Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Life spans of American women not increasing proportionate to that of men: Report

Life spans of the women in the USA are improving at a slower pace than men's and are shorter in many U.S. counties than they were 20 years ago, according to a report released last Thursday.

23 Apr 2012

Medgenics seeks FDA Orphan Drug Designation for INFRADURE to treat hepatitis D

Medgenics, Inc., the developer of a novel technology for the sustained production and delivery of therapeutic proteins in patients using their own tissue, today announced that it has filed for Orphan Drug Designation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for INFRADURE for the treatment of hepatitis D.

23 Apr 2012

Eating rice helps improve diet and manage weight

Eating white or brown rice helps improve diet and manage weight and other risk factors for disease, according to results from a study presented today at the Experimental Biology 2012 conference, in San Diego, CA.

23 Apr 2012

Herpes zoster vaccine safe and well tolerated: Study

The herpes zoster vaccine, also known as the shingles vaccine, is generally safe and well tolerated according to a Vaccine Safety Datalink study of 193,083 adults published online in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

23 Apr 2012

Soy protein may reduce fat accumulation, triglycerides in the livers of obese persons

University of Illinois scientists report that soy protein may significantly reduce fat accumulation and triglycerides in the livers of obese persons. And they've discovered why it happens: soy restores partial function of that organ's key signaling pathway.

23 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Health law's legal peril; Barney Frank's misdiagnosis

Health-care reform, the impossible dream that seemed to become a reality in 2010, is now in mortal danger. Republicans want to repeal it even though the federal law is patterned after a Massachusetts law that their apparent presidential nominee signed in 2006. They can't do that, of course, unless they sweep the next election. So the clear and present danger comes from the Supreme Court, where a majority of justices seemed to snarl at the law in open session last month. Health-care reform is clearly in legal peril.

21 Apr 2012

Alcohol use in Bollywood films directly influences drinking habits of India's adolescents

Alcohol use in Bollywood movies is directly influencing the drinking habits of India's adolescents, according to a new study presented today at the World Congress of Cardiology in Dubai.

21 Apr 2012

IHW study reveals high prevalence of CVD risk factors in India

The Indian Heart Watch (IHW) study has revealed the truth behind the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of key risk factors that are driving the country's growing cardiovascular disease (CVD) epidemic, in a first-of-a-kind presentation of data at the World Congress of Cardiology today.

21 Apr 2012

Liver can directly talk to the brain to control amount of food we eat

Dr Barbara Fam from the University's Molecular Obesity Laboratory group at Austin Health with Associate Professor Sof Andrikopoulos have discovered that the liver can directly talk to the brain to control the amount of food we eat.

21 Apr 2012

Sequana Medical's ALFApump System safe and effective in managing ascites

Sequana Medical announced that initial results from the PIONEER Clinical Study of its ALFApump System were presented today at the 47th annual European Association for Study of the Liver Meeting in Barcelona.

21 Apr 2012

New evidence helps explain additional health benefits of aspirin

New evidence is helping explain additional health benefits of aspirin. Researchers in Canada, Scotland and Australia have discovered that salicylate, the active ingredient in aspirin, directly increases the activity of the protein AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase), a key player in regulating cell growth and metabolism. AMPK which is considered a cellular fuel-gauge is switched on by exercise and the commonly used anti-diabetic medication metformin.

20 Apr 2012

Preconception care before IVF can lead to lifestyle problems and health risks

Ninety-six per cent of women who attended a preconception clinic before undergoing IVF had three or more lifestyle problems and risk factors, according to a study in the May issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

20 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Bishops find fault with GOP budget; Pelosi on court's role in health law

In February, the Catholic Church attempted to impose its opposition to birth control on its employees, upsetting Democrats and the left. This week, the Church is criticizing Republicans, acting in the highest tradition of its social mission by speaking out against spending cuts on programs for the poor.

20 Apr 2012

Researchers identify risks in pregnancy related specifically to obesity

Obese women run the risk of problems during pregnancy, labour and complications for the baby's health. A new study of more than 3000 expectant mothers confirms this, and also reveals that being underweight also has specific complications.

20 Apr 2012

ACS report outlines gaps and opportunities that contribute to cancer mortality

An annual report from the American Cancer Society says much of the suffering and death from cancer could be prevented by more systematic efforts to reduce tobacco use, improve diet and physical activity, reduce obesity, and expand the use of established screening tests. The report, Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Facts and Figures (CPED), outlines gaps and opportunities that contribute to cancer mortality, and says social, economic, and legislative factors profoundly influence individual health behaviors.

20 Apr 2012

NALFD patients with modest alcohol intake are half as likely to develop NASH

People with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NALFD) who consume alcohol in modest amounts - no more than one or two servings per day - are half as likely to develop hepatitis as non-drinkers with the same condition, reports a national team of scientists led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

20 Apr 2012

HDAC9 gene can lead to obesity-induced body fat dysfunction

Cardiac researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have found that a certain cellular pathway is linked to obesity-related disorders, like diabetes, heart disease and fatty liver disease.

20 Apr 2012

Palatin, AstraZeneca initiate second AZD2820 phase I trial in obesity

Palatin Technologies, Inc. today announced that a second phase I clinical trial of AZD2820, a subcutaneously-administered peptide melanocortin receptor partial agonist under development for the treatment of obesity, has commenced.

20 Apr 2012

Optimism could benefit the heart: A review of studies

A Harvard School of Public Health review of more than 200 studies suggests that optimism is good for the heart. The researchers looked at studies that had recorded psychological well-being and cardiovascular health. This revealed that factors such as optimism, life satisfaction, and happiness appeared to be linked associated with a reduced risk of heart and circulatory diseases, regardless of a person's age, socio-economic status, smoking status or body weight. Disease risk was 50% lower among the most optimistic individuals.

19 Apr 2012

Childhood obesity positively associated with HCC in adulthood

Childhood obesity is a widespread global epidemic and in parallel with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is now the leading cause of liver disease among children. New data presented today at the International Liver Congress- 2012 furthers this concern by showing that childhood obesity is positively linked with developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) - the most common form of liver cancer - in adulthood.

19 Apr 2012