Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

First Edition: December 1, 2011

In today's headlines, Republicans in Congress advance plan to charge wealthy beneficiaries more for Medicare in order to cover the costs of the proposaed payroll tax extension.

1 Dec 2011

Study finds unhealthy food environment in children's hospitals

Given the obesity epidemic among the nation's young, one would hope that children's hospitals would serve as a role model for healthy eating. But hospitals in California fall short, with only 7 percent of entrees classified as "healthy" according to a new study published in Academic Pediatrics.

1 Dec 2011

Medicare to cover obesity counseling without cost sharing

Medicare officials announced Tuesday that this preventive service will cover screening and counseling in primary care providers' offices.

1 Dec 2011

Loyola to study vitamin D deficiency in people of African descent

Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine researchers have received a five-year, $2.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study vitamin D deficiency in people of African descent.

1 Dec 2011

Medicare to pay for obesity counseling sessions

The United States Medicare program for the elderly will cover counseling for obesity. Obesity rates have hit the highest in the past few years and this measure is an attempt to curb the epidemic.

30 Nov 2011

Elevated blood sugar levels linked with increased risk of colorectal cancer

Elevated blood sugar levels are associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer, according to a study led by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

30 Nov 2011

Existing prediction tools could prevent many cases of diabetes

New research from Queen Mary, University of London suggests that many cases of diabetes could be prevented by making use of existing prediction tools.

30 Nov 2011

Four PhD graduates to showcase cutting-edge research in University of Leicester lectures

The University of Leicester has announced its upcoming Doctoral Inaugural Lectures for 2011, which celebrate and showcase four doctoral graduates who are both outstanding academically and able to present their work in a way that is accessible and engaging. The speakers will talk about their doctoral research, with subjects including: personalising asthma prescriptions, understanding growth disorders of bodily organs, building models of human brain function and defining the mechanisms of pollen fertility in plants.

30 Nov 2011

Viewpoints: GOP leaders, Obama share link to mandate; expensive benefits for seniors

I don't want to focus on the differences between Romney and Gingrich. I want to focus on the commonalities. Because these two men have a lot in common with not only each other but also with President Obama. Both Gingrich and Romney, for instance, supported a universal health care plan backed by an individual mandate requiring all Americans of means to purchase health-care insurance - just as Obama does.

30 Nov 2011

Direct link between fish consumption, brain structure and Alzheimer's risk

People who eat baked or broiled fish on a weekly basis may be improving their brain health and reducing their risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

30 Nov 2011

Large disparities exist in obesity and other chronic diseases across racial/ethnic groups

Large disparities exist in obesity and other chronic diseases across racial/ethnic groups in the United States. Are racial differences in diet, exercise, and weight status related to better knowledge about healthy eating and awareness of food-related health risks?

29 Nov 2011

Growth hormone replacement increases bone formation in abdominally obese women

In a new study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), growth hormone replacement for six months was found to increase bone formation in abdominally obese women.

29 Nov 2011

Obese boy’s mother loses custody

An eight year old boy in third grade from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, has been removed from his home after he grew to 218 pounds, weighing nearly as much as four times the usual. The average weight for an eight-year-old boy is 57 pounds - about one quarter of what the Ohio boy weighs.

28 Nov 2011

Henry Schein launches new integrated comprehensive solution to treat sleep apnea

Henry Schein, Inc., the largest provider of health care products and services to office-based practitioners, today announced the launch of its Sleep Complete™ program, a new integrated comprehensive solution that provides all of the information and products necessary for the successful implementation of dental sleep medicine into the dental practice.

28 Nov 2011

Transplantation of new neurons into damaged area of the brain could restore brain functions

Without neurons reacting to the blood leptin level, the brain does not control the feeling of hunger and fullness. This type of genetic defects results in severe obesity in humans and animals.

25 Nov 2011

Peter and Melanie Munk Charitable Foundation donates $18M to UHN cardiac centre

Dr. Robert Bell, President and CEO of University Health Network (UHN), announced today that the Peter and Melanie Munk Charitable Foundation is donating $18 million to the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at UHN. This new gift brings the total investment by Peter and Melanie Munk in UHN to $65 million.

24 Nov 2011

Researchers take a step toward neuronal replacement therapy

A new study has revealed that immature neurons taken from healthy mouse embryos can repair damaged brain circuitry and partially normalize metabolism when transplanted into adult mice that have grown morbidly obese due to a genetic deficiency.

24 Nov 2011

Carefully selected young, healthy neurons can repair brain circuitry

Neuron transplants have repaired brain circuitry and substantially normalized function in mice with a brain disorder, an advance indicating that key areas of the mammalian brain are more reparable than was widely believed.

24 Nov 2011

Harmful BPA found in canned foods

According to a new study canned foods may contain harmful chemical Bisphenol A or BPA. BPA is a common chemical used in plastic products and in the lining of cans. BPA keeps them from corroding, but it may also be creeping into the food.

24 Nov 2011

People eating out of home consume more calories and fat, less micronutrients

Eating out of home means you run a fair chance of ingesting more calories and fat, and less micronutrients like vitamin C, iron and calcium. And people nowadays eat more out of house, also in developing countries. So conclude scientists from the Antwerp Institute of Tropical Medicine, upon reviewing more than seven thousand studies. They report in the journal Obesity Reviews.

24 Nov 2011