early player in the path that turns cells to fat

Given that obesity - defined as an excess amount of body fat relative to lean body mass - is a major health concern in the United States and an increasing problem in the developing world, such a fuller understanding of the molecular processes governing fat tissue formation could ultimately hold clinical importance, according to the researchers.

9 Apr 2008

Children with obesity-related diabetes struggle with change

A new study shows that children with obesity-related diabetes are reporting serious difficulties in making basic lifestyle changes that could save them from a lifetime of complications.

9 Apr 2008

Health summit to focus on prevention rather than cure

The National Prevention Summit in Melbourne this week is the first such summit to be held in Australia.

9 Apr 2008

Too little sleep and too much TV makes infants overweight

New research has found that infants and toddlers who sleep less than 12 hours a day are twice as likely to become overweight by age 3 than children who sleep longer.

9 Apr 2008

Thin people may still have a high body fat ratio

Anyone concerned about gaining extra weight will be confused by the latest research as scientists in the U.S. say being thin is no guarantee a person has a low body fat ratio.

9 Apr 2008

Less sleep, more TV leads to overweight infants and toddlers

Infants and toddlers who sleep less than 12 hours a day are twice as likely to become overweight by age 3 than children who sleep longer.

8 Apr 2008

Abdominal fat increases the risk of death

Women who carry excess fat around their waists were at greater risk of dying early from cancer or heart disease than were women with smaller waistlines, even if they were of normal weight, reported researchers from Harvard and the National Institutes of Health.

8 Apr 2008

Tart cherries cut heart/diabetes risk factors

Tart cherries - frequently sold dried, frozen or in juice - may have more than just good taste and bright red color going for them, according to new animal research from the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center.

7 Apr 2008

T-cadherin affects blood vessel growth in breast cancer, hormone from fat cells may play a role

Researchers at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) may have found a new option for targeted breast cancer therapy by showing the link between a certain protein and the formation and development of blood vessels that feed breast tumors.

7 Apr 2008

School-based intervention help curb weight gain in children

Small changes in schools lead to big results when it comes to preventing childhood obesity, according to a study published in the April issue of Pediatrics.

7 Apr 2008

Discovery of more genes involved in height

Scientists are beginning to develop a clearer picture of what makes some people stand head and shoulders above the rest.

7 Apr 2008

Pregnant teens don't get no smoking message

According to a new study pregnant teenagers don't get the no smoking message and almost half of all Australian teenage prospective mothers continue to smoke during pregnancy.

7 Apr 2008

Pregnant mothers' diet linked to baby's obesity

Pregnant and lactating rats fed on a diet of hydrogenated fat during pregnancy and lactation had babies who were fatter than rats fed a normal diet, according to research published in Lipids in Health and Disease.

4 Apr 2008

Healthcare providers who discuss intimate piercings earn patients' trust

On April 2, 2008, UC San Diego Medical Center-Hillcrest celebrated the opening of an expanded Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) designed for the 24-hour specialized care of premature infants and newborns with complications.

4 Apr 2008

Answer to troublesome question of why some genetic assoc. studies have failed replication attempts

A team of researchers from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), and elsewhere have described a possible reason why some studies have been unable to replicate associations between genes and traits -- namely that the strength of a gene/trait association might vary with age and that current study designs typically fail to take that into account.

4 Apr 2008