Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Pediatric obesity is now recognized as a major medical and health problem all over the world

A consensus statement on childhood obesity was published today in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, one of the four journals of The Endocrine Society.

8 Mar 2005

Growth hormone treatment improves symptoms of metabolic disorder in postmenopausal women

Researchers in Sweden have discovered that growth hormone (GH) treatment may result in the reduction of multiple metabolic disorders associated with abdominal obesity in postmenopausal women.

8 Mar 2005

Drinking more milk might not mean children develop healthier bones

The US Government's increased recommendations for increased daily calcium intake, largely from dairy products, to between 800 and 1,300 milligrams to promote healthy bones and prevent osteoporosis is being queried.

7 Mar 2005

A weighty issue: can your eating habits make you infertile?

The societal pressures on women to be attractive, successful, and thin are stronger than ever. The desirable woman portrayed in the media is much thinner than the average woman. Popular slogans such as "thin is in" and "you can never be too rich or too thin" have equated thinness with happiness. The result is that for the first time in history, being attractive means being thin.

7 Mar 2005

Mutations in newly discovered gene, NPHP5 cause Senior-Loken syndrome

Scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School have discovered a gene called NPHP5 and found mutations in this gene that cause a rare genetic disease called Senior-Loken syndrome. Children with this syndrome develop a type of cystic kidney disease called nephronophthisis, as well as a form of blindness called retinitis pigmentosa.

3 Mar 2005

Meditation may reduce heart disease risk

Black adolescents with high normal blood pressure who practice transcendental meditation improve the ability of their blood vessels to relax and may reduce their risk of becoming adults with cardiovascular disease, researchers say.

3 Mar 2005

Amercan footballers are too fat

A new study by University of North Carolina endocrinologist Joyce Harp and student Lindsay Hecht suggests that as many 56 per cent of players in the National Football League are obese.

2 Mar 2005

Virginia Department of Health seeks input to reduce obesity

Beginning in March, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) will host eight planning meetings to get input from residents on how to prevent and control obesity in the state.

1 Mar 2005

Growing evidence base supports focus on mind-body connection in heart disease

Cardiologists should recognize and help manage depression, stress and other common psychosocial risk factors that play a powerful role in the wellbeing and health outcomes of heart disease patients, according to an article(PDF) in the March 1, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

1 Mar 2005

First study to show cost-effectiveness of pre-diabetes intervention

More than 40 million Americans face a high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, and it would cost a lot to give all of them intensive help with diet and exercise, or medication, to keep them from developing diabetes.

28 Feb 2005

Rising awareness, new product alternatives to boost prospects of European sleep apnea diagnostics market

Low levels of awareness among patients and physicians about sleep apnea are hindering the uptake of related diagnostics. Increased knowledge about this breathing disorder together with the emergence of new alternatives to current diagnostics tools is set to aid in market expansion.

28 Feb 2005

Surgical treatment of hip or knee arthritis does not reduce obesity

A number of arthritis sufferers attribute their weight gain to inactivity due to a painful hip or knee. These patients may be disheartened when their post-operative weight either remains the same or increases.

27 Feb 2005

Promising new strategy for Swedish medical research

Research scientists at Karolinska Institutet are planning an international initiative to map out the relationships between health, genes and lifestyle. Discussion partners include world-leading researchers from the USA, Britain, Singapore and Norway.

27 Feb 2005

Balance between potassium and sodium is very important for proper body function

Important, interrelated factors leading to hypertension include obesity, stress, and the genetic vulnerability of American consumers, in addition to their sodium intake. The balance between potassium and sodium is very important for proper body function, and more attention should be given to ways for improving potassium intake.

27 Feb 2005

Childhood obesity is a serious health problem in Australia

Professor Michael Booth, co-director of the University of Sydney's Centre for Overweight and Obesity, said teenagers were already showing signs of serious illness caused by their weight.

24 Feb 2005

Is it exercise or dieting that helps prevent cancer?

Scientists and health professionals have long believed that maintaining a healthy - or "ideal" - weight makes a difference in decreasing an individual's risk for cancer. But one lingering question is whether or not it's better, in terms of cancer prevention, if that weight is reached and maintained by dieting or by exercising.

23 Feb 2005

Don’t believe everything you read on diets

In a society increasingly fixated with body image, we are bombarded with so-called scientific evidence promoting the use of a myriad of diets.

22 Feb 2005

Elderly patients can safely undergo gastric bypass surgery

Elderly patients can safely undergo gastric bypass surgery and can be expected to experience similar benefits from the operation as younger patients, according to background information in an article in the current issue of Archives of Surgery.

21 Feb 2005

82 percent of women have at least one factor that puts them at risk for a future heart attack

In the second year of a Northern California-based survey conducted by Sutter Health on women and heart disease, results show that more women are aware of heart attack warning signs and the need to take action quickly.

21 Feb 2005

Young adults can be motivated to eat more servings of fruits and vegetables

Young adults can be motivated to eat more servings of fruits and vegetables if they are exposed to tailored, practical messages about nutrition, a University of Wisconsin-Madison nutritional scientist announced at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington, D.C.

20 Feb 2005