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Anxiety disorders latest worry in high blood pressure

Family doctors and psychiatrists should carefully monitor the heart health of patients with anxiety disorders, Dr. Simon Bacon told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2008, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. "People with anxiety disorders are four times more likely to develop high blood pressure (hypertension) over one year than those of us who are anxiety free," says Dr. Bacon, a Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher at the Montreal Heart Institute. "Hypertension is a leading risk factor for stroke and heart disease."

27 Oct 2008

Experts say more exercise and better diet the key to childhood obesity

With experts saying the life expectancy of Australian children will be shortened by two years if something is not done about the country's obesity epidemic, researchers in Britain are saying the one hour of moderate exercise a day recommended to children from health experts may not be enough to tackle the problem of childhood obesity.

13 Oct 2008

Discovery of genetic link between obesity and colon cancer risk

A new study reveals the first-ever genetic link between obesity and colon cancer risk, a finding that could lead to greater accuracy in testing for the disease, said a researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

30 Sep 2008

Energy drinks tackled on new web show from Institute For Good Medicine

Energy drinks are all the buzz these days, particularly as controversy rises on the impact they have on the human body. As such, the Institute for Good Medicine at the Pennsylvania Medical Society recently launched its first web show titled Good Medicine at www.myfamilywellness.org, featuring this controversial topic.

24 Sep 2008

High salt levels in food banished by seaweed

High salt levels in processed food could be a thing of the past, thanks to new research which has found that a certain type of seaweed can be used as a natural, health boosting alternative that doesn't affect the taste or adversely affect the shelf life of the food.

From Sheffield Hallam University 21 Sep 2008

Impact of school based programs for childhood overweight

Childhood overweight and obesity are serious, large-scale, global, public health concerns and the number of children affected is still increasing every year. As the treatment of overweight and obesity is rarely effective, its prevention has priority today.

1 Sep 2008

British supermarkets guilty of promoting unhealthy foods

British supermarkets have been accused of promoting 'fatty' and unhealthy foods in order to attract customers during the credit squeeze.

1 Sep 2008

Prehypertension in adults aged 18 to 30 common and associated with coronary atherosclerosis

Prehypertension during young adulthood is common and is associated with subsequent coronary atherosclerosis, according to a study published in today's issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.

14 Jul 2008

Many people fail to recognise they are overweight

More and more people are failing to recognise they are overweight, despite an actual rise in the number of people who are clinically "overweight" or "obese", according to research published on bmj.com.

13 Jul 2008

Women who gain excessive weight during pregnancy more likely to have overweight children

Children of mothers who gain more than the recommended amount of weight during pregnancy are more likely to be overweight at age seven, say researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, in a study published today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Children of mothers who are obese prior to pregnancy and gain excessive weight are at the greatest risk for overweight.

9 Jun 2008

Sugar-sweetened beverages may be contributing to increasing obesity rates

A recent study published in Pediatrics and led by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health found that sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are an increasingly large part of children and teens' diets.

2 Jun 2008

Pediatric obesity program effectively improves outcomes for kids

A multidisciplinary pediatric weight management program can improve the weight status of high-risk patients, according to Joseph Skelton, M.D., a pediatric gastroenterologist and Director of the Pediatric Weight Management program (called Brenner FIT) at Brenner Children's Hospital.

15 May 2008

Children eat healthier when all snacks are banned

According to a study from researchers at Cardiff University, one way to encourage children to eat healthily is to ban all unhealthy snacks in schools.

13 May 2008

Doctors call for taxes on junk food and subsidised fruit and veggies

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) is calling for taxes on junk food and sugary drinks and subsidised fruit and vegetables to beat the obesity epidemic.

5 May 2008

Can we improve people's health by changing the way we use our land?

Land to Mouth, a new report from the Rural Economy and Land Use programme (Relu) suggests that by taking a new look at land use we could also produce food that is both healthier and safer.

30 Apr 2008

Healthy habits provide cancer survivors a higher quality of life

A new study from the American Cancer Society finds cancer survivors who follow health behavior recommendations - avoiding tobacco, eating more fruits and vegetables, and getting adequate exercise-have higher health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scores than those who do not follow such recommendations.

29 Apr 2008

Teenage health in Europe

After three years of work, the EU funded research programme HELENA has revealed its initial results. It concludes that amongst European adolescents, approximately 27% of males and 20% of females are either overweight or obese. It also reveals for the first time at European level, food intake and physical activity patterns for adolescents.

23 Apr 2008

Obesity, inactivity as common among cancer survivors as rest of Canadians

New research supported by the Canadian Cancer Society shows that many cancer survivors in Canada are overweight and inactive, which could put them at risk for health problems, including their cancer returning.

21 Apr 2008

DASH diet also may cut risk for heart disease, stroke

Women who eat diets similar to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet -which is low in animal protein, moderate in low-fat dairy products and high in plant proteins, fruits and vegetables - appear to have a lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, according to a report in the April 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

15 Apr 2008

Too much fibre and too little fat not appropriate for toddlers

After a number of years of encouraging people to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables, surprising research from the UK is now warning that too much fibre and too little fat for toddlers is not healthy.

15 Apr 2008