Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Dieters experience drops in basal metabolic rate, in spite of daily exercise

The International Association for the Study of Obesity has bad news for dieters: as reported in the New York Times, the commonly held belief that exercise is a magic metabolism booster may be largely unfounded. A new study finds that people who lost weight experienced drops in basal metabolic rate (BMR), in spite of daily exercise.

8 Aug 2012

Leptin polymorphism combinations influence BMI in Chinese

The presence of genetic variants in both the leptin gene and the gene for its receptor may predispose Chinese individuals to obesity, report researchers.

7 Aug 2012

Gut microbiota drive metabolic changes in pregnancy

Changes in gut microbiota during pregnancy result in unfavorable metabolic changes that are actually beneficial to a pregnant woman and her developing baby, shows research published in Cell.

7 Aug 2012

Orexigen Therapeutics reports net loss of $16.7 million for second quarter 2012

Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of obesity, today announced financial results for the second quarter of 2012.

7 Aug 2012

Study examines life expectancy by race, sex and education

Despite advances in health care and increases in life expectancy overall, Americans with less than a high school education have life expectancies similar to adults in the 1950s and 1960s.

7 Aug 2012

Childhood obesity on the rise in China

Childhood obesity is on the rise in China, and children and parents there tend to underestimate body weight, according to Penn State health policy researchers.

7 Aug 2012

Obesity in mothers affects growth of children

Pregnant women who are overweight or obese can encounter a host of health complications. The added weight also appears to affect how their children grow and develop, at least initially.

7 Aug 2012

Risk score flyers raise diabetes awareness in China

Distributing a simple Diabetes Risk Score is a cheap and effective way to raise awareness of the condition among the Chinese population, report researchers.

6 Aug 2012

Cardiovascular risk present across chronic rheumatic diseases

Patients across the spectrum of rheumatic diseases, not just those with rheumatoid arthritis, have a significantly increased prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors compared with the general population, the results of a Dutch study indicate.

6 Aug 2012

Adiposity linked to cognitive decline in elderly

High levels of adiposity increase rates of cognitive decline in the “young elderly” aged between 60 and 70 years, report Korean researchers.

6 Aug 2012

Study focuses on factors related to obesity in nurses with adverse work schedules

For nurses who work long hours or other "adverse work schedules," the risk of obesity is related to lack of opportunity for exercise and sleep, suggests a study in the August issue of Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

6 Aug 2012

'Fight' between bacteria in the intestines linked to chronic disease

Results from a study conducted at Georgia State University suggest that a "fight" between bacteria normally living in the intestines and the immune system, kicked off by another type of bacteria, may be linked to two types of chronic disease.

3 Aug 2012

Mechanism provides beneficial characteristics of energy-burning brown fat to white fat

Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have identified a mechanism that can give energy-storing white fat some of the beneficial characteristics of energy-burning brown fat. The findings, based on studies of mice and of human fat tissue, could lead to new strategies for treating obesity and type 2 diabetes.

3 Aug 2012

Longer looks: Mississippi learns from Iran's health care system

Sabrina Seeling seemed too young to die. ... One night she stayed up all night translating a Latin text into English for a college paper. ... During the all-nighter, Ms. Seelig took Ephedra, a stimulant diet drug that had been banned by the Food and Drug Administration three years earlier, and had a few beers. ... When she felt sick, she called Poison Control for help, and spoke very clearly, a recording of the call shows.

3 Aug 2012

Foods high in sugar and fat could have addictive properties

Overweight and obese individuals can achieve a decade's worth of important health benefits by losing just 20 pounds, even if they regain the weight later that decade, according to research presented at the American Psychological Association's 120th Annual Convention. With a focus on psychology's role in overcoming the national obesity epidemic, the session also examined research that indicates foods high in sugar and fat could have addictive properties.

3 Aug 2012

Fatty acid synthase provides new target for treatment of obesity and diabetes

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a potential target for treating diabetes and obesity.

3 Aug 2012

Weill Cornell Medical College receives NCATS grant to fund Clinical and Translational Science Center

Weill Cornell Medical College has received $49.6 million from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to fund its Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC).

3 Aug 2012

Study analyzes drop-out rates and predictors of attrition within adult weight management program

More than 1.7 billion people worldwide may be classified as overweight and need appropriate medical or surgical treatment with the goal of sustainable weight loss. But for weight management programs to be effective, patients must complete them, states a study published in the Canadian Journal of Surgery (CJS) that analyzed drop-out rates and predictors of attrition within a publicly-funded adult weight management program.

2 Aug 2012

IHME study identifies discrepancies between national surveys that track obesity

Despite the increasing awareness of the problem of obesity in the United States, most Americans don't know whether they are gaining or losing weight, according to new research from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

2 Aug 2012

Greenwich Hospital to educate women about breastfeeding during first week of August

At Greenwich Hospital, as throughout the world, the first week of August is recognized as World Breastfeeding Week to educate people about the health benefits of breastfeeding for both baby and mother. Promoted at the global level by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, the spotlight is part of an effort to reduce world hunger and illness.

2 Aug 2012