Weight Loss News and Research

Latest Weight Loss News and Research

The search for the Holy Grail for dieters is on

Starting this month Canadian and British scientists will begin collaborating on a study to examine human appetite- controlling hormones with a view to finding out what will increase PYY, a powerful hormone in the human body which dramatically diminishes appetite.

7 Oct 2004

Short-term exercise significantly increases insulin action

Carefully controlling the amount of food and drink that formerly sedentary, overweight people ingest during and after short-term exercise has a significant impact on insulin action.

5 Oct 2004

Minor depression is effectively treated with medication

Minor depression, an underdiagnosed and undertreated subset of major depressive disorder that affects upwards of 15 million Americans, can be effectively treated with a drug called a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)

5 Oct 2004

History of smoking affects survival in patients with cancer of the head and neck

Patients who had smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime were three times more likely to have better overall survival, disease-specific survival, and recurrence-free survival compared with patients who had a current or previous history of regular smoking.

30 Sep 2004

Millions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders at increased risk for type 2 diabetes

About 40 percent of adults ages 40 to 74 - or 41 million people - have pre-diabetes, a condition that raises a person’s risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

29 Sep 2004

Boldly colored tableware is a mealtime aid to those with severe Alzheimer's disease

According to new visual perception research from a team at Boston University, the use of boldly colored tableware is a mealtime aid to those with severe AD, helping individuals overcome a diminished sensitivity to visual contrast, a condition often found among people with advanced AD.

26 Sep 2004

New book suggests foods with a low glycemic index are key to weight loss

Choosing foods with a low glycemic index is the key to successful and sustainable weight loss, according to a new book written by nutritionists from the University of Sydney.

23 Sep 2004

Research shows how psychosocial factors can bring on rapid decline in health

Why do some older people experience a rapid decline in their physical and functional health while some of their peers remain healthy and active?

22 Sep 2004

New gene therapy technique may help treat Alzheimer's disease

Investigators at Rush University Medical Center have successfully initiated a new technique that uses gene therapy to deliver nerve growth factor into regions of the brain where neurons are degenerating, in order to prevent cell death and reverse cell atrophy, two hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease.

21 Sep 2004

Positive emotions may delay onset of frailty and negative stereotypes can influence older adults’ memory

Why do some older people experience a rapid decline in their physical and functional health while some of their peers remain healthy and active? While your genes and overall physical health play a role, new research shows how psychosocial factors can also play an important role.

13 Sep 2004

Higher body mass index has a stronger association with diabetes than physical inactivity

Researchers have found that a higher body mass index (BMI) has a stronger association with development of diabetes than does physical inactivity, according to a study in the September 8 issue of JAMA.

8 Sep 2004

Does the popular Atkins diet really work?

Since it’s introduction in the middle 1970’s, the Atkins Protein Diet has grown to be one of the most popular methods of weight loss. Low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets have been criticized by major health organizations including the American Heart Association, the American Dietetic Association, and the American Kidney Fund.

2 Sep 2004

New study confirms benefits of rimonabant in weight loss

Phase III clinical study comparing placebo to rimonabant, the first agent in a new therapeutic class known as selective cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) blockers, showed that overweight or obese people taking rimonabant 20mg once daily benefited from a significant reduction in their body weight

29 Aug 2004

Ephedra substitute - Seville orange may have risks

People taking “ephedra-free” weight loss products that contain the herb Citrus aurantium, or Seville orange, may be doing more harm to their body than good, according to a new review published by Georgetown University Medical Center researchers.

27 Aug 2004

Diabetes and heart disease may stem from fat you can't see

Becoming fat brings conspicuous changes to the shape of the human body, but pioneering research in the Department of Medicine at Flinders University, Australia is working on the theory that the obvious "spare tyre" may not be the major culprit in fat-related diseases.

24 Aug 2004

Researchers have produced a marathon mouse that can run twice as far as normal mice

By enhancing the function of a single protein, Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have produced a “marathon mouse” with altered muscle composition and enough physical endurance to run twice as far as normal mice.

23 Aug 2004

People with type 2 diabetes could benefit from atorvastatin

Results of a randomised trial in this week’s issue of THE LANCET suggest that people with type 2 diabetes could benefit from cholesterol-lowering therapy with statins to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, even when they do not have high cholesterol concentrations.

20 Aug 2004

60 percent of people with Crohn's disease have required surgery within the past five years

According to results released today from the newest survey of people with Crohn's disease, "Voices of Crohn's," 60 percent of people with Crohn's, between the ages of 18 and 34, have been hospitalized within the last two years and more than half have required surgery within the past five years.

18 Aug 2004

Friendly bacteria the key to ulcerative colitis treatment

Affecting an estimated fifty thousand people in the UK, with a particularly high incidence rate in north east Scotland, ulcerative colitis is an acute and chronic disease that causes inflammation and sores, called ulcers, in the lining of the large bowel.

17 Aug 2004

Nutritionists are attacking Tennessee's obesity problem

Rep. Zach Wamp announced Tuesday the federal earmark for Tennessee on the Move, which is designed to inform and inspire Tennesseans of all ages to take small, simple steps to maintain a healthy weight.

12 Aug 2004