Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Longer looks: States creating health compacts; IPAB under fire; is GOP redefining rape?

In late April, Colorado and Oklahoma became the latest states to vote on whether to join an interstate agreement with like-minded legislatures to put health care decisions more firmly into the hands of state governments.

6 May 2011

Survey: Only 12% of black stroke patients call 9-1-1 after experiencing symptoms

Most African-Americans say they'd call 9-1-1 if stroke symptoms occurred — but few do, according to research reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

6 May 2011

Viewpoints: Gov. Daniels's reversal?; IPAB's Medicare fix; Texas Medicaid cuts

Centrist Republicans loved it when began urging the party to keep its eye on the deficit-reduction prize and stop obsessing about social issues. ... He then went home and announced that he would sign a bill to strip Planned Parenthood of Medicaid financing. ... Daniels's moderate fans thought abortion was precisely the issue he was calling on Republicans to set aside. Right now, the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives can barely talk about anything else.

6 May 2011

Statins for all over 55: Study

The latest research findings suggest that when assessing the risk of heart problems, offering statins or drugs that lower cholesterol to all over-55s had the same results as testing for cholesterol or blood pressure problems. The authors have also argued it would be simpler and more cost effective.

5 May 2011

Staying up late and sleeping in can increase risk for gaining weight

Staying up late every night and sleeping in is a habit that could put you at risk for gaining weight. People who go to bed late and sleep late eat more calories in the evening, more fast food, fewer fruits and vegetables and weigh more than people who go to sleep earlier and wake up earlier, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

5 May 2011

Penn State receives USDA grant for childhood obesity prevention training program

Sustainable, comprehensive and problem-based training to prevent child obesity will now be possible thanks to a $4.5 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

5 May 2011

Drinking from bottle beyond infancy may contribute to obesity

Experts agree that obesity prevention should begin before children enter school. But due to a lack of conclusive data, health care providers often have trouble advising parents about which interventions are the most beneficial. A new study soon to be published in The Journal of Pediatrics suggests that limiting prolonged bottle use in children may be an effective way to help prevent obesity.

5 May 2011

Nation's emergency physicians warn about dangers linked with deep vein thrombosis

As temperatures warm and travel picks up around the country, the nation's emergency physicians issue a warning about the serious dangers associated with deep vein thrombosis.

5 May 2011

Breakthrough research offers hope for new obesity treatment

By knocking down the expression of a protein in rat brains known to stimulate eating, Johns Hopkins researchers say they not only reduced the animals' calorie intake and weight, but also transformed their fat into a type that burns off more energy. The finding could lead to better obesity treatments for humans, the scientists report.

4 May 2011

Asthma prevalence jump alarms health experts

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a report released this Tuesday, Americans are suffering from asthma in record numbers. Nearly one in 10 children and almost one in 12 Americans of all ages now has asthma, government researchers said. Tuesday was World Asthma Day.

4 May 2011

New USDA funded, research-based program to combat child obesity

A five-year $4.5 million USDA grant to University of Illinois researchers will establish the Illinois Transdisciplinary Obesity Prevention Program, an innovative research-based program that will combine a Ph.D. with a master's in public health degree focused on child obesity prevention.

4 May 2011

Belly fat predicts heart-disease risk better than BMI: Study

According to the latest study the fat around the belly is the chief culprit in the link between obesity and cardiovascular disease. This study raises the possibility that people can be overweight without significantly raising their heart risk, so long as they carry the extra fat in places other than their belly. In fact, a few extra pounds may even lower the risk of death from heart disease, researchers found.

3 May 2011

Coronary artery disease patients with high BMI may face higher risk of death

One of the largest studies of its kind has found that people with coronary artery disease who have even a modest beer belly or muffin top are at higher risk for death than people whose fat collects elsewhere. The effect was observed even in patients with a normal Body Mass Index.

3 May 2011

Obesity during middle age may increase risk of developing dementia

According to a new study, being overweight or obese during middle age may increase the risk of certain dementias.

3 May 2011

New antioxidant may prevent liver damage in chronic alcoholics

An antioxidant may prevent damage to the liver caused by excessive alcohol, according to new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

3 May 2011

Study evaluates impact of caffeine and technology on adolescent sleep time

Christina Calamaro considers adolescence as more than just a transitional stage between childhood and adulthood. She sees it as an opportunity for positive change.

2 May 2011

Weight-loss physician unveils unique reduced-calorie eating plan

"Forget everything you think you know about losing weight," says a prominent weight-loss doctor. "The conventional wisdom on weight loss has helped make the majority of Americans overweight or obese."

2 May 2011

Experts discuss science and strategy behind childhood obesity epidemic

Childhood obesity has become a significant health problem worldwide, but many parents don't know where to begin or how to help their child adopt a healthy lifestyle. At the opening session of the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Denver, Colo., experts in pediatric obesity prevention will discuss the science and the strategy behind understanding this epidemic and intervening upon it.

2 May 2011

Study shows even families with insurance put off or go without care

The high cost of health care is deterring parents from taking their children to the doctor or buying prescription medication, regardless of how much money they make or whether they have health insurance, according to a study to be presented Sunday, May 2, at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Denver.

2 May 2011

OU-COM receives Osteopathic Heritage Foundation grant to address healthcare issues

The Osteopathic Heritage Foundations' $105 million award to Ohio University's College of Osteopathic Medicine represents the largest private donation ever given to a college or university in Ohio. This gift will be used to address some of the most pressing health care issues across the state and the nation - the impending shortage of primary care physicians and the diabetes epidemic.

2 May 2011