Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Obesity and asthma often go together

Scientists in Britain say they have discovered a link between obesity and asthma and they believe the connection may explain why overweight people are up to twice as likely to develop the respiratory condition.

17 Jul 2007

Many doctors not frustrated that patients can't lower cholesterol, despite cardiovascular risks

Family doctors don’t always feel that they can achieve healthy cholesterol levels in their patients even though they are aware of the dangers of cardiovascular disease, according to an international survey of practitioners published in the July issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

17 Jul 2007

Pediatricians say advice to obese kids and families falls on deaf ears

Pediatricians who talk to obese patients and their families about losing weight feel their conversation makes little difference in encouraging a lifestyle change, a small Saint Louis University study finds.

17 Jul 2007

Analysis of diabetes drugs

Most oral medications prescribed for type 2 diabetes are similarly effective for reducing blood glucose, but the drug metformin is less likely to cause weight gain and may be more likely than other treatments to decrease so-called bad cholesterol, according to a report funded by HHS Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

17 Jul 2007

Insulin resistance in skeletal muscle can be countered through exercise

Abdominal fat, the spare tire that many of us carry, has long been implicated as a primary suspect in causing the metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that includes the most dangerous heart attack risk factors: prediabetes, diabetes, high blood pressure, and changes in cholesterol.

17 Jul 2007

Women have poorer short-term recovery than men from arthroscopic knee surgery

The factors associated with poor short-term recovery from knee surgery appear to be different than those found to mar long-term outcome from the same surgery, according to new research released at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine at the Telus Convention Center.

16 Jul 2007

New gene found for type 1 diabetes in children

Pediatrics researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and McGill University in Montreal have identified a gene variant that raises a child's risk for type 1 diabetes, formerly called juvenile diabetes.

16 Jul 2007

Robotic telerounding may get you home faster

New research published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that robotic telerounding may significantly reduce the length-of-stay of patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery if used to supplement standard postoperative visits, or rounds, made by surgeons.

13 Jul 2007

Helpful hints for healthy diets

With the number of Americans overweight and obese at an all-time high, the diet choices of young people are of concern, especially as they prepare to leave home for the first time in the fall and fend for themselves at college.

13 Jul 2007

Importance of starting pregnancy at a healthy weight

Smoking and drinking don't mix with pregnancy, but not so with excess weight before and during pregnancy.

13 Jul 2007

Get off the sofa and go for a walk!

These days, it's easy for people to get confused about exercise -- how many minutes a day should they spend working out, for how long and at what exertion level?

12 Jul 2007

Understanding obesity stigma

The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) is pleased to announce the release of its newest patient- focused brochure, titled "Understanding Obesity Stigma."

12 Jul 2007

Obesity rate in the U.S. has increased at an alarming rate over the past three decades

The U.S. obesity prevalence increased from 13 percent to 32 percent between the 1960s and 2004, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Human Nutrition.

11 Jul 2007

New study of sweetened beverages

A new study of sweetened beverages shows that cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup have similar effects on hunger, fullness, and food consumption at lunch.

11 Jul 2007

Master switch for the production of brown fat discovered

Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have identified a long-sought "master switch" in mice for the production of brown fat, a type of adipose tissue that generates heat and counters obesity caused by overeating.

11 Jul 2007

Adiponectin serves as energy-conserving signal to the brain

A fat-derived protein known for its effects on the liver and skeletal muscle might also serve as an energy-conserving signal to the brain during periods of starvation, suggests a new study in the July issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press.

11 Jul 2007

Western diet increases breast cancer risk in Asian women

A study on the dietary habits of Chinese women has found that those who ate a Western diet increased their risk for breast cancer.

11 Jul 2007

Vitamin D deficiency remains an under-recognized problem in children

Many otherwise healthy children and adolescents have low vitamin D levels, which may put them at risk for bone diseases such as rickets.

10 Jul 2007

Postmenopausal Asian women who eat a Western diet at greater risk of developing breast cancer

Postmenopausal Asian women who eat a "meat-sweet" or Western diet are at greater risk of developing breast cancer than those who eat a "vegetable-soy" diet, according to a new study. The findings mark the first time an association between a Western diet and breast cancer has been identified in Asian women.

10 Jul 2007

Waiting for joint replacement surgery

A team of Bristol University researchers are aiming to find out why some people waiting for a hip or knee replacement have to wait longer than others for surgery.

9 Jul 2007