Weight Loss News and Research

Latest Weight Loss News and Research

Gluten-free diet important for people with celiac disease

You'd never suspect it from the proliferation of gluten-free items on supermarket shelves. Yet only one in approximately 133 people - that's 0.75 percent of the population - has celiac disease, a genetic autoimmune disorder that causes the body to react negatively to the intake of gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and their derivatives.

29 Jan 2015

OCC partners commend EU decision that supports disability protections for obesity

In a joint position statement, Obesity Care Continuum (OCC) partners agree with the premise behind a recent European Court of Justice ruling supporting disability protections for obesity under certain circumstances and call for these protections to be enacted in the United States.

29 Jan 2015

Online social connectedness promotes weight loss, shows study

If you want to lose pounds using an online weight management program, don't be a wallflower. A new Northwestern University study shows that online dieters with high social embeddedness -- who logged in regularly, recorded their weigh-ins and 'friended' other members -- lost more than 8 percent of their body weight in six months.

29 Jan 2015

Combating pre-pregnancy obesity helps both mother and child

Before a woman gets pregnant it is very common for her to plan and prepare for her child's arrival to ensure that the baby will benefit from the healthiest, most comfortable life possible. Sometimes, these preparations may be financial or they may involve taking such important healthcare steps as quitting smoking. Now, according to data from the Swedish Medical Birth Register, one of the best things that a mother can do for the health of her child is to ensure that she is at a healthy weight.

28 Jan 2015

Tackling preventable blindness: a House of Commons reception review

“Macular degeneration is not life threatening, but it is life changing,” these were the words of Michael Valenzia, of the Macular Society at the recent House of Commons Reception held by AMD Alliance International.

27 Jan 2015

Pitt researchers receive NIH grant to improve health of sedentary, overweight people

University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health researchers are flipping conventional thought on its head regarding how to improve the health of sedentary people at risk for diabetes and heart disease in a new study designed to combat a condition popularly called "sitting disease."

27 Jan 2015

New study links inflammatory bowel diseases to increase in diversity of viruses

Inflammatory bowel diseases are associated with a decrease in the diversity of bacteria in the gut, but a new study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has linked the same illnesses to an increase in the diversity of viruses.

23 Jan 2015

Social media sites associated with significant drop in pounds

How can Facebook aid someone in their weight loss journey? According to recent research from the Arnold School of Health at the University of South Carolina, use of the social media site can be associated with a significant drop in pounds, especially during the critical maintenance period of a weight loss journey, where support from the clinical staff decreases.

22 Jan 2015

U.S. News & World Report recognizes Jenny Craig with Best Diets rankings

U.S. News & World Report, a nationally recognized publisher of consumer advice and rankings, recognized Jenny Craig as the 2nd Best Commercial Diet Plan, 2nd Easiest Diet to Follow, and 3rd Best Weight-Loss Diet in its annual Best Diets rankings.

21 Jan 2015

Medifast recognized as a 2015 Future 50 Blue Chip company by SmartCEO magazine

Medifast, Inc., a leading United States manufacturer and provider of clinically proven, weight-loss and healthy living products and programs is proud to be recognized by SmartCEO magazine as a 2015 Future 50 Blue Chip company for the fourth consecutive year.

21 Jan 2015

Echo Therapeutics re-establishes operational and strategic partnership with MTIA

Echo Therapeutics, Inc., a medical device company focused on skin permeation, continuous glucose monitoring, and associated technologies, announced today that it has re-established its operational and strategic partnership with Medical Technologies Innovation Asia, Ltd., Hong Kong, and has initiated the technology transfer process.

21 Jan 2015

Bariatric surgery can improve obesity-related health problems in children, adolescents

Bariatric surgery--as a last resort when conservative interventions have failed--can improve liver disease and other obesity-related health problems in severely obese children and adolescents, according to a position paper in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, official journal of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

21 Jan 2015

Anytime Fitness survey examines the current state of health, fitness in America

Americans have sufficient time to exercise, but they don't make it a priority. They do claim, however, that they're willing to make changes to improve their overall health and fitness. Those are among the major findings of Anytime Fitness' annual 'Weight of the Union' survey, examining the current state of health and fitness in America.

20 Jan 2015

DAA encourages Australians to ditch fad diets, focus on healthy eating habits

According to Australia's latest National Nutrition Survey, more than 2.3 million Australians (13%) aged 15 years and older say they are on a diet to lose weight or to improve their health. But the Dietitians Association of Australia is encouraging Australians to ditch fad diets this year, and focus on achieving healthy eating habits and a healthy weight by making changes they can keep up long term.

19 Jan 2015

Endocrine Society issues guideline on prescribing drugs to manage obesity, promote weight loss

The Endocrine Society today issued a Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) on strategies for prescribing drugs to manage obesity and promote weight loss.

16 Jan 2015

Findings may lead to novel therapeutic approaches to prevent fibrosis in Crohn's disease patients

A natural protein made by immune cells may limit fibrosis and scarring in colitis, according to research published in the inaugural issue of Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the new basic science journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

16 Jan 2015

First medical device approved for treatment of obesity

The United States Food and Drug Administration approved EnteroMedic's VBLOC vagal blocking therapy, delivered via the Maestro System, which is the first medical device approved for obesity treatment that targets the nerve pathway between the brain and the stomach.

15 Jan 2015

Endocrinology Network offers up-to-date coverage of SGLT2 inhibitors

UBM Medica US announces that Endocrinology Network, a leading online community for endocrinologists and other clinicians who treat patients with T2DM offers comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of the sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors.

15 Jan 2015

U-M researchers identify how amlexanox drug improves metabolism of sugar

Researchers at the University of Michigan have identified how a promising drug in clinical trials for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic disorders improves the metabolism of sugar by generating a new signal between fat cells and the liver.

13 Jan 2015

TSRI researchers identify enzyme that produces inflammatory lipid molecules in the brain

A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has identified an enzyme that produces a class of inflammatory lipid molecules in the brain. Abnormally high levels of these molecules appear to cause a rare inherited neurodegenerative disorder, and that disorder now may be treatable if researchers can develop suitable drug candidates that inhibit this enzyme.

13 Jan 2015