Body Mass Index News and Research

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Obesity ups COVID-19 death risk by 48 percent

Now, a new study by researchers from the University of North Carolina (UNC), the World Bank, and Saudi Health Council, shows that obesity increases the risk of dying from COVID-19 by as much as 48 percent, hinting that a vaccine against the virus could be less effective in obese people.

26 Aug 2020

Pasta consumption associated with better diet quality and nutrient intakes

Good news for pasta eaters! New research published in Frontiers in Nutrition this month, analyzing the diets of adults and children who eat pasta, has revealed good news about one of America's favorite foods.

26 Aug 2020

Study reveals a troubling connection between coronavirus and obesity

A review of COVID-19 studies reveals a troubling connection between two health crises: coronavirus and obesity.

26 Aug 2020

Depressed adolescents at greater risk of having a heart attack in mid-life

Depression or anxiety in adolescence is linked with a 20% greater likelihood of having a heart attack mid-life, according to research released today at ESC Congress 2020.1

26 Aug 2020

People with atrial fibrillation are urged to quit smoking

Scientists today urged people with atrial fibrillation - the most common heart rhythm disorder - to kick the habit and cut their stroke risk. The research is presented today at ESC Congress 2020.1

25 Aug 2020

Smartphones could be used to detect Type 2 diabetes

Researchers at UC San Francisco have developed a "digital biomarker" that would use a smartphone's built-in camera to detect Type 2 diabetes - one of the world's top causes of disease and death - potentially providing a low-cost, in-home alternative to blood draws and clinic-based screening tools.

17 Aug 2020

New study finds a connection between traffic noise and obesity

Transport noise is a major problem in Europe, with over 100 million people living in areas where road traffic noise exceeds levels greater than 55dB, the health-based threshold set by the EU.

17 Aug 2020

Number of in-person health care visits not linked to COVID-19 infection in pregnant patients

In the spring of 2020, as Massachusetts experienced a surge in COVID-19 cases in the Boston area, four area hospitals conducted universal testing among all pregnant patients at the time of admission for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

15 Aug 2020

BMI change between young adulthood and midlife linked to risk of early death

A new Boston University School of Public Health study finds that changes in weight between young adulthood and midlife may have important consequences for a person's risk of early death.

14 Aug 2020

Obesity in expectant mothers may hinder the development of babies' brains

Obesity in expectant mothers may hinder the development of the babies' brains as early as the second trimester, a new study finds.

11 Aug 2020

Pupil size predicts death and hospital readmission in patients with heart failure

Pupil size predicts death and hospital readmission in patients with heart failure, according to research published today in ESC Heart Failure, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1

11 Aug 2020

Screening for malnutrition may help identify ACS patients at high risk of adverse outcomes

In a study published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology of more than 5,000 acute coronary syndromes (ACS) patients, 71.8% were considered malnourished by at least one nutrition screening test, and worsening malnutrition status was associated with higher mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), such as another heart attack or stroke.

10 Aug 2020

America’s obesity epidemic threatens effectiveness of any COVID vaccine

For a world crippled by the coronavirus, salvation hinges on a vaccine.

6 Aug 2020

Gout diagnoses increased dramatically from 1990 to 2017, shows new analysis

The prevalence of gout--a form of arthritis characterized by severe pain, redness, and tenderness in joints--increased across the world at an alarming rate from 1990 to 2017, according to an analysis published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

5 Aug 2020

Severe vitamin D deficiency in UK South Asian population can lead to health problems

20 percent of the middle-aged UK South Asian population may have a very severe vitamin D deficiency, a new study in the British Journal of Nutrition reports. Such deficiency can lead to health problems such as osteomalacia (softening of the bones) and other chronic diseases.

4 Aug 2020

Estrogen modestly protective against COVID-19?

Almost from the beginning, scientists have been struck by the disproportionately higher numbers of men and older adults who have developed severe COVID-19 disease compared to younger individuals and women. Prior research has shown that in 37 of the 38 countries from which sex-stratified data was available, males were at a higher risk of death. Also, post-menopausal women are at increased risk of severe COVID-19. However, the biological underpinnings of this have been less visible.

4 Aug 2020

Researchers identify differences in clinical features of non-obese patients with NAFLD

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba identify differences in the clinical features of non-obese patients with non-alcoholic fatter liver disease based on their sex and body mass index.

2 Aug 2020

Study finds increase in comorbidities, mortality risk among hospitalized patients with heart failure

A study recently published in the journal Circulation looks at temporal trends in the burden of comorbidities and associated risk of mortality among patients with heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), in which the left ventricle of the heart is not able to relax enough to fill properly with blood, and HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), in which the left ventricle is not able contract enough to pump out as much blood.

30 Jul 2020

Women who lack social ties have greater odds of being obese, UBC study says

Women who lack social ties have a greater likelihood of being obese, according to new UBC research published today in PLOS One. Men, on the other hand, were less likely to be obese if they lived alone and had a smaller social network.

30 Jul 2020