Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Rev-erb protein helps maintain the body's correct metabolism

It's well known that the body's energy levels cycle on a 24-hour, or circadian, schedule, and that this metabolic process is fueled by oxygen.

19 Nov 2007

University of Illinois at Chicago receives $2.2 million grant to develop drugs to suppress cocaine cravings

The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy has received a $2.2 million federal grant to develop therapeutics to suppress the cravings of cocaine addicts.

19 Nov 2007

Healthy food out-of-reach for many Australian families

Many families on a tight budget are struggling to fill their shopping trolleys with healthy foods, placing them at high risk of poor nutrition, including overweight and obesity, a study in Nutrition and Dietetics published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Dietitians Association of Australia has found.

19 Nov 2007

Worrying about your health will just make you sick

According to a newly released survey people are increasingly worried about their own and their family's health. The irony is that the worry itself could be doing significant damage to their health.

19 Nov 2007

Weight-loss drug doubles the risk of depression and anxiety

A weight loss pill which was initially hailed as some kind of wonder drug is now thought to more than double the risk of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

19 Nov 2007

British school children to undergo obesity checks

Parents however will be allowed choose to opt out of the scheme, run by primary care trusts, which along with the National Health Service (NHS) provides services to primary schools.

19 Nov 2007

A comprehensive survey on the health of college students

A report released by the University of Minnesota Boynton Health Service is the first of its kind in the nation to conduct a comprehensive survey on the health of college students.

16 Nov 2007

Study links asthma with post-traumatic stress disorder

For the first time, a study has linked asthma with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among adults in the community. The study of male twins who were veterans of the Vietnam era suggests that the association between asthma and PTSD is not primarily explained by common genetic influences.

16 Nov 2007

Prescription medication dosages often incorrect for obese patients

As if severely overweight people didn't already have enough health concerns, experts are raising another red flag - the possibility that some of their prescription medications, especially antibiotics, may not be prescribed at the appropriate dosage and could be ineffective.

16 Nov 2007

Experts say obese women should be refused fertility treatment

A fertility organisation in Britain is saying that severely obese women should be barred from having National Health Service fertility treatment until they have lost weight.

15 Nov 2007

Childhood obesity could be tackled with just positive parenting

Strategies for decreasing a child's risk for obesity often focus on improving eating habits and maintaining a high level of physical activity.

14 Nov 2007

Obesity is an independant risk factor for prostate cancer-related death

Men who are overweight or obese when diagnosed with prostate cancer are at greater risk of death after treatment, according to a new study in the December 15, 2007 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

13 Nov 2007

Brain may have important influences on glucose metabolism and insulin action

An appetite-suppressing chemical also improves glucose tolerance and lowers insulin levels in obese and diabetic mice, researchers report in the November issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press.

13 Nov 2007

Managing asthma

The great majority of the nearly 23 million people with asthma, including 6.5 million children, can avoid serious symptoms and disability if they follow the latest guidelines to keep their disease under control.

13 Nov 2007

Gyms do little in the battle against obesity

Research from the University of Leicester in England has found that the booming fitness industry has had very little effect on the obesity epidemic.

7 Nov 2007

High fat diets throw body clock out of sync

The researchers from the Northwestern University and Evanston Northwestern Healthcare in Illinois, suggest that overeating alters the core mechanism of the body clock and disrupts the timing of internal signals such as appetite control.

7 Nov 2007

Study looks at link between weight and causes of death

The association between weight and causes of death can vary considerably, with obesity associated with a significantly increased mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD), underweight associated with increased mortality from primarily non-cancer, non-CVD causes, and overweight associated with increased mortality from diabetes and kidney disease combined, but with reduced mortality from other non-cancer non-CVD causes of death, according to a study in the November 7 issue of JAMA.

6 Nov 2007

Overeating alters the core mechanism of the body clock

Our body's 24-hour internal clock, or circadian clock, regulates the time we go to sleep, wake up and become hungry as well as the daily rhythms of many metabolic functions.

6 Nov 2007

Risk of disability increasing in older obese population in the U.S.

The older obese population in the U.S. appear to be experiencing more impairments in functional abilities related to movement, although there have been improvements in the cardiovascular health of this population, according to a study in the November 7 issue of JAMA.

6 Nov 2007

Diet type linked to cognitive decline and dementia

Research has shown convincing evidence that dietary patterns practiced during adulthood are important contributors to age-related cognitive decline and dementia risk.

6 Nov 2007