Body Mass Index (BMI) News and Research

RSS

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure that relates body weight to height. BMI is sometimes used to measure total body fat and whether a person is a healthy weight. Excess body fat is linked to an increased risk of some diseases including heart disease and some cancers.

Two genetic studies expand list of genes connected to major Western health problems

Two recent genetic studies expand the list of genes involved with body fat and body mass index, and their connection to major Western health problems: heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. One study showed that higher body mass index (BMI) caused harmful effects on the risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and inflammation, while another study found gene signals linked to higher levels of body fat metrics, without showing causality.

5 Mar 2014

Active video gaming increases physical activity and reduces excess weight among obese children

Research published online today by the scientific journal JAMA Pediatrics demonstrates that including active video gaming in a 16-week pediatric obesity intervention program resulted in a clinically significant increase in physical activity and a reduction in excess weight among overweight and obese children. The research will be published in the May issue of the journal.

4 Mar 2014

Babies delivered by C-section may be more likely to become obese

Babies that are delivered by caeserean section are more likely to become overweight or obese as adults, according to researchers from Imperial College, London.

27 Feb 2014

Breast cancer survivors should get regular exercise to enjoy high quality of life

Older women who have overcome breast cancer are likely to struggle with heart disease, osteoporosis and hypertension further on in their lives. Whether these conditions occur or not is influenced by the treatment that patients received to fight cancer, their overall weight and their age.

27 Feb 2014

Sedentary behaviour has unclear link with prostate cancer risk

Sedentary behaviour is not a clearcut risk factor for prostate cancer, analysis of a large population-based cohort indicates.

25 Feb 2014

Experts offer eight ways to help prevent colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer does not always manifest in symptoms, which may include blood in or on the stool, constant stomach pains, and unexplainable weight loss. "Colon cancer is common in both men and women.

25 Feb 2014

Scientists develop new method to quantify risk associated with abdominal obesity

In 2012, Dr. Nir Krakauer, an assistant professor of civil engineering in CCNY's Grove School of Engineering, and his father, Dr. Jesse Krakauer, MD, developed a new method to quantify the risk specifically associated with abdominal obesity.

24 Feb 2014

Study finds association between prices of fruits, vegetables and higher child BMI

High prices for fresh fruits and vegetables are associated with higher Body Mass Index (BMI) in young children in low- and middle-income households, according to American University researchers in the journal Pediatrics.

20 Feb 2014

Youths of same-sex orientation are more likely to engage in behaviors linked with cancer risk

A new study led by City College of New York psychologist Margaret Rosario found that youths of same-sex orientation are more likely to engage in behaviors associated with cancer risk than heterosexuals.

20 Feb 2014

New research reveals link between BMI and amount of bacteria colonizing noses

Do attractive traits tell us anything about a person's reproductive health? New research in the American Journal of Human Biology reveals a link between Body Mass Index (BMI) and the amount of bacteria colonizing noses.

19 Feb 2014

Sleep apnea may contribute to fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) might assume that the fatigue they often feel just comes with the territory of their chronic neurological condition.

17 Feb 2014

‘Healthy living’ programme fails to lower BMI in overweight psychosis patients

A “healthy living” intervention focused on exercise and diet has failed to impact body mass index in overweight people with psychosis when evaluated in the setting of a randomised controlled trial.

14 Feb 2014

Researchers validate new method for calculating physical activity, sedentary behavior in obese people

Researchers at the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health have validated a new method for calculating physical activity, sedentary behavior, and the food energy requirements of Americans. The results suggest that as a nation, we spend more than 15 hours per day sleeping and sitting, and that obese men and women spend less than one minute per day in vigorous activity.

13 Feb 2014

Being overweight may cause changes in brain that is crucial to appetite, emotions and memory

Being overweight appears related to reduced levels of a molecule that reflects brain cell health in the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in memory, learning, and emotions, and likely also involved in appetite control, according to a study performed by researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and other institutions.

12 Feb 2014

$Obese children more likely to sustain complex supracondylar humeral fractures$

Obese children more likely to sustain complex supracondylar humeral fractures

11 Feb 2014

Sleep disturbances highly prevalent among middle-aged women

One in four middle-aged women are dissatisfied with their quality of sleep and 60% wake in the night at least once a week, a Finnish study has found.

10 Feb 2014

$Children diagnosed with obesity more likely to sustain complex fractures$

Children diagnosed with obesity more likely to sustain complex fractures

Pediatric obesity is currently an epidemic, with the prevalence having quadruped over the last 25 years. Children diagnosed with obesity can be at risk for various long-term health issues and may be putting their musculoskeletal system at risk. According to new research in the February issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, obese children who sustain a supracondylar humeral (above the elbow) fracture can be expected to have more complex fractures and experience more postoperative complications than children of a normal weight.