Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Statins should not be considered as a stand-alone wonder-drug in the fight against heart disease

Dr John Reid, the Health Secretary for the United Kingdom (UK), announced the reclassification of statins as ‘over the counter’ products in the UK, to be available to members of the public directly from pharmacists without the need for a prescription.

17 May 2004

Pharmaceutical agreement involving novel obesity compound

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Solvay Pharmaceuticals today announced that the companies have entered into a worldwide agreement for the Solvay compound SLV319, which is currently in Phase I development with potential for use in treating obesity and other metabolic disorders.

17 May 2004

Study to find the best diet to reduce heart disease and diabetes

The Medical Research Council has announced the launch of a landmark study to identify the best dietary strategies to reduce heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

15 May 2004

Faster growing babies are at greater risk of heart disease and stroke

Medical Research Council (MRC) and Institute of Child Health scientists say that babies who grow fast are at greater risk of heart disease and stroke in later life. Because breast-fed babies grow less rapidly than those fed formula milk, the work strongly reinforces the message that breast feeding is best.

14 May 2004

People with pre-diabetes can make changes to prevent serious illness

The Department of Health recently launched a new awareness outreach campaign about pre-diabetes, a condition that raises a person's risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

14 May 2004

Twice as many overweight children and almost three times as many overweight adolescents as there were in 1980's

The number of people who are overweight or obese is increasing at an alarming rate in the United States. There are nearly twice as many overweight children and almost three times as many overweight adolescents as there were in 1980.

14 May 2004

Mechanism that prevents kidney damage in the early stages of diabetes associated with obesity

Northwestern University researchers has identified what they believe is a built-in biological mechanism that prevents kidney damage in the early stages of diabetes associated with obesity.

14 May 2004

1 in every 10 children worldwide is obese

In a comprehensive dossier revealing how the global obesity epidemic is affecting children, the International ObesityTaskForce says that one in 10 children is overweight, a total of 155 million. Around 30-45 million within that figure are classified as obese - accounting for 2-3% of the world’s children aged 5-17. A further 22 million younger children are also affected according to previous IOTF global estimates based on WHO data for under fives.

13 May 2004

Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in women

What women don’t know about heart disease can have life-threatening consequences. Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in women. The May issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource tracks trends in women’s heart disease.

12 May 2004

Obesity epidemic and its impact on prostate cancer

Recent federal reports have identified obesity as epidemic in the United States, and that that greater body mass index can be associated with a number of debilitating health conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes.

12 May 2004

Cardiovascular disease in parents is a major predictor of offspring having a heart attack or stroke

A study published in the May 12 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association provides the strongest evidence yet that cardiovascular disease in parents -- particularly at an early age -- is a major predictor of their children having a heart attack or stroke in middle age.

12 May 2004

Landmark study to identify the best dietary strategies to reduce heart disease and Type 2 diabetes

The University of Reading is participating in a landmark study to identify the best dietary strategies to reduce heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

12 May 2004

Ingenium's acquisition of US patents may lead to drug discovery and development

Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG has acquired outright US patents no. 5,994,075 and no. 6,015,670 from Incyte Corporation, the company announced today.

12 May 2004

New patent has potential for the treatment of obesity

Two researchers have announced receipt of a patent on the use of MSH analogs--chemicals that regulate fat storage and metabolism in the body.

11 May 2004

Strategy to treat obesity through molecular liposuction

Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have designed a strategy to treat obesity through “molecular liposuction.” The therapy destroys blood vessels supporting fat accumulation — causing the fat to rapidly break down and disappear.

10 May 2004