Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Researchers study whether people’s genetic makeup could make them more likely to develop osteoarthritis of the knee and hip

Researchers at The University of Nottingham are studying whether people’s genetic makeup could make them more likely to develop osteoarthritis of the knee and hip — the most common medical condition to affect the joints.

3 Aug 2004

Children should be screened for high blood pressure at age 3

A new report from The National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group on Children calls attention to the role of hypertension in the current epidemic of obesity in children, and underscores the need for intervention.

3 Aug 2004

Switches in the brain that tell the body to stop eating and start burning calories

A Brown-led research team has discovered a pair of universal switches in the brain that tell the body to stop eating and start burning calories.

3 Aug 2004

Scientists create mice that don't gain weight, even when fed fat-laden, high calorie diets

By altering the expression of a single -- albeit different – gene, Drs. Roger Davis (UMASS Medical School, USA) and Ying-Hue Lee (Academia Sinica, Taiwan) have succeeded in creating two different strains of transgenic mice that don't gain weight, even when fed fat-laden, high calorie diets.

2 Aug 2004

Japanese study on eggs and mortality is not scientifically sound

Representatives of the American Egg Board's Egg Nutrition Center as well as independent scientists say that a just-released Japanese study on eggs and mortality is not scientifically sound because the subset of women studied was too small to deliver accurate data.

29 Jul 2004

Misfiring proteins linked to sick feeling of type 2 diabetics

After a series of studies in the laboratory of Dr. Gregory Freund, a clearer picture is emerging: A disruption of signaling proteins in the immune system may be responsible for the inflammation that makes someone with type 2 diabetes feel sick and increases the risk of serious complications.

29 Jul 2004

Importance of physical education in schools to combat childhood obesity

A University of Newcastle, Australia, academic has received a national award for his research into the importance of physical education in schools to combat childhood obesity.

29 Jul 2004

Women with a history of cancer in their family are better off having MRI scans instead of mammograms

New research by Mieke Kriege at the Department of Medical Oncology, Rotterdam Family Cancer Clinic suggests that women with a history of cancer in their family are better off having MRI scans instead of mammogram's.

28 Jul 2004

Leptin's fat-burning role in humans

For nearly a decade, scientists have known that leptin plays an important fat-burning role in humans. But the map of leptin's path through the body – the key to understanding how and why the hormone works – is still incomplete.

27 Jul 2004

Traveling to and from work can reduce cardiovascular disease in people with type 2 diabetes

Research published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association shows that moderate exercise can reduce cardiovascular disease deaths in people with type 2 diabetes, even if that activity comes from work or traveling to and from work.

26 Jul 2004

New survey shows three out of four diets fail

"All diets, in their essence, will fail,” says Anne Mixon of the marketing research group NPD, who points to a new survey showing three out of four diets fail.

26 Jul 2004

Study to investigate carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel is a painful progressive condition caused by compression of a key nerve in the wrist. Approximately two out of every 1,000 workers will experience carpal tunnel syndrome every year, leading to significant medical expenditures and lost time from work.

26 Jul 2004

Surprising differences in the DNA of normal cells from different people

A new study by Michael Wigler’s group at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has, in collaboration with researchers from Karolinska Institutet, revealed surprising differences in the DNA of normal cells from different people.

23 Jul 2004

Combined, heart disease and stroke account for over 50% of all deaths among Los Angeles County women

The Los Angeles County Office of Women’s Health and the American Heart Association have launched a joint heart-health education and stroke prevention program targeting low-income women. Combined, heart disease and stroke account for over 50% of all deaths among Los Angeles County women.

23 Jul 2004

Computerised treatment for teaching obese teenagers how to eat healthily

Researchers from the University of Bristol have embarked upon a trial to test an innovative computerised treatment for teaching obese teenagers how to eat healthily.

23 Jul 2004

Largest diet and exercise trial in the world for people with type 2 diabetes

A massive grant of almost a million pounds has been awarded to the University of Bristol to carry out a major trial that will assess the effects of diet and exercise on people with type 2 diabetes. This trial will be the largest diet and exercise trial in the world for people with type 2 diabetes.

23 Jul 2004

BMA unhappy that OFCOM has not recommended a ban on all food advertising to children

"OFCOM's own research clearly states that TV advertising has an effect on children's eating habits, yet they refuse to recommend a ban. We are in the midst of an obesity epidemic and must use all the tools in our armoury to prevent the next generation of British children being the most obese in history."

22 Jul 2004