Body Mass Index News and Research

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Sleep adequately to maintain healthy weight

The genes behind weight gain may work overtime with lack of sleep says the study in this week's issue of the journal Sleep. In the study, neurologist Dr. Nathaniel Watson of the University of Washington Medicine Sleep Center in Seattle looked at the height, weight and sleep habits of 604 pairs of identical twins and 484 fraternal twins with an average age of 37.

3 May 2012

Shorter sleep provides more permissive environment for expression of obesity related genes

Toss out another old wives' tale: Sleeping too much does not make you fat. Quite the opposite, according to a new study examining sleep and body mass index (BMI) in twins, which found that sleeping more than nine hours a night may actually suppress genetic influences on body weight.

2 May 2012

54% doctors support denying treatment to smokers and the obese until they quit or lose weight

Doctors.net.uk, a professional networking site, found that 593 (54%) of the 1,096 doctors who took part in the self-selecting survey answered yes when asked: “Should the NHS be allowed to refuse non-emergency treatments to patients unless they lose weight or stop smoking?” They believe unhealthy behaviour can make procedures less likely to work, and that the service is not obliged to devote scarce resources to them.

30 Apr 2012

Teens with high levels of uric acid at increased risk for high blood pressure

Teens with high levels of uric acid appear to be at increased risk for high blood pressure, according to results of research from scientists at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

30 Apr 2012

Parenthood does not lead to healthier diets

It is often thought that starting a family will lead parents to healthier eating habits, as they try to set a good example for their children. Few studies, however, have evaluated how the addition of children into the home may affect parents' eating habits.

30 Apr 2012

Study: Incidence of fetal growth restriction is lower in obese women

Obesity during pregnancy puts women at higher risk of a multitude of challenges. But, according to a new study presented earlier this month at the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine annual convention, fetal growth restriction, or the poor growth of a baby while in the mother's womb, is not one of them. In fact, study authors from the University of Rochester Medical Center found that the incidence of fetal growth restriction was lower in obese women when compared to non-obese women.

30 Apr 2012

Normal weight drivers more likely to wear seatbelts than obese drivers

Obese drivers are far less likely to wear seatbelts than are drivers of normal weight, a new University at Buffalo study has found, a behavior that puts them at greater risk of severe injury or death during motor vehicle crashes.

30 Apr 2012

Flavonoid rich berries may delay memory decline in older women

Berries are good for you, that's no secret. But can strawberries and blueberries actually keep your brain sharp in old age? A new study by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) finds that a high intake of flavonoid rich berries, such as strawberries and blueberries, over time, can delay memory decline in older women by 2.5 years.

26 Apr 2012

Childhood obesity prevention programs should start very early and involve peers

Kids can be really mean - especially to other kids - and school-yard bullying can have serious immediate and long-term effects. One area of increasing concern in this regard is the possibility that overweight or obese children shoulder the brunt of bullying. With childhood obesity rates reaching unprecedented levels, this may translate into even more negative behavior being experienced by today's kids.

25 Apr 2012

S-equol effective in reducing menopausal hot flashes, muscle and joint pain among U.S. women

A dose of 10 milligrams (mg) daily of S-equol delivered via a newly developed fermented soy germ-based nutritional supplement is as effective as a standard dose of soy isoflavones at reducing hot flash frequency significantly and is even more effective for relieving muscle and joint pain, according to a peer-reviewed study in US postmenopausal women published in the June Journal of Women's Health, available now as a Fast Track article online ahead of print.

25 Apr 2012

Severe fibrosis increases early atherosclerosis risk in patients with chronic HCV-1 infection

Italian researchers report that severe fibrosis increases the early atherosclerosis risk in patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. A second study found that fatty liver disease also increases risk of developing atherosclerosis at an earlier period. Both studies appear in the May issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

25 Apr 2012

Novel community-based weight loss intervention for African American breast cancer survivors

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago's Institute for Health Research and Policy have designed a novel community-based weight loss intervention designed for African American breast cancer survivors.

25 Apr 2012

Ethiopian immigrant women in Israel more likely to develop obesity

A new study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has found that Ethiopian women who immigrated to Israel gained significant amounts of weight, and some became obese, after integrating local foods into their diet and eating fewer traditional dishes.

24 Apr 2012

Frequent family meals can lead to decreased obesity

"Come and get it!" A phrase historically proclaiming that the communal meal is ready, is heard all too infrequently among contemporary American households, especially as children get older.

24 Apr 2012

First study to examine soda's effect on stroke risk

Researchers from Cleveland Clinic's Wellness Institute and Harvard University have found that greater consumption of sugar-sweetened and low-calorie sodas is associated with a higher risk of stroke. Conversely, consumption of caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee was associated with a lower risk.

21 Apr 2012

Study supports previously reported positive links between vitamin D and testosterone

A new study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, released in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology, suggests that maintaining a high level of vitamin D supplementation increases the level of testosterone in men.

20 Apr 2012

Palatin, AstraZeneca initiate second AZD2820 phase I trial in obesity

Palatin Technologies, Inc. today announced that a second phase I clinical trial of AZD2820, a subcutaneously-administered peptide melanocortin receptor partial agonist under development for the treatment of obesity, has commenced.

20 Apr 2012

Excessive gestational weight gain as problematic as pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity

One out of every two women of reproductive age is overweight or obese. Researchers from the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute, from the University of Ottawa (faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences) and from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute set out to discover if overweight or obese women are in fact more likely to give birth to above average weight babies, as reported in the Journal of Maternal Fetal and Neonatal Medicine.

18 Apr 2012

Inadequate sleep can increase risk of obesity

Can lack of sleep make you fat? A new paper which reviews the evidence from sleep restriction studies reveals that inadequate sleep is linked to obesity. The research, published in a special issue of the The American Journal of Human Biology, explores how lack of sleep can impact appetite regulation, impair glucose metabolism and increase blood pressure.

17 Apr 2012

New findings on out-of-hand nut consumption and health

In a study published in Nutrition Research, researchers looked at the association of out-of-hand nut (OOHN) consumption with nutrient intake, diet quality and the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome in both children and adults.

16 Apr 2012