Childhood Obesity News and Research

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Bariatric surgery can improve obesity-related health problems in children, adolescents

Bariatric surgery--as a last resort when conservative interventions have failed--can improve liver disease and other obesity-related health problems in severely obese children and adolescents, according to a position paper in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, official journal of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

21 Jan 2015

Study suggests link between neonatal ghrelin and obesity risk

Our subconscious motivation to eat is powerfully and dynamically regulated by hormone signals. The gut-derived hormone ghrelin is one such key regulator, promoting appetite through its effects on neurons in a small region of the brain called the hypothalamus.

21 Jan 2015

Researchers to explore physical, psychological effects of ultra-endurance running

In the upcoming Race Across USA, ultra-endurance athletes will run a marathon a day as they cover 3,080 miles from California to Maryland.

8 Jan 2015

BCBSAZ's cooking contest aims at motivating Arizona kids to improve daily food choices

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is launching its 2015 kids cooking contest aimed at motivating Arizona kids to incorporate healthy options into their daily food choices. For the fifth consecutive year, the company is looking for great-tasting, kid-inspired side dishes for the Walk On! Kids Cooking Challenge.

2 Jan 2015

Researchers explore lifespan variability between races

Eliminating health disparities between races is a goal of many groups and organizations, but a team of sociologists suggests that finding the reasons for the differences in the timing of black and white deaths may be trickier than once thought.

17 Dec 2014

Sleep-related breathing problems, lack of sleep may increase risk of childhood obesity

Sleep-related breathing problems and chronic lack of sleep may each double the risk of a child becoming obese by age 15, according to new research from Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. The good news is that both sleep problems can be corrected.

11 Dec 2014

McMaster University researchers identify hormone that contributes to obesity, diabetes

Researchers from McMaster University have identified an important hormone that is elevated in obese people and contributes to obesity and diabetes by inhibiting brown fat activity.

8 Dec 2014

Researchers discuss effects of mother-infant bedsharing

Recommendations by physician groups to avoid bedsharing among mothers and their babies are intended to reduce sleep-related infant deaths. But evidence suggests that the risks of bedsharing have been over-emphasized, advice never to bedshare is unrealistic, and avoiding bedsharing may interfere with breastfeeding, according to an article in Breastfeeding Medicine, the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

8 Dec 2014

Two researchers receive Naomi Berrie Award for Outstanding Research in Diabetes

Columbia University Medical Center has presented Andrew Hattersley, DM, and Mark McCarthy, MD, with the 16th Naomi Berrie Award for Outstanding Research in Diabetes, for their work on the genetics of the disease. Their research has contributed to the discovery of new forms of the disease, improvements in diagnostic methodology, and the development of more effective treatments.

25 Nov 2014

Children with NAFLD at substantial risk for high blood pressure

High blood pressure and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are two emerging health problems related to the epidemic of childhood obesity. In a recent study, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine sought to determine the prevalence of high blood pressure in children with NAFLD, which places them at risk for premature cardiovascular disease.

24 Nov 2014

Exposure to antibiotics during pregnancy increases obesity risk in children

A study just released by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health found that children who were exposed to antibiotics in the second or third trimester of pregnancy had a higher risk of childhood obesity at age 7. The research also showed that for mothers who delivered their babies by a Caesarean section, whether elective or non-elective, there was a higher risk for obesity in their offspring.

19 Nov 2014

Exposure to tobacco smoke, roadway air pollution can contribute to obesity

New research from Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) bolsters evidence that exposure to tobacco smoke and near-roadway air pollution contributes to the development of obesity.

14 Nov 2014

Prevalence of obesity in Swedish children is stable, but socioeconomic differences on rise

The prevalence of obesity and overweight in children in the region Västra Götaland in Sweden are stable, but there are signs that socioeconomic differences are increasing. These are the conclusions of a thesis presented at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, which has examined approximately 3,000 children aged 7-9 years in western Sweden.

11 Nov 2014

Study measures effects of high-fat maternal diet on the cognitive functioning of offspring

New research suggests that a high-fat maternal diet during pregnancy and while breastfeeding could have significant and lasting detrimental effects on the brain function and behavior of children.

5 Nov 2014

Efforts to roll back school nutritional standards could jeopardize gains made against childhood obesity

Efforts to roll back current nutritional standards for the National School Lunch Program could jeopardize gains made in the fight against childhood obesity, write the authors of an article that will appear in the November 13 New England Journal of Medicine and has been released online.

30 Oct 2014

Use of electronic health care services to improve cardiovascular health in China

The use of electronic health care services (versus more traditional methods) to reduce the high incidence of heart disease in China will be debated by leading cardiologists from around the world in Beijing, from 16 to 19 October 2014.

16 Oct 2014

Childhood obesity rates still high in Ireland and may begin to fall, say researchers

Childhood overweight and obesity rates have plateaued in primary school aged children in the Republic of Ireland, reveals research published today in the open access journal BMC Public Health. The study found that although obesity rates remain high, there is evidence that they have stabilised and may be beginning to fall.

14 Oct 2014

Antibiotic exposure in infancy linked to childhood obesity

Repeated exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics in the first two years of life is associated with early childhood obesity, say researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in a retrospective study based on data from electronic health records from the extensive CHOP Care Network.

30 Sep 2014

Researchers examine which condition comes first - childhood obesity or asthma?

For years, doctors have known that there is a link between childhood obesity and asthma, but have found it difficult to determine which condition tends to come first, or whether one causes the other.

4 Sep 2014

Tax on sugar-sweetened beverages may reduce obesity in adolescents, say researchers

Childhood obesity in the United States remains high. A tax on sugar-sweetened beverages such as sodas, energy drinks, sweet teas, and sports drinks would reduce obesity in adolescents more than other policies, such as exercise or an advertising ban, and would also generate significant revenue for additional obesity prevention activities, say researchers writing in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

29 Aug 2014