Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Nutrient "floodgate" protects against inflammatory immune response

After every meal, the body must prevent the immune system from launching an all-out fight against food.

4 May 2007

Regular exercise associated with reduced risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia

Protection against heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, memory loss, colon cancer, fractures, and depression should be enough to get men exercising.

4 May 2007

Diabetes damages DNA in men's sperm and may affect fertility

Scientists have found that sperm from diabetic men have greater levels of DNA damage than sperm from men who do not have the disease.

4 May 2007

Nutritional benefits of egg consumption

Nine studies presented at the Experimental Biology 2007 meeting support the growing body of research on the nutritional benefits of egg consumption, including its promotion of weight loss and its role in providing choline, an essential nutrient often lacking in the diet that promotes brain and memory development and function.

4 May 2007

Stealth vegetables disguised as pasta for picky kids

Parents who want their kids to consume fewer calories and eat more vegetables might find a healthy solution with stealth vegetables.

2 May 2007

Laparoscopic gastric banding surgery improves insulin resistance

A new study examining the overall and gender-related effects of laparoscopic gastric banding surgery (LGBS) on insulin resistance, body composition, and metabolic risk markers six months post-surgery has found significant improvements in insulin resistance.

2 May 2007

One out of four people don't know they have hypertension

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke, and renal failure, but one out of four people don't even know they have it.

2 May 2007

Why do some people get fat even when they eat relatively little?

What creates that irresistible urge for a bag of potato chips or a hunk of chocolate cake, as opposed to a nice crisp apple? Can food urges be irresistible?

2 May 2007

Helping eating for kids

Two years ago, Jenny O'Dea set herself a tough challenge: to persuade her one-year old daughter, Katherine, to eat a salty, black olive. The little girl took a small bite, Jenny and her husband cheered and applauded loudly, and Katherine grinned and ate the whole thing.

30 Apr 2007

Major new cancer research study

The American Cancer Society is launching a major new cancer research study that may be the ,last best chance, to do large-scale population research in the United States to discover the genetic and environmental factors that cause and prevent cancer.

30 Apr 2007

Leptin shown to significantly influence breast cancer development

Being obese increases the risk of breast cancer in post-menopausal women, shortens the time between return of the disease and lowers overall survival rates.

30 Apr 2007

Exercise pill switches on master regulator that controls the ability of cells to burn fat

By giving ordinary adult mice a drug - a synthetic designed to mimic fat - Salk Institute scientist Dr. Ronald M. Evans is now able to chemically switch on PPAR-d, the master regulator that controls the ability of cells to burn fat.

30 Apr 2007

New drug as effective at fat burning as a good work out at the gym

A scientist in the U.S. has developed a pill which has the same calorie-burning effect as a good work out at the gym.

30 Apr 2007

Ratio of women stricken with MS rockets by 50% each decade

According to a study in the United States although women have always had a greater susceptibility for developing Multiple Sclerosis (MS) than men, the numbers have rocketed in the last six decades.

29 Apr 2007

Big win in the battle against diabetes

In newly published research scientists have revealed that they have discovered more genes linked to Type 2 Diabetes.

29 Apr 2007

New genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes

In the most comprehensive look at genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes to date, a U.S.-Finnish team, working in close collaboration with two other groups, has identified at least four new genetic variants associated with increased risk of diabetes and confirmed existence of another six.

27 Apr 2007

More women developing multiple sclerosis than men

Over time, more women are developing multiple sclerosis (MS) than men, according to research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 59th Annual Meeting in Boston, April 28 - May 5, 2007.

27 Apr 2007

Outdated policies are impediment for Americans with disabilities

Although the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has helped increase awareness of barriers faced by people with disabilities, and advances in science and engineering have led to better assistive technologies that make it easier for individuals to lead productive, independent lives, outdated regulations too often impede access to health care coverage and assistive devices for many who need them, says a new report by the Institute of Medicine.

27 Apr 2007

Researchers find clear genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes

Scientists from the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Lund University and Novartis have announced the discovery of three unsuspected regions of human DNA that contain clear genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes, and another that is associated with elevated blood triglycerides.

27 Apr 2007

Food-associated cues linked to obesity

A unique pattern of gene expression observed in rats may be linked to a conditioned desire for food and excessive food intake, an article published in BMC Biology suggests.

27 Apr 2007