Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Obesity and poorer school attendance go hand in hand

New research in the U.S. has found that there is a connection between school attendance and obesity.

12 Aug 2007

Fat people are attracted to other fat people

Researchers in Britain say they have found that people often choose partners with similar body fat levels as themselves.

12 Aug 2007

Leptin controls our fondness for food

Scientists have discovered that leptin, one of the key hormones responsible for reducing hunger and increasing the feeling of fullness, also controls our fondness for food.

12 Aug 2007

FGFR4 gene plays a complex role in obesity, fatty liver and diabetes

Researchers at the Texas A&M Health Science Center Institute of Biosciences and Technology at Houston have found that a gene in the liver and elsewhere in the body, when inhibited or increased, affects fatty liver and diabetes but does not alleviate both diseases at once.

11 Aug 2007

The skeleton is an endocrine organ

Bones are typically thought of as calcified, inert structures, but researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have now identified a surprising and critically important novel function of the skeleton.

11 Aug 2007

New pathway for inflammation-induced cancer

A well-known inflammatory protein spawns an enzyme that inactivates two tumor-suppressing genes, ultimately triggering production of new blood vessels to nourish breast cancer cells, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the August edition of the journal Cell .

11 Aug 2007

Estrogen deficiency may trigger the development of high blood pressure and obesity in aged females

At menopause, women lose hormone protection against heart (cardiovascular) and kidney (renal) diseases, and are likely to become obese. A research team has tested the idea that estrogen deficiency in aged females may trigger the development of high blood pressure and obesity.

9 Aug 2007

Obesity linked to hyperparathyroidism in chronic kidney disease

For patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), the risk of elevated levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH), or hyperparathyroidism a significant complication that increases the risk of cardiovascular problems and death increases along with body weight, reports a study in the September Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

9 Aug 2007

Diet foods and drinks for children may lead to obesity

Diet foods and drinks for children may inadvertently lead to overeating and obesity, says a new report from the University of Alberta.

9 Aug 2007

Steep rises in cancers linked to excessive sun exposure, alcohol, smoking and obesity

Rates of melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, have risen by over 40 per cent in the past decade, making it the fastest rising cancer in the UK. Incidence of mouth, womb, and kidney cancers has also shown rapid increases in the last 10 years.

8 Aug 2007

Diet foods may encourage chilhood obesity

Canadian researchers say diet foods may be contributing to the epidemic of childhood obesity because they may inadvertently lead children to overeat.

8 Aug 2007

Cannabis mouth spray eases pain of cancer patients

Canadian health authorities have given approval for a new cannabis-based painkiller for use with cancer patients.

8 Aug 2007

New study looks at indulgent consumption

Many of us experience a tinge of guilt as we delight in feelings of pleasure from our favorite indulgences, like splurging on an expensive handbag or having another drink.

8 Aug 2007

Parents' depression impacts child's symptoms of depression

A parent's struggle with stress or depression can lower a child's quality of life -- and it could hinder an overweight youngster's attempts to lose weight, too, University of Florida researchers say.

8 Aug 2007

The power of McDonald's over tiny tots food preferences

A study with pre-school children has revealed just how potent and effective the power of advertising is.

7 Aug 2007

Mother and daughter tackle obesity and diabetes together

Two months ago, Phoenix residents Marlene Zytcer, 57, and her daughter Aimee, 31, traveled to the University of California, San Diego Medical Center for a minimally invasive surgery to lose weight.

7 Aug 2007

Maternal obesity and birth defects

Mothers of babies born with some structural birth defectsincluding missing limbs, malformed hearts and underdeveloped spinal cordsappear more likely to be obese prior to becoming pregnant than mothers whose children are born without such defects, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

7 Aug 2007

Social dynamics of obesity

American women have gotten fatter as it has become more socially acceptable to carry a few extra pounds, according to a new study.

7 Aug 2007

Turning back the clock on facial aging

The longstanding idea that the entire human face ages uniformly is in need of a facelift, say researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center who have found that multiple, distinct compartments of fat in the face age at different rates.

6 Aug 2007

Insulin Resistance Syndrome could be key to preventing cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's

New and important evidence shows that Insulin Resistance Syndrome can lead to elevated risk for cardiovascular disease, breathing and sleep disorders, liver disease, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, Alzheimer's Disease and more.

3 Aug 2007