Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Findings could help develop targeted exercise for obese women with Type 2 diabetes

More than one-third of Americans are obese, and these individuals often experience accompanying health issues, such as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems. In response to the so-called "obesity epidemic," many medical professionals have suggested ways to improve the health outcomes of obese individuals through diet and exercise.

25 Jan 2013

Viewpoints: GOP's hope to end deficits in 10 years will mean 'dramatic cuts' in entitlements; Mass. health overhaul brings need for more taxes

Ryan has a daunting new assignment that may make that message even more difficult to sell. He's been charged by House Speaker John A. Boehner with drawing up a new budget that will erase the federal deficit within 10 years (the first Ryan budget, written in 2011, needed 30 years) solely through spending cuts

25 Jan 2013

Reuters reports on obesity talks at World Economic Forum

Reuters reports on discussions taking place at the World Economic Forum (WEF), taking place in Davos, Switzerland, this week, writing, "Obesity, a major factor in diabetes and heart disease, imposes costs on both public and private sectors and is a drag on economic growth, but business leaders meeting in Davos can't agree on what they can or should do to address it."

25 Jan 2013

Mice exposed to BPA exhibit spontaneous activity, have leaner body mass

Female mice exposed to Bisphenol A through their mother's diet during gestation and lactation were found to be hyperactive, exhibit spontaneous activity and had leaner body mass than those not exposed to the chemical, researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health have discovered.

25 Jan 2013

Early-life exposure to TBT chemical can cause obesity

Exposing pregnant mice to low doses of the chemical tributyltin (TBT) - which was used in marine antifouling paints and is used as an antifungal agent in some paints, certain plastics and a variety of consumer products - can lead to obesity for multiple generations without subsequent exposure, a UC Irvine study has found.

25 Jan 2013

Bioethics leader proposes bold and controversial approach to fight obesity epidemic

Arguing that obesity "may be the most difficult and elusive public health problem the United States has ever encountered" and that anti-obesity efforts having made little discernible difference, Daniel Callahan, co-founder and President Emeritus of The Hastings Center, proposes a bold and controversial approach to fighting the epidemic.

24 Jan 2013

Social isolation increases risk of addiction to amphetamine and alcohol

Rats that are socially isolated during a critical period of adolescence are more vulnerable to addiction to amphetamine and alcohol, found researchers at The University of Texas at Austin. Amphetamine addiction is also harder to extinguish in the socially isolated rats.

24 Jan 2013

Sen. Harkin prepares sweeping public health legislation to combat obesity

Senate HELP Committee Chairman Sen. Tom Harkin is -- for the sixth time -- introducing legislation to combat obesity in children and adults across America using a host of new programs.

24 Jan 2013

NIH panel recommends name change for polycystic ovary syndrome

An independent panel convened by the National Institutes of Health has concluded that the name of a common hormone disorder in women, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), causes confusion and is a barrier to research progress and effective patient care. The current name focuses on a criterion - ovarian cysts - which is neither necessary nor sufficient to diagnose the syndrome.

24 Jan 2013

Salk Institute to establish Helmsley Center for Genomic Medicine

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies has received a $42 million gift-the largest in the Institute's history-to establish the Helmsley Center for Genomic Medicine (HCGM), a research center dedicated to decoding the common genetic factors underlying many complex chronic human diseases.

23 Jan 2013

Viewpoints: A 'gift' to Amgen; Obama omits talk of grand bargain; Defending physician pay

For a disheartening example of how intense lobbying and financial contributions can distort the legislative process in Washington, consider what happened to the "fiscal cliff" bill approved three weeks ago by Congress.

23 Jan 2013

Researchers pinpoint several inherited mutations in autism

While autism clearly runs in some families, few inherited genetic causes have been found. A major reason is that these causes are so varied that it's hard to find enough people with a given mutation to establish a clear pattern. Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital have pinpointed several inherited mutations—among the first to be identified—through an unusual approach: using whole-exome sequencing to study large Middle Eastern families with autism.

23 Jan 2013

HBR Lab offers free treatment for individuals with both weight and chronic pain

To combat ever-increasing rates of obesity in the U.S. and to reduce suffering from the pain that can occur with increased weight, the Health Behavior Research Lab (HBR) at University of the Sciences is offering free treatment for individuals struggling with both weight and chronic pain.

23 Jan 2013

Studies identify cellular pathways involved in governing day-night pattern of circadian rhythms

UC Irvine-led studies have revealed the cellular mechanism by which circadian rhythms - also known as the body clock - modify energy metabolism and also have identified novel compounds that control this action. The findings point to potential treatments for disorders triggered by circadian rhythm dysfunction, ranging from insomnia and obesity to diabetes and cancer.

23 Jan 2013

ParseCNV software can detect disease-causing copy number variations

A novel software tool, developed at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, streamlines the detection of disease-causing genetic changes through more sensitive detection methods and by automatically correcting for variations that reduce the accuracy of results in conventional software.

22 Jan 2013

Physical activity policies: an interview with Dr Nick Cavill

Our bodies were designed to be active. The human body is not meant to spend long periods of time sitting but that’s what our modern lives have led us to do. The result has been the increase in obesity seen across the world, and up to 20 other conditions including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

22 Jan 2013

Study reveals ugly cholesterol is the direct cause of ischaemic heart disease

The risk of ischaemic heart disease - a disease affecting some 150,000 Danes - is three times higher in persons with high levels of the so-called 'ugly' cholesterol. This is the finding of a new study of 73,000 Danes, which is shedding light on a long debate on this topic. The results have just been published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

22 Jan 2013

Obese drivers face greater risk of death than normal weight drivers

The findings prompt the researchers to consider whether car design might need to change to afford greater protection to the considerable proportion of obese people in the population - currently around a third of all US adults.

22 Jan 2013

Extremely obese adolescents benefit from bariatric surgery

This time of year many people make resolutions to live a healthier lifestyle, exercise more, lose weight and eat better. For the adolescents who are extremely obese in this country, diet and exercise alone often are not enough to get their weight down.

22 Jan 2013

Study finds high ADHD diagnosis rates among non-Hispanic children between 2001 and 2010

The rate of children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder rose dramatically between 2001 and 2010 with non-Hispanic white children having the highest diagnosis rates, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics (formerly Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine).

22 Jan 2013