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Overweight and obesity are defined by the WHO as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to an individuals health.

Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer and while it was once an issue only in high income countries, overweight and obesity has now dramatically risen in low- and middle-income countries.Such countries are now facing a "double burden" of disease, for while they continue to deal with the problems of infectious disease and under-nutrition, they are also experiencing a rapid upsurge in chronic disease risk factors such as obesity and overweight, particularly in urban settings.
Weekend reading: Mental illness stigma, health insurance mazes and female libido

Weekend reading: Mental illness stigma, health insurance mazes and female libido

Linneah sat at a desk at the Center for Sexual Medicine at Sheppard Pratt in the suburbs of Baltimore and filled out a questionnaire. She read briskly, making swift checks beside her selected answers, and when she was finished, she handed the pages across the desk to Martina Miller, who gave her a round of pills. [More]

Two out of five medical students have unconscious bias against obese people, shows study

Two out of five medical students have an unconscious bias against obese people, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. The study is published online ahead of print in the Journal of Academic Medicine. [More]
New report says schools should engage pupils in vigorous or moderate physical activity daily

New report says schools should engage pupils in vigorous or moderate physical activity daily

A new report from the Institute of Medicine says schools should be responsible for helping pupils engage in at least 60 minutes of vigorous or moderate intensity activity during each school day. [More]
Heart disease signs in newborns: an interview with Dr Michael Skilton, University of Sydney

Heart disease signs in newborns: an interview with Dr Michael Skilton, University of Sydney

Thickening of the walls of the main arteries is the best indicator of poor cardiovascular health in healthy young children. [More]

Lightlake Therapeutics announces Phase II clinical trial results of nasal spray treatment for BED

Lightlake Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing addiction treatments based on its expertise in opioid antagonists, announced today that results of the Company's Phase II clinical trial of its nasal spray treatment for Binge Eating Disorder were presented at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in San Francisco by Professor Hannu Alho, MD, professor of addiction medicine at the University of Helsinki and Principal Investigator for the trial. [More]

American Heart Association: Costs to treat stroke may increase to $183.13 billion in 2030

Costs to treat stroke are projected to more than double and the number of people having strokes may increase 20 percent by 2030, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. [More]

Children living in two-parent married household are less likely to be obese

Children living in households where the parents are married are less likely to be obese, according to new research from Rice University and the University of Houston. [More]
Unhealthy food choices: The cause of current global obesity epidemic

Unhealthy food choices: The cause of current global obesity epidemic

Research presented today shows that high-fructose corn syrup can cause behavioural reactions in rats similar to those produced by drugs of abuse such as cocaine. These results, presented by addiction expert Francesco Leri, Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Applied Cognitive Science at the University of Guelph, suggest food addiction could explain, at least partly, the current global obesity epidemic. [More]
Arthritis Research UK awards Cardiff researchers a grant to develop new drugs to treat osteoarthritis

Arthritis Research UK awards Cardiff researchers a grant to develop new drugs to treat osteoarthritis

Medical research charity Arthritis Research UK has awarded a team of researchers at Cardiff University a grant of £200,000 to investigate new drugs to treat early onset osteoarthritis. The team will investigate a new therapy to reduce the risk of developing osteoarthritis. [More]
SNAP leads to reductions in food insecurity, says University of Illinois researcher

SNAP leads to reductions in food insecurity, says University of Illinois researcher

A University of Illinois researcher says that the cornerstone of our efforts to alleviate food insecurity should be to encourage more people to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program "because it works." [More]
Study explains gender differences in the impact of OSA on cardiovascular disease, mortality

Study explains gender differences in the impact of OSA on cardiovascular disease, mortality

A new study from researchers in Japan indicates that obstructive sleep apnea is independently associated with visceral (abdominal) fat accumulation only in men, perhaps explaining gender differences in the impact of OSA on cardiovascular disease and mortality. [More]

Infant feeding patterns promote childhood obesity

In the long run, encouraging a baby to finish the last ounce in their bottle might be doing more harm than good. [More]
Dietary exposure to certain plastics may cause metabolic and hormonal abnormalities in children

Dietary exposure to certain plastics may cause metabolic and hormonal abnormalities in children

Plastic additives known as phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) are odorless, colorless and just about everywhere: They turn up in flooring, plastic cups, beach balls, plastic wrap, intravenous tubing and-according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-the bodies of most Americans. [More]
Physicians face medical challenges in treating spine trauma in morbidly obese patients

Physicians face medical challenges in treating spine trauma in morbidly obese patients

Physicians at Monash University and The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia describe the logistic, medical, and societal challenges faced in treating spine trauma in morbidly obese patients. [More]
Obesity directly tied to several cancers

Obesity directly tied to several cancers

"Obesity is a major risk factor for developing cancer, roughly the equivalent of tobacco use, and both are potentially reversible. Further, obese cancer patients do worse in surgery, with radiation or on chemotherapy - worse by any measure." Karen Basen-Engquist, Ph.D., Director of MD Anderson's new Center for Energy Balance in Cancer Prevention and Survivorship and professor of Behavioral Science. [More]
FAPESP funds $680 million to support 17 RIDCs

FAPESP funds $680 million to support 17 RIDCs

The Brazilian funding agency for scientific and technological research S-o Paulo Research Foundation, FAPESP, based in the state of S-o Paulo, announced an investment estimated in US$ 680 million to support 17 Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers for a period of up to eleven years, subject to continuation reviews on years 2, 4 and 7. [More]

Nearly 35% of Mexican young adults may have genetic predisposition for obesity, says U of I scientist

As many as 35 percent of Mexican young adults may have a genetic predisposition for obesity, said a University of Illinois scientist who conducted a study at the Universidad Aut-noma de San Luis Potosί. [More]
Overweight, obese patients more likely to repeatedly switch primary care doctors, study finds

Overweight, obese patients more likely to repeatedly switch primary care doctors, study finds

Overweight and obese patients are significantly more likely than their normal-weight counterparts to repeatedly switch primary care doctors, a practice that disrupts continuity of care and leads to more emergency room visits, new Johns Hopkins research suggests. [More]

Asthma is a potential risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have identified a potential new risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea: asthma. [More]

Research: Frequency of candy consumption is not associated with adverse health risks

At a time when the spotlight is focused on obesity more than ever, new research suggests that frequency of candy consumption is not associated with weight or certain adverse health risks. [More]