Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Cataloguing microbes in gut could lead to cause of necrotizing enterocolitis

Scientists have for the first time sequenced and reconstructed the genomes of most of the microbes in the gut of a premature newborn and documented how the microbe populations changed over time.

14 Jan 2011

Personal genetic tests have promising effects on consumers

New findings from a landmark research study led by Scripps Health and the Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI) reveal that personal genetic tests have some promising effects on consumers who choose to undergo the screenings. STSI is an initiative of Scripps Health in collaboration with The Scripps Research Institute.

13 Jan 2011

Largest long-term examination of children's health and development in the US

The National Children's Study (NCS) has begun inviting women in San Diego to participate in the largest long-term examination of children's health and development ever conducted in the United States.

13 Jan 2011

NIH awards VistaGen and NuPotential $500,000 grant to advance iPS stem cell technology

VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. and NuPotential, Inc. today announced that the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded to the companies a grant of approximately $500,000 to accelerate development of novel and safer approaches to generate patient-specific induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells for regenerative medicine, drug discovery and drug rescue.

13 Jan 2011

Health, social and economical consequences of sleep disorders: A controlled national study

"Snoring, sleep apnoea, and obesity-related respiratory difficulties are fairly common disorders that affect a large proportion of the population," according to Poul Jennum, Professor of Clinical Neurophysiology at the Center for Healthy Ageing at the University of Copenhagen Faculty of Health Sciences. He is head of the Danish Centre for Sleep Medicine, Glostrup Hospital, which treats patients from all over the country.

13 Jan 2011

Scientists quantify amount of energy lost during sleep deprivation

American scientists have quantified for the first time ever the amount of energy lost during a night of sleep deprivation according to new research published in The Journal of Physiology.

13 Jan 2011

Obesity in children today may contribute to 2-5 year decline in life expectancy

For the first time in history, the next generation will not live longer, or even as long, as their parents. "Diseases such as Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, heart conditions and joint deterioration - what were once considered 'adult' diseases - are regularly being diagnosed in children, due to the prevalence of obesity," said Jessica Bartfield, MD, internal medicine and medical weight-loss specialist at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, part of the Loyola University Health System.

13 Jan 2011

BPA more harmful to women with hormonal and fertility imbalances

A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), found higher Bisphenol A (BPA) levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) compared to controls. Furthermore, researchers found a statistically significant positive association between male sex hormones and BPA in these women suggesting a potential role of BPA in ovarian dysfunction.

13 Jan 2011

Lipoprotein receptor LRP1 also regulates food intake and energy balance in central nervous system: Study

A study by researchers at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida and Washington University School of Medicine adds a new twist to the body of evidence suggesting human obesity is due in part to genetic factors. While studying hormone receptors in laboratory mice, neuroscientists identified a new molecular player responsible for the regulation of appetite and metabolism.

12 Jan 2011

Kaiser Permanente Northwest leads nation in counseling against childhood obesity

Kaiser Permanente Northwest leads the nation among all reporting commercial health plans with top marks in counseling children for physical activity and nutrition, according to the National Committee on Quality Assurance's Quality Compass for 2010.

12 Jan 2011

New research identifies nutrition inadequacy among Americans

At a time when the country is facing an obesity epidemic, the problem of nutrition inadequacy is often overlooked. Yet, many Americans are overweight and undernourished, concludes a new study called "What America's Missing."

12 Jan 2011

Study examines how social influences affect obese young adults

Does obesity tend to "cluster" among young adults? And if so, what impact does it have on both their weight and weight-related behaviors? That's what researchers from The Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center set out to answer to better understand how social influences affect both weight status and weight loss intentions in this difficult-to-reach age group.

12 Jan 2011

CAMH scientists receive NARSAD's Young Investigator grant awards for brain and behavior research

Seven scientists at Canada's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health have been awarded Young Investigator grant awards by the U.S.-based NARSAD: The Brain and Behavior Research Fund.

12 Jan 2011

Herpes zoster vaccine reduces risk of developing shingles by 55%

Receiving the herpes zoster vaccine was associated with a 55 percent reduced risk of developing shingles, according to a Kaiser Permanente study of 300,000 people that appears in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

12 Jan 2011

Avinger raises $25 million for catheter development and commercialization

Avinger, Inc., medical device manufacturer of innovative, multi-functional catheters for treating peripheral artery disease (PAD), recently completed a $25 million Series B round of funding from a syndicate of highly successful entrepreneurs and executives.

12 Jan 2011

FDA accepts Merck's JANUMET extended-release formulation NDA for type 2 diabetes

Merck today announced that the New Drug Application (NDA) for the Company's investigational extended-release formulation of JANUMET for type 2 diabetes has been accepted for standard review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Company is also moving forward as planned with regulatory filings in countries outside the United States.

12 Jan 2011

New study on being medically prepared for natural disasters

Imagine having to evacuate your home quickly as 60 mph winds shatter your windows, water crawls under your front door and the electricity cuts leaving your house as dark as the inside of a coffee can. Would you be prepared? Now visualize being one of the 56 million Americans with a disability, such as wheelchair dependence, or one of the 133 million with a chronic disease, such as asthma.

11 Jan 2011

European CE Mark approval for IntraPace's abiliti system

IntraPace, announced today that it has received European CE Mark approval for the abiliti system as a treatment for obesity. The CE Mark certifies that a product has met European Union requirements for commercial marketing in Europe.

11 Jan 2011

New insights into estrogen receptor beta

Research with significant implications in the treatment and intervention of cancer and obesity has been published recently in two prestigious journals by University of Houston (UH) biochemist Dr. Jan--ke Gustafsson.

11 Jan 2011

All fat cells not the same

All fat cells are not the same - a fact that has implications in the understanding and treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine (www.bcm.edu) in a report that appears in the current issue of the Journal of Cell Biology (http://www.jcb.rupress.org/).

10 Jan 2011