Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Abused children may become obese adults

Severity of abuse in childhood or adolescence is associated with an increased risk for overall and central obesity in adulthood, report researchers.

10 Jul 2012

Obese achieve functional improvements after trauma rehab

Obese patients participating in a rehabilitation program for orthopedic trauma can achieve meaningful functional independence before discharge, US research shows.

10 Jul 2012

Osteoarthritis gene tic markers identified

Scientists have used data from the Arthritis Research UK Osteoarthritis Genetics study to identify five gene loci significantly associated with the development of the disease.

10 Jul 2012

Being overweight may actually benefit some cardiac patients

A high body mass index and large waist circumference are associated with improved outcomes in both men and women with heart failure, research shows.

10 Jul 2012

Laparoscopic appendectomy preferable for obese patients

Obese patients with appendicitis have fewer postoperative complications, a shorter stay in hospital, and shorter operative times when treated with laparoscopic appendectomy rather than open appendectomy, study findings show.

10 Jul 2012

Steroid receptor gene variant impacts metabolic health

A variant in the glucocorticoid receptor gene may be associated with increased body fat and insulin resistance, show study findings.

10 Jul 2012

Obesity linked to colorectal adenoma risk

A meta-analysis has shown that increasing adiposity shows a direct relationship with the development of adenomas in the colon– helping to shed light on the link between obesity and colorectal cancer.

10 Jul 2012

Steroid receptor gene variant impacts metabolic health

A variant in the glucocorticoid receptor gene may be associated with increased body fat and insulin resistance, show study findings.

10 Jul 2012

First Edition: July 10, 2012

Today's headlines include findings of a new Washington Post poll indicating Americans remain divided on the health law. Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, cracks may be emerging in the Republican's repeal effort.

10 Jul 2012

Increasing obesity could cut some couples' fertility in half

As American waistlines continue to expand, research shows that increasing obesity could cut some couples' fertility in half, leading ultimately to a population decline, says one expert in fertility and obesity.

10 Jul 2012

Methylation provides signal of unique mix of leukocytes

When a person is sick, there is a tell-tale sign in their blood: a different mix of the various types of immune cells called leukocytes. A group of scientists at several institutions including Brown University has discovered a way to determine that mix from the DNA in archival or fresh blood samples, potentially providing a practical new technology not only for medical research but also for clinical diagnosis and treatment monitoring of ailments including some cancers.

10 Jul 2012

Measuring creatinine and cystatin C more accurately estimates kidney function

Measuring creatinine and cystatin C - two markers for chronic kidney disease (CKD) - more precisely estimates kidney function than either marker alone, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Results appear in the July 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

10 Jul 2012

Prolonged exposure to high-fat diets reduces quality of sleep in rats

Research to be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB), the foremost society for research into all aspects of eating and drinking behavior, finds that prolonged exposure to a high-fat diet reduces the quality of sleep in rats.

10 Jul 2012

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery induces changes in the gut microbiota

Research to be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB), the foremost society for research into all aspects of eating and drinking behavior, finds that gastric bypass surgery induces changes in the gut microbiota and peptide release that are similar to those seen after treatment with prebiotics.

10 Jul 2012

Overproduction of hepcidin appears to impair maternal-fetal iron transfer

A growing number of studies imply that children born to obese mothers face health problems stemming from the womb.

10 Jul 2012

A person's circle of friends may influence his or her weight

A Loyola study of high school students provides new evidence that a person's circle of friends may influence his or her weight.

10 Jul 2012

Adiponectin reduces depression-like symptoms in mice

A hormone with anti-diabetic properties also reduces depression-like symptoms in mice, researchers from the School of Medicine at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio reported today.

10 Jul 2012

New somatostatin vaccines promote weight loss

New vaccines promote weight loss. A new study, published in BioMed Central's open access journal, Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, assesses the effectiveness of two somatostatin vaccinations, JH17 and JH18, in reducing weight gain and increasing weight loss in mice.

9 Jul 2012

DNA from CF patients with and without chronic infections points to unsuspected mutation

Comparing the DNA from patients at the best and worst extremes of a health condition can reveal genes for resistance and susceptibly. This approach discovered rare variations in the DCTN4 gene among cystic fibrosis patients most prone to early, chronic airway infections.

9 Jul 2012

Targeting double-stranded RNA dependent protein kinase could treat inflammation

Researchers at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered that inflammation could be treated by targeting a molecule called the double-stranded RNA dependent protein kinase (PKR). These findings are published in the July issue of Nature.

9 Jul 2012