Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Cooler hands may improve results of work out: Study

Researcher Stacy Sims, a research scientist and exercise physiologist at Stanford University School of Medicine presented her findings Tuesday at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism scientific sessions in San Diego. “If you think about adipose [fat] tissue, it's a great insulator,” Sims said. For people who are obese, that means they often get too hot while exercising. “It would be like Lance Armstrong wearing a wet suit for the entire Tour de France,” she said. “We're trying to address those barriers.”

14 Mar 2012

FDA panel favors continued research on novel pain medicine

A panel of experts for the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) this Monday recommended that the federal government should allow continued testing of an experimental class of pain drugs for arthritis, despite links to bone decay and joint failure.

13 Mar 2012

Too much red meat in diet can shorten lifespan: Study

According to Harvard researchers, publishing this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the risk of dying at an early age - from heart disease, cancer, or any other cause, rises in step with red-meat consumption. Eating too much red meat, which is high in saturated fat and cholesterol, has long been seen as unhealthy, especially for the heart. The new study, however, is the first to estimate the effect of red meat in diet on a person's lifespan.

13 Mar 2012

Lifestyle intervention may reduce weight and blood pressure in high-risk obese patients

A program that helps obese patients improve healthy behaviors is associated with modest weight loss and improved blood pressure control in a high-risk, low-income group, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Duke University, Harvard University and other institutions.

13 Mar 2012

Insulin and nutrition keep blood stem cells from differentiating into mature blood cells

UCLA stem cell researchers have shown that insulin and nutrition keep blood stem cells from differentiating into mature blood cells in Drosophila, the common fruit fly, a finding that has implications for studying inflammatory response and blood development in response to dietary changes in humans.

12 Mar 2012

InflammaGen to initiate Phase 2 study of new drug/delivery platform for shock

A 200-patient Phase 2 clinical pilot study will be initiated this month to test the efficacy and safety of a new use, and method of administering, an enzyme inhibitor for critically ill patients developed by University of California, San Diego Bioengineering Professor Geert Schmid-Sch-nbein. Conditions expected to qualify for the study include new-onset sepsis and septic shock, post-operative complications, and new-onset gastrointestinal bleeding.

12 Mar 2012

Johns Hopkins epidemiologist named Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine

Frederick L. Brancati, M.D., M.H.S., professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of Hopkins' division of general internal medicine, was named Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine by the Johns Hopkins University Board of Trustees.

12 Mar 2012

Root cause of dental phobia

Women in their forties are more likely to have dental anxiety than any other age group according to a University of Sydney study into dental anxiety and phobia.

11 Mar 2012

Obesity, medical distrust contribute to high rates of prostate cancer in Louisiana

Factors such as increased risk for African-Americans, obesity and medical distrust contribute to high rates of prostate cancer in Louisiana. Louisiana has the fourth highest prostate cancer death rate in the country and the sixth highest incidence rate, according to data from North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

9 Mar 2012

DC has highest prostate cancer incidence and death rate

Increased risk for African-Americans, medical distrust and negative attitudes toward testing contribute to high rates of prostate cancer in the District of Columbia. DC has the highest prostate cancer incidence rate and death rate in the country, according to data from North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

9 Mar 2012

Maternal obesity may contribute to cognitive impairment in extremely premature babies

Maternal obesity may contribute to cognitive impairment in extremely premature babies, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

9 Mar 2012

Unigene fourth quarter net income increases to $4.4 million

Unigene Laboratories, Inc., today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full-year ended December 31, 2011.

9 Mar 2012

Body dysmorphic disorder - “Manorexia”, among weight lifters: Study

More than 10 per cent of weightlifters, in a study conducted by Southern Cross University in northern NSW, believe that they are too small, and may suffer from a psychological disorder known as muscle dysmorphia. Tthe psychological condition has been nicknamed as “reverse anorexia” or “manorexia.” and is usually characterized by sufferers being determined to become more muscular, despite some exhibiting more muscles than the average person.

8 Mar 2012

Metformin drug appears to prevent growth of atherosclerosis in patients with HIV

Treatment with the common diabetes drug metformin appears to prevent progression of coronary atherosclerosis in patients infected with HIV.

8 Mar 2012

Study suggests how and why high fat diets are linked to colon cancer

Epidemiologists have long warned that, in addition to causing obesity, eating too much fat and sugar puts a person at greater risk for colon cancer. Now, researchers at Temple University have established a link that may explain why.

8 Mar 2012

New minimally invasive procedure can treat resistant hypertension

A radically different approach to treating high blood pressure - using a minimally invasive procedure- is being evaluated as part of a Pivotal Phase III 90-site national trial that includes The Carl H. and Edyth Lindner Center for Research and Education at The Christ Hospital.

8 Mar 2012

Roundup: Calif. county mum on probe of Medicaid managed care firm; Suit alleges substandard care for Ariz. prisoners

A Ventura County commission is trying to keep secret the details of a state-ordered investigation into the management and claims procedures of a healthcare plan designed to serve the county's neediest residents. Complaints about alleged late payments and poor management prompted the Department of Health Care Services to request that auditors step in and examine the plan's financial condition and claims practices. Gold Coast Health Plan was launched last year to switch an estimated 110,000 Ventura County Medi-Cal beneficiaries into an HMO-style healthcare plan.

8 Mar 2012

Ordinary fat cells can be reengineered to burn calories

In the war against obesity, one's own fat cells may seem an unlikely ally, but new research from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) suggests ordinary fat cells can be reengineered to burn calories.

8 Mar 2012

Researchers identify key molecular player in mouse model of kidney disease

In findings that may lead to clinical trials of a promising new drug for kidney disease, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and their colleagues have identified a key molecular player and shown how a targeted experimental drug can reverse kidney damage in mouse models of diabetes, high blood pressure, genetic kidney disease, and other kidney injuries.

8 Mar 2012

Simple recommendations help reduce environmental exposures for women

Remove your shoes at the door of your home to avoid tracking in pollutants. Decrease consumption of processed and canned foods. Avoid the use of plastics with recycling codes #3, #4 and #7. Don't use chemical tick and flea collars or dips for pets. Reproductive health care providers should share these tips and more scientific information with women who want to become pregnant or who are pregnant, but that does not always happen.

7 Mar 2012