Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

New study looks at effects of obesity on disability over time

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine report that older adults today are much more likely to suffer from disability than those 10 years ago.

6 Nov 2007

UK study looks at obesity in women

The study shows that overweight and obese women in the UK are at a higher risk of developing and dying from cancer.

6 Nov 2007

Brain appears to play important role in 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.

6 Nov 2007

Inflammation causes insulin resistance not obesity

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have discovered that inflammation provoked by immune cells called macrophages leads to insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes.

6 Nov 2007

Fat cells release a protein that aids insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells

The body's fat cells help the pancreas do its job of secreting insulin, according to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

6 Nov 2007

Potential new treatment for severe obesity

A team of researchers from the St Vincent's Campus in Sydney have developed a novel way to control the extreme weight loss, common in late stage cancer, which often speeds death.

6 Nov 2007

Cancer risks for overweight women

Half of all cases of womb cancer and a type of oesophageal cancer in women are caused by being overweight or obese, according to a new report published online in the British Medical Journal.

6 Nov 2007

Chronic kidney disease common in U.S. - obesity, diabetes, hypertension and aging population contribute to increase

There is a high prevalence of chronic kidney disease in the United States, which has risen over the past decade, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

6 Nov 2007

Scientists in Australia discover how to switch hunger on and off

Scientists in Australia have found how to switch hunger on and off and they say their discovery could be used to stop weight loss in terminally ill patients or produce weight loss in the morbidly obese.

6 Nov 2007

UMC takes part in largest ever study of child and human health

The University of Mississippi Medical Center has been selected as one of 22 study centers nationwide by the National Children's Study (NCS), the largest study of child and human health ever conducted in the United States, to assess the effects of environmental and genetic factors on child and human health in the country.

6 Nov 2007

Effects of weight gain and subsequent weight loss on endothelial function

When lean healthy young adults gained about 9 pounds, the functioning of their blood vessel lining became impaired -- but shedding the weight restored proper functioning, according to a Mayo Clinic research report.

6 Nov 2007

Brain chemical anandamide work as antidepressant

American and Italian researchers have found that boosting the amounts of a marijuana-like brain transmitter called anandamide produces antidepressant effects in test rats.

6 Nov 2007

Childhood BMI rebound influences heart disease late in life

The earlier in life children reach their lowest body mass index (BMI) signals potential heart disease risk factors and may become evident as early as age 7, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2007.

6 Nov 2007

Lack of sleep makes children fat

A new study by researchers in the United States has found that children who do not get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight.

6 Nov 2007

U-M study finds shorter sleep duration for 9- to 12-year-old kids is associated with increased risk for being overweight

Diets high in fat and sugar may not be the only things contributing to American children's expanding waistlines. Research findings from the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital suggest that kids who aren't getting enough sleep also may be at an increased risk for being overweight.

5 Nov 2007

American women at increased risk of silent coronaries

After examining data from government health surveys undertaken in the United States, researchers say more American women are developing a type of artery disease that raises the risk of death from heart disease and stroke.

5 Nov 2007

Screening overweight and obese adults for pre-diabetes is cost-effective

Screening overweight and obese adults for pre-diabetes is cost-effective, according to a study by researchers at RTI International, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, University of Michigan, MedStar Research Institute, and Indiana University.

5 Nov 2007