Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Hormone ghrelin mediates stress-induced food-reward behavior

Many people when stressed turn to high calorie "comfort foods". Despite the contribution this behavior makes to the current obesity epidemic, little is known about the molecules and nervous system circuits that control it. Insight into this could provide new targets for the development of therapeutics to curb this potentially detrimental behavior.

24 Jun 2011

New IUPUI facility to focus on urban health issues

A new center at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis has a tall order to fill - improving the quality of life for billions of people.

24 Jun 2011

Endo's complete response for new formulation of OPANA ER NDA accepted by the FDA

Endo Pharmaceuticals announced today that it received notification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that Endo's complete response to the FDA's Jan. 7, 2011 Action Letter relating to Endo's new drug application (NDA) for a new formulation of OPANA ER has been accepted.

24 Jun 2011

Hunger hormone likely to cause stress-linked complex eating behaviors

We are one step closer to deciphering why some stressed people indulge in chocolate, mashed potatoes, ice cream and other high-calorie, high-fat comfort foods. UT Southwestern Medical Center-led findings, in a mouse study, suggest that ghrelin - the so-called "hunger hormone" - is involved in triggering this reaction to high stress situations.

24 Jun 2011

New report offers policy recommendations to combat early childhood obesity

A new national report offers policy recommendations to curb the high rates of obesity among America's youngest children.

24 Jun 2011

Reductions in obesity-related medical costs offset cost of gastric banding surgery within 2.25 years

Allergan, Inc. today announced a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases that found the cost of a gastric banding weight-loss surgery procedure, such as Allergan's LAP-BAND Adjustable Gastric Banding System, was offset by reductions in obesity-related medical costs within 2.25 years for surgery eligible patients with diabetes, and within four years of the procedure for all surgery eligible patients.

23 Jun 2011

Fat substituted snack foods may contribute to weight gain

Fat substitutes used in popular snack foods to help people control weight may have the opposite effect, according to Purdue University research.

23 Jun 2011

New IOM report: Decades-old health laws need to be revised

Because strong evidence indicates that policies beyond the health sector have substantial effects on people's health, all levels of U.S. government should adopt a structured approach to considering the health effects of any major legislation or regulation, says a new report by the Institute of Medicine.

23 Jun 2011

Foods and lifestyles that cause most weight gain: Study

New research shows that eating more potato chips and French fries and watching too much TV are likely to lead to a bigger weight gain over the years than the weight change associated with eating more of other foods.

23 Jun 2011

State roundup: Okla. caps 'non-economic damages' in lawsuits

With Republicans in control of the Oklahoma governorship and the Legislature for the first time ever, they swiftly passed a series of changes to the civil justice system. Lawmakers put a cap of $350,000 on the amount of money that plaintiffs can recoup for so-called "non-economic damages," such as the pain and suffering caused by medical malpractice, faulty products or other forms of professional negligence.

23 Jun 2011

Scientists find altering hormone levels change cellular development in brain

In a study that increases the understanding of the link between fetal development and obesity later in life, researchers at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) found altering the levels of two common hormones, insulin and leptin, in utero changes the cellular development in the region of the brain that regulates appetite.

23 Jun 2011

First Edition: June 22, 2011

Today's headlines include an exclusive AP report detailing a "twist" in the health law that would allow millions of middle class Americans -- mainly early retirees -- access to Medicaid.

22 Jun 2011

Multiple abstracts on QNEXA long-term clinical study to be presented at ADA 2011

VIVUS, Inc. today announced that multiple abstracts have been accepted for presentation at the upcoming American Diabetes Association (ADA) meeting to be held June 24th to June 28th, 2011, at the San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA.

22 Jun 2011

Endocrine Practice journal publishes new clinical guidelines on hyperthyroidism

New clinical guidelines for optimal care of patients with hyperthyroidism, a condition when the thyroid gland produces more thyroid hormone than the body needs, which affects about one percent of Americans, appear in the current issue of Endocrine Practice, the journal of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.

22 Jun 2011

Gastric bypass surgery reduces inflammation linked with cancer and diabetes

New research shows that gastric bypass significantly reduces the inflammation associated with diseases including cancer and diabetes - more proof of the overall health benefits of such surgery beyond weight loss.

22 Jun 2011

Maternal smoking 'imprints' unhealthy set of characteristics on unborn babies

Researchers in Australia have discovered that mothers who smoke during pregnancy are causing developmental changes to their unborn babies that lead to them having lower levels of the type of cholesterol that is known to protect against heart disease in later life - high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.

22 Jun 2011

AMA removes support for ‘sin tax’ on sugary drinks

The American Medical Association (AMA) Tuesday afternoon removed its support from taxes on sugar-sweetened soft drinks, saying the concept needs more study. The AMA's policy-making House of Delegates this week debated the idea of supporting state and local taxation of “beverages with added sweeteners” as a way of fighting the nation's obesity epidemic and improving related education of the public.

22 Jun 2011

EC grants marketing authorization to BYDUREON for treatment of type 2 diabetes

Eli Lilly and Company, together with Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Alkermes, Inc., announced today that the European Commission has granted marketing authorization to BYDUREON.

21 Jun 2011

Lorcaserin Phase 3 trial data on type 2 diabetes to be presented at ADA 2011

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eisai Inc. announced today that lorcaserin data from the Phase 3 BLOOM-DM trial will be presented in poster sessions at the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) 71st Scientific Sessions in San Diego, California.

21 Jun 2011

Study sheds new light on body's immune response to hepatitis A, C viruses

A surprising finding in a study comparing hepatitis C virus (HCV) with hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections in chimpanzees by a team that includes scientists from the Texas Biomedical Research Institute sheds new light on the nature of the body's immune response to these viruses.

21 Jun 2011