Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Largest cardiology conference in Latin America

Against a background of high mortality rates from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Brazil, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) is to deliver an educational programme at the 66th Annual Congress of the Brazilian Society of Cardiology.

13 Sep 2011

Non-communicable disease epidemic a global problem

Later this month the United Nations will convene a high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases. The world's global health news has been so dominated by infectious culprits - HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, influenza - that it's easy to forget just how big a toll conditions like diabetes, cancer and heart and lung disease take say experts.

9 Sep 2011

‘Weight Watchers’ twice as effective in weight loss as standard care: Study

A new study published this Thursday shows that overweight patients told by their doctors to go to Weight Watchers lose around twice as much weight as people receiving standard weight loss care over 12 months.

9 Sep 2011

Rich countries watering down NCD commitments to appease multinational companies

Professor and director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention at Deakin University in Australia, examines how "rich countries, ... particularly the U.S. and European Union but also Australia, Canada and New Zealand, ... are joining forces with tobacco, food, alcohol and pharmaceutical corporations to water down commitments that might flow from" this month's U.N. High-level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in New York.

9 Sep 2011

National Research Council releases new report on role of health impact assessment

The National Research Council released a report, "Improving Health in the United States: The Role of Health Impact Assessment." The publication states that "good health is determined by more than money spent on the healthcare system. In fact, a growing body of research indicates that living conditions-including such factors as housing quality, exposure to pollution, and access to healthy and affordable foods and safe places to exercise-have a greater effect on health."

9 Sep 2011

Weight Watchers more effective alternative to primary care for obese adults

A new, one-year global study published today in The Lancet indicates that overweight and obese adults referred to Weight Watchers, a community based provider of weight-loss services, lost more than twice as much weight when compared with those who received standard care.

9 Sep 2011

HJF selects three promising USU doctoral students to receive 2011-12 fellowships

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. has selected three promising Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) doctoral students to receive fellowships for the 2011-12 academic year.

9 Sep 2011

Curbing unhealthy eating to reduce obesity

The Obesity Policy Coalition suggests a new mobile app called Traffic Light Food Tracker that will enable users to work around the food industry's hesitation in supporting traffic light labeling. Traffic light labeling marks foods high in fat, sugar and salt with red warnings, while green labels are for healthy options. Users only have to key in their food item's fat, sugar and sodium quantities and save each item in their “pantry” within the phone app.

8 Sep 2011

World Cancer Research Fund urges action to stop preventable cancers

According to the WCRF this Wednesday healthier lifestyles and better diets could prevent up to 2.8 million cases of cancer each year. The WCRF called upon governments to “avoid a public health disaster”.

8 Sep 2011

Parental safety concerns may prevent children from getting good exercise

Parental safety concerns may prevent children from getting good exercise, according to a new North Carolina State University study that examined how families use neighborhood parks.

8 Sep 2011

Daily moderate drinking may decrease atherosclerosis

For the first time, new research shows that patterns of alcohol consumption - a drink or two every night, or several cocktails on Friday and Saturday nights only - may be more important in determining alcohol's influence on heart health than the total amount consumed.

8 Sep 2011

Streamlining medical coverage could save costs associated with pediatric obesity

Pediatric obesity ends up costing $3 billion annually in the U.S., but a significant amount of that could be saved by streamlining medical coverage to address health issues affecting young obese patients now rather than waiting to treat conditions they develop as they get older, according UCLA researchers and colleagues.

8 Sep 2011

Social engagement transforms white fat into energy-burning brown fat

When mice are given a more engaging place to live with greater opportunities for social stimulation, some of their energy-storing white fat is transformed to energy-burning brown fat. As a result, the animals expend more energy and lose weight even as they eat more. The findings reported in the September Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, point to the powerful effect that animals' social and physical environments can have on their metabolisms.

8 Sep 2011

Running may trigger the production of new brain cells throughout life, research shows

Researchers have, for the first time, isolated exercise as the key factor in triggering the production of functional new cells in the learning and memory centre of the brain.

7 Sep 2011

Individuals with excess BMI more likely to develop type 2 diabetes

Obesity is a known risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes. But it hasn't been clear whether the "dose" of obesity—how much excess weight a person has, and for how long—affects the risk of diabetes.

7 Sep 2011

Majority of 9/11 World Trade Center attack survivors report increased incidence of GERS

Increased incidence of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms (GERS) reported by a large population of 9/11 World Trade Center attack survivors, most of whom had not reported any GERD-related symptoms prior to 9/11, worsened the health-related quality life for many rescue and recovery workers, lower-Manhattan residents and local workers who were exposed to the dust cloud and other contaminants in the aftermath of 9/11, according to a study published online today online today in The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

7 Sep 2011

Study: Gastric bypass surgery for obesity also decreases blood pressure

The kidneys play an important role in the regulation of blood pressure by adjusting the production of urine after eating or drinking. This process begins already in the upper digestive tract, which could explain why gastric bypass surgery for obesity also markedly reduce blood pressure, reveals a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg.

7 Sep 2011

New Vital Signs report finds decline in cigarette smoking among American adults

Fewer American adults are smoking cigarettes, according to a new Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also, daily smokers are smoking fewer cigarettes each day, it says.

7 Sep 2011

Researchers investigate special diets that could help youngsters keep the weight off

A shocking 17 per cent of boys and 15 per cent of girls aged two to 15 years are obese in the UK, putting them at risk of serious, long-term health problems. Now a team of Aberdeen researchers are investigating special diets which could help youngsters keep the weight off, thanks to a grant from children's charity Action Medical Research.

7 Sep 2011

Duodenal switch may lead to more weight loss but more complications: Study

A less usual and common type of obesity surgery may spur more weight loss than its far more popular cousin, gastric bypass - but at the price of greater long-term risks, researchers reported.

6 Sep 2011