Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Lack of exercise, television viewing associated with risk of metabolic syndrome

A team of scientists at Umeå University, in collaboration with colleagues in Melbourne, Australia, have found that television viewing and lack of exercise at age 16 is associated with the risk of developing metabolic syndrome at 43 years age.

30 Jan 2013

Timing of meals predicts weight-loss effectiveness

Most weight-loss plans center around a balance between caloric intake and energy expenditure. However, new research has shed light on a new factor that is necessary to shed pounds: timing. Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), in collaboration with the University of Murcia and Tufts University, have found that it's not simply what you eat, but also when you eat, that may help with weight-loss regulation.

30 Jan 2013

Report calls for greater emphasis on preventive care

A report issued by the Trust for America's Health is urging a revamp of state and local public health efforts to better integrate and focus prevention strategies.

30 Jan 2013

Study sheds light on why enticing pictures of food affect us less when we are full

New research from the University of British Columbia is shedding light on why enticing pictures of food affect us less when we're full.

29 Jan 2013

Dual-hormone artificial pancreas shows promise against type 1 diabetes

IRCM researchers, led by endocrinologist Dr. R-mi Rabasa-Lhoret, were the first to conduct a trial comparing a dual-hormone artificial pancreas with conventional diabetes treatment using an insulin pump and showed improved glucose levels and lower risks of hypoglycemia.

29 Jan 2013

New research on flavonoids and nutritional health in older adults from JONGG

Routledge Journals is pleased to announce a Special Issue from the Journal of Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics focusing on the impact of flavonoids on the nutritional health of older adults.

27 Jan 2013

Botox relieves plantar fasciitis pain

Botulinum toxin A may be more effective than steroids for the treatment of plantar fasciitis, research suggests.

25 Jan 2013

Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center performs DBS surgery on Alzheimer's patient

During a five-hour surgery last October at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Kathy Sanford became the first Alzheimer's patient in the United States to have a pacemaker implanted in her brain.

25 Jan 2013

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