Weight Loss News and Research

Latest Weight Loss News and Research

Methane in breath linked to obesity

New Cedars-Sinai research shows obese patients who test positive for methane on their breath have a significantly higher body mass index (BMI) than their peers.

7 May 2010

Weight Watchers reports 4.9% decrease in first-quarter 2010 revenue

Weight Watchers International, Inc. today announced its results for the first quarter of fiscal 2010, which ended April 3, 2010, and reaffirmed its fiscal 2010 earnings guidance.

7 May 2010

FDA assigns BYDUREON new PDUFA action date of October 22, 2010

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company and Alkermes, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified the BYDUREON™ (exenatide for extended-release injectable suspension) complete response as a Class 2 resubmission and assigned a new Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date of October 22, 2010.

6 May 2010

Study reveals long-term advantages of fast initial weight loss

If you thought the best way to lose and maintain weight was the slow and steady approach, think again. A new study by Lisa Nackers and colleagues, from the University of Florida in the US, suggests that the key to long-term weight loss and maintenance is to lose weight quickly, not gradually, in the initial stages of obesity treatment. Their findings1 are published online in Springer's International Journal of Behavioral Medicine.

6 May 2010

Obesity epidemic may be flattening out - still much to be done

The prevalence of childhood obesity might be stabilising in developed countries, but there is still much to be done to combat this major threat to health, according to a Seminar published on Online First and in an upcoming issue of The Lancet.

6 May 2010

Emotions can sabotage weight loss goals

How many times have you, after a particularly hard day, reached for some chocolate or ice cream? It's common for many people, but for those trying to lose weight, it can be detrimental to their long term success, and most weight-loss programs never even address it.

6 May 2010

Pay-for-performance may create unintended financial incentives for doctors to discriminate against obese patients

Pay-for-performance reimbursement models may create unintended financial incentives for doctors to discriminate against obese patients, measuring a patient's waist circumference may be more effective in predicting surgical outcomes than the more traditional body mass index measure, and childhood obesity doubles the risk of developing colon cancer, according to data being presented at Digestive Disease Week- 2010.

5 May 2010

Americans and their babies are gaining more body fat: Study

A new study has found for the first time that as Americans are gaining more body fat, so are their babies. The research, which reviewed data from more than 74,000 births, found that a key measure of body fat composition in newborns increased significantly over a 15-year period, mirroring similar increases among pregnant mothers. The findings were presented Sunday by researchers from Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting.

5 May 2010

Alvine Pharmaceuticals reports data of ALV003 in gastric simulation model at DDW 2010

Alvine Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced the reporting of scientific data on the performance of its lead compound, ALV003, in a gastric simulation model. The data were presented at the 2010 Digestive Disease Week (DDW) meeting held in New Orleans, Louisiana.

5 May 2010

One-half of physicians do not recommend bariatric surgery for adolescents

Severely obese adolescents may desire or potentially benefit from bariatric surgery. However, half of primary care physicians say they would not recommend the procedure to a patient under the age of 18, according to research published in Obesity Surgery

4 May 2010

Weight loss through caloric restriction and increase in physical activity improve symptoms of GERD

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a debilitating problem for sufferers -- heartburn, difficulty swallowing, chest pain and acid reflux. According to a Mayo Clinic study that will be presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2010 in New Orleans May 1-5, even moderate weight gain can exacerbate those symptoms, DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians and researcher in the field of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.

3 May 2010

FDA approves Abbott's CREON sNDA including dosing guidance for treating EPI due to CP, pancreatectomy

Abbott announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for CREON® (pancrelipase) Delayed-Release Capsules that now includes dosing guidance in the prescribing information specific to patients with limited production of enzymes in the pancreas (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency) due to chronic pancreatitis (CP) or removal of the pancreas (pancreatectomy). Prior to this FDA approval, dosing guidance for medications such as CREON was based on patients with cystic fibrosis.

3 May 2010

Raptor Pharmaceutical presents positive results from Phase 2a trial of DR cysteamine bitartrate for NASH

Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp., announced positive Phase 2a clinical trial results from its pilot study of delayed-release cysteamine bitartrate in 11 adolescent patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, a progressive form of liver disease believed to affect 5% to 11% of the U.S. population. The results were presented at the Digestive Disease Week 2010 conference in New Orleans, LA on May 2, 2010.

3 May 2010

New classification of depressive subtypes of depression proposed

Lichtenberg and Belmaker propose a new classification of depressive subtypes of depression in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. They argue that a simple diagnosis is no longer sufficient to guide treatment.

3 May 2010

Eating more olive oil could help prevent ulcerative colitis: UEA study

Eating more olive oil could help prevent ulcerative colitis, according to a new study co-ordinated by medical researchers at the University of East Anglia.

3 May 2010

Vita Breath may contain hazardous levels of lead, warns FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers not to purchase nor consume Vita Breath, a dietary supplement manufactured by American Herbal Lab Inc. of Rosemead, Calif., and marketed at health fairs and on the Internet, because the product may contain hazardous levels of lead.

3 May 2010

Exercise tips for long-term fitness

From working out to eating right, knowing how to best live a healthy lifestyle can become confusing. The long-term health landscape continues to change as research into integrative medicine and genomic function evolves.

3 May 2010

Dietary protein for overall health

The importance of high-quality protein foods in overall health was among the topics discussed this week at Experimental Biology 2010 in Anaheim, Calif. Researchers from a variety of institutions discussed studies that looked at varying levels of dietary protein intake to promote health throughout life including the role of protein in weight loss and muscle maintenance.

3 May 2010

Reliv International's first-quarter 2010 net sales decline 4.5%

Reliv International, Inc., a nutrition and direct selling company, today reported that sales and earnings in the first-quarter of 2010 were below last year's first-quarter results, but sales outside of the United States rose during the period.

30 Apr 2010

Oncology unit of Jewish General Hospital focuses on Smart for Life cookies

Smart for Life cookies will be the focus of a study in the oncology unit of the Jewish General Hospital, acknowledged as a world leader in many fields of investigation and a key teaching site for McGill University.

29 Apr 2010