Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Excess fat around the heart may be worse than high BMI for heart attacks

When it comes to risk for a heart attack, having excess fat around the heart may be worse than having a high body mass index or a thick waist, according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues reporting in the August issue of the journal Obesity.

31 Jul 2008

Survey reveals most drinkers exceed current safe alcohol guidelines

According to a new study people who drink more than the guidelines for safe alcohol consumption place themselves at risk of developing metabolic syndrome.

30 Jul 2008

Retirement could be hazardous for the health

A study by the ABS based on 2004-05 health data and labour force statistics on older workers aged 45 to 74, also took into account people not in the workforce and those too ill to work.

30 Jul 2008

Obesity predisposition linked to brain's reward system

The tendency toward obesity is directly related to the brain system that is involved in food reward and addictive behaviors, according to a new study. Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) and colleagues have demonstrated a link between a predisposition to obesity and defective dopamine signaling in the mesolimbic system in rats.

29 Jul 2008

Study first to show range and severity of birth defects associated with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes

Women who receive a diagnosis of diabetes before they become pregnant are three to four times more likely to have a child with one or even multiple birth defects than a mother who receives a diagnosis of diabetes while pregnant or a mother who is not diabetic, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), released in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology

29 Jul 2008

Limiting fructose may boost weight loss

One of the reasons people on low-carbohydrate diets may lose weight is that they reduce their intake of fructose, a type of sugar that can be made into body fat quickly, according to a researcher at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

29 Jul 2008

A daily 45 minute walk limits the impact of diabetes

According to scientists in the UK, by simply walking for an extra 45 minutes a day, people with diabetes can limit the impact of the disease.

29 Jul 2008

Australian experts approve of British plans to issue 'fat' reports on school children

A radical strategy by the British Government to tackle the nation's childhood obesity appears to have the support of experts in Australia.

29 Jul 2008

Statins reduce the risk of dementia by half

People at high risk for dementia who took cholesterol-lowering statins are half as likely to develop dementia as those who do not take statins, a new study shows.

28 Jul 2008

Most adults in U.S. will be overweight or obese by 2030

Most adults in the U.S. will be overweight or obese by 2030, with related health care spending projected to be as much as $956.9 billion, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Their results are published in the July 2008 online issue of Obesity.

28 Jul 2008

Obesity gene makes it harder to tell if you feel full

A study involving more than 3,000 children in Britain has found those with a gene linked to obesity find it harder than others to tell when they are full.

28 Jul 2008

NIDDK publishes strategic plan for research into benign prostate

For the first time, a strategic plan for research into benign prostate disease, based on the latest scientific knowledge, has been published by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIDDK Prostate Research Strategic Plan is the culmination of discussions and meetings among experts over the past two years in an effort to outline a strategic vision for research into these elusive and multi-faceted diseases.

27 Jul 2008

Soyfoods Association response to research on soy in men

Headlines claiming "soy products lower sperm count" do not tell the whole story. The small scale, preliminary study that Dr. Jorge Chavarro, published online in Human Reproduction, is based on recollected intake of soyfoods and not on specific diets containing soyfoods.

24 Jul 2008

Food and drink giants pledge big money to tackle Britain's obesity problem

A group of food and drinks companies in Britain have pledged more than £200 million to help tackle the UK's obesity problem.

24 Jul 2008

No justification for denying obese patients knee replacement surgery

There is no justification for denying obese patients knee replacement surgery: They benefit almost as much as anyone else from the procedure, concludes a small study published ahead of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

23 Jul 2008

Gastroesophageal reflux disease and asthma

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center appear to have solved at least a piece of a puzzle that has mystified physicians for years: why so many patients with asthma also suffer from GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease.

21 Jul 2008

Penn partnership designed to eliminate childhood obesity wins prize

Students from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing Pediatric Acute/Chronic and Oncology Nurse Practitioner program earned first place for their research poster at the 24th Annual Pediatric Nursing National Conference in Las Vegas.

21 Jul 2008

Regular meals important for the health

It is obvious to most people that our health is affected by what we eat; now, however, scientists have shown that it is also a matter of how often we eat.

21 Jul 2008

Big Apple gets tough with fast food restaurants

New York is getting serious when it comes to tackling obesity, as from last weekend restaurants in the Big Apple now must state calorie information on their menus.

21 Jul 2008

25.6 percent of U.S. adults obese in 2007

The proportion of U.S. adults who self report they are obese increased nearly 2 percent between 2005 and 2007, according to a report in today's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). An estimated 25.6 percent of U.S. adults reported being obese in 2007 compared to 23.9 percent in 2005, an increase of 1.7 percent.

17 Jul 2008