Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

FDA advisory committee supports lorcaserin for weight management

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eisai Inc. announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee voted 18 to 4, with one abstention, that the available data demonstrate that the potential benefits of lorcaserin outweigh the potential risks when used long-term in a population of overweight and obese individuals.

11 May 2012

Fighting childhood obesity in America through health nutrition education

A health nutrition education program to fight childhood obesity in America is a possible outcome of a study by a University of Oklahoma researcher and a colleague. The study looked at factors affecting a child's decision when choosing healthy or unhealthy snacks.

11 May 2012

Physically active video games can complement traditional exercise

The majority of consumers believe video games should encourage physical activity and that "physically active" video games can complement traditional exercise, according to a new survey released today by UnitedHealth Group.

11 May 2012

Viewpoints: Can Medicare taxes really fund student loans?; Daschle on diabetes and kids

In the case of the student loans, the Democrats' bill would require certain Americans -- high-income partners in small businesses that provide professional services, such as engineering or lobbying -- to pay payroll taxes on their share of the firm's profits. That's a long way of saying the bill would eliminate a tax-avoidance strategy that some small firms use to reduce their contributions to Social Security and Medicare.

11 May 2012

Researchers discover protein that regulates activation of brown fat

Scientists have identified a protein which regulates the activation of brown fat in both the brain and the body's tissues. Their research, which was conducted in mice, was published today, Friday 11 May, in the journal Cell.

11 May 2012

Eisai, Arena announce expansion of lorcaserin marketing and supply agreement

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eisai Inc. announced today the expansion of the lorcaserin marketing and supply agreement between Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s wholly owned subsidiary, Arena Pharmaceuticals GmbH, and Eisai Inc. Lorcaserin is an investigational drug candidate intended for weight management.

11 May 2012

Longer looks: More 20-30 somethings are taking care of elderly, dissecting solutions to obesity problem

At 30, Suzette Armijo cares for her widowed 86-year-old grandmother, a retired National Park Service ranger in the final stages of Alzheimer's disease, while holding down a fulltime job, a part-time job and raising a 4-year-old son. "This was nothing that I had planned for," says Armijo, who moved her grandmother Elizabeth Armijo into a nearby six-bed assisted living home because veterans' benefits "wouldn't pay for her to live with me."

11 May 2012

Social jetlag can contribute to development of obesity

Urgent appointments, tight work timetables and hectic social schedules structure modern life, and they very often clash with our intrinsic biological rhythms. The discrepancy results in so-called social jetlag, which can damage one's health. Among other effects, it can contribute to the development of obesity, as a new LMU study shows.

11 May 2012

McDonald’s introduces “healthy” fruit drink for kids – but experts say it contains too much sugar

McDonald’s is all set to introduce a ‘healthy’ fizzy drink for children that promises one of their five-a-day portions of fruit and vegetables. However the drink is packed with sugar and calories.

10 May 2012

Obesity report proposes sweeping changes in schools, communities, workplaces

The Institute of Medicine panel recommended five critical areas to focus on to lower obesity: physical activity, food and beverage, marketing, work and schools.

10 May 2012

Arthritis rates set to soar

According to new estimates the number of people with arthritis is set to soar with predictions that 1,500,000 Scots will be living with the condition by 2030.

10 May 2012

Sunovion announces results from LATUDA open-label study for schizophrenia

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced results from an open-label study that switched clinically stable, but symptomatic adult outpatients with schizophrenia from other antipsychotic agents to LATUDA.

10 May 2012

UAB’s First Episode Schizophrenia Clinic rapidly treats patients with new diagnosis

Like the "golden hour" of trauma care that increases the odds of a person's survival, some clinicians are now applying that philosophy to the treatment of schizophrenia, one of the most puzzling mental health disorders.

10 May 2012

Hot sauce ingredient could play a role in future of weight loss

According to research from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), the ingredient that gives hot sauce its heat could play a role in the future of weight loss.

10 May 2012

U.S. spends $190.2 billion annually for adult obesity treatment

John Cawley is a professor of policy analysis and management and of economics at Cornell University. He is also co-director of Cornell's Institute on Health Economics, Health Behaviors and Disparities, and has served on advisory boards and expert panels for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

10 May 2012

Orexigen reports net loss of $10.4 million for first quarter 2012

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

10 May 2012

California school rationing leads to overall less calorie consumption in kids

Researchers have found that California high school students eat less fat and sugar and fewer calories at school than their peers in states that allow the sale of snacks with more of those.

9 May 2012

New study to measure effectiveness of Vitamin B12 in preventing gestational diabetes

New MRC-funded research underway to measure effectiveness of Vitamin B12 supplement in preventing gestational diabetes in mothers and obestity in later life.

9 May 2012

Plans to tackle growing waistlines and the obesity epidemic from the Institute of Medicine

According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), obesity in America is a crisis that threatens national security and it demands urgent action.

9 May 2012

Report notes rise in obesity slowing, but still huge health, cost problem

The obesity rate may rise to 42 percent from about a third of the U.S. population by 2030 if nothing changes, according to a report. Preventing that increase may save about $550 billion in medical costs over the next 20 years, Eric Finkelstein, the study author and an associate research professor at Duke University, said during a press briefing.

9 May 2012