Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Study identifies new genes responsible for early menarche

University of Minnesota School of Public Health researcher Ellen Demerath, Ph.D., is among an international group of researchers that has identified 30 new genes responsible for determining the age of sexual maturation in women. Many of these genes are also known to influence body fatness, obesity, and energy metabolism. Prior to the multi-institutional study, only four genes had been identified as contributing to the process.

1 Dec 2010

Pelosi calls for House passage of child nutrition reauthorization legislation

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, Congressman Jim McGovern and Senator Blanche Lincoln held a press conference call this afternoon to urge House passage of child nutrition reauthorization legislation, which the Senate has already passed. Below are the Speaker's remarks:

1 Dec 2010

PepTcell changes name to SEEK

PepTcell, a leading UK privately-owned drug-discovery group, today announced it is changing its name to SEEK.

1 Dec 2010

British Journal: Obesity, alcohol consumption may increase cancer risk

People should be warned that cancer is linked to obesity and alcohol, rather than urged to eat more fruit and vegetables to protect against the disease.

1 Dec 2010

IDEA clinical study seeks to promote weight loss among young adults

Obesity It's a national epidemic and on the rise in young adults. Using technology to combat this problem, the University of Pittsburgh Physical Activity and Weight Management Research Center will offer the IDEA (Innovative Approaches to Diet, Exercise, and Activity) study, one of seven clinical trials to be funded by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

1 Dec 2010

Vitamin D supplementation may reduce risk of diabetes, heart disease: Research

Researchers from the UC Davis Health System have found that compared with healthy controls, blood levels of vitamin D are significantly reduced in patients in the Sacramento area with metabolic syndrome, a constellation of disease risk factors that affects about one in three U.S. adults and predisposes them to diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

1 Dec 2010

Common sleep complaints predict development of metabolic syndrome: Study

A study in the Dec. 1 issue of the journal SLEEP found that loud snoring and two common insomnia symptoms difficulty falling asleep and unrefreshing sleep each significantly predicted the development of the metabolic syndrome. The study emphasizes the importance of screening for common sleep complaints in routine clinical practice.

1 Dec 2010

Scientists create couch potato mouse model to study muscle function

Daniel Kelly, M.D., and his colleagues at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) at Lake Nona have unveiled a surprising new model for studying muscle function: the couch potato mouse.

1 Dec 2010

Flawed health care system fuels low life expectancy rank for U.S., researchers say

The U.S. spends more on health care than any other nation but ranks 49th in life expectancy which has led researchers to conclude that the problem is the health care system.

1 Dec 2010

Largest remote health monitoring project in the world launched in China

Canada-based IDEAL LIFE and China's Shandong NovaTech Biological Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a leading pharmaceutical manufacturer and medical products distribution network in China, announced the launch of the largest remote health monitoring project in the world, bringing wireless, remote health monitoring to the People's Republic of China.

30 Nov 2010

Super-sized World conference to address national health crisis of obesity

A conference at the New York Academy of Sciences on December 9 will convene leading obesity researchers to explore the latest science and policy initiatives addressing the global and national health crisis of obesity.

30 Nov 2010

New review from JASN highlights hazards of fructose

More and more people have become aware of the dangers of excessive fructose in diet. A new review on fructose in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN) indicates just how dangerous this simple sugar may be.

30 Nov 2010

New ultrasound-based treatment for varicose veins

Rowena Cheng, RN, has spent most of her 34-year career on her feet. Standing for long periods of time comes with the job of being a nurse. For Cheng, however, it exacted a physical toll: knotted, swollen blood vessels in the calf of her left leg.

30 Nov 2010

Heart disease risk factors in childhood predicts likelihood of atherosclerosis as adults

Measuring heart disease risk factors in children at or after age 9 helped predict the likelihood of atherosclerosis in adulthood, according to a study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

30 Nov 2010

Nine out of ten of all primary care centers in Sweden prescribe physical activity

Prescribing physical activity for the purpose of preventing and treating various conditions can now become a reality for healthcare professionals all over the world.

30 Nov 2010

Highmark, Alliance for a Healthier Generation collaborate to expand childhood obesity benefits

Thirty-nine percent of the children living in Pennsylvania are overweight and are at greater risk of developing such chronic diseases as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease than the generation before them. To continue its efforts to address childhood obesity, Highmark Inc. has collaborated with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to expand its obesity benefits for children in 2011.

30 Nov 2010

People with OSA are prone to develop atherosclerosis: Study

People with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep disorder associated with obesity, have more non-calcified or "bad" plaque in their coronary arteries, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

30 Nov 2010

Study finds abdominal fat as a risk factor for osteoporosis, bone loss in women

For years, it was believed that obese women were at lower risk for developing osteoporosis, and that excess body fat actually protected against bone loss. However, a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) found that having too much internal abdominal fat may, in fact, have a damaging effect on bone health.

30 Nov 2010

Queenslanders fatter but live longer and smoke less: Health report

A new health report reveals that more than 60 per cent of Queensland adults are overweight or obese. The Health of Queenslanders report also reveals that Queenslanders are living longer and smoking less.

29 Nov 2010

FDA approves Merit's phase 3 clinical trial protocol to treat primary liver cancer with QuadraSphere Microspheres

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Merit Medical Systems, Inc.'s phase 3 clinical trial protocol to treat primary liver cancer with QuadraSphere™ Microspheres (hqTACE) for delivery of doxorubicin. The clinical trial will involve U.S. and international interventional radiologists who treat patients with localized, unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer.

29 Nov 2010