Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

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

Resveratrol stimulates expression of adiponectin hormone: Study

Resveratrol, a compound in grapes, displays antioxidant and other positive properties. In a study published this week, researchers at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio describe a novel way in which resveratrol exerts these beneficial health effects.

10 Jan 2011

Positive PK study results from ECLIPSE trial against cardiovascular disease

Omthera Pharmaceuticals, a privately-held emerging specialty pharmaceuticals company, today announced data from its ECLIPSE trial, designed to evaluate the bioavailability of Epanova™, the Company's lead compound for the treatment of very high triglycerides, in comparison to Lovaza®, the leading prescription Omega 3.

10 Jan 2011

U-M lab ranks No. 1 in protein structure and function prediction in scientific competition

The University of Michigan Health System took top honors in the Critical Assessment of Techniques for Protein Structure Prediction, a biennial scientific competition to test protein structure and function prediction methods developed by laboratories all over the world.

10 Jan 2011

Study finds link between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and stroke

People suffering from fatty liver disease may be three times more likely to suffer a stroke than individuals without fatty liver, according to a study by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital and the London Health Sciences Centre.

10 Jan 2011

Entelos receives U.S. Patent for Predictive Toxicology for Biological Systems

Entelos, announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted U.S. Patent No. 7,853,406 entitled "Predictive Toxicology for Biological Systems" to the Company.

9 Jan 2011

ASBP raises concern over FDA recommendations to lower BMI requirements for lap-band surgery

The American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) is concerned that the FDA advisory panel recommended lowering the BMI requirement for lap-band surgery, while the FDA recently denied two new obesity medications. Bariatric surgery is drastic and expensive and carries higher morbidity and mortality risks than lifestyle interventions or medication. Patients who could have otherwise lost weight in a non-surgical medical bariatric program may now be encouraged to skip medical therapy and jump directly to surgery.

7 Jan 2011

Regular blood test shows pre-diabetes risk factors, reduces treatment costs

A simpler form of testing individuals with risk factors for diabetes could improve diabetes prevention efforts by substantially increasing the number of individuals who complete testing and learn whether or not they are likely to develop diabetes.

7 Jan 2011

Extreme obesity a powerful risk factor for death among 2009 H1N1 patients

For those infected with the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus, extreme obesity was a powerful risk factor for death, according to an analysis of a public health surveillance database. In a study to be published in the February 1, 2011, issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, researchers associated extreme obesity with a nearly three-fold increased odds of death from 2009 H1N1 influenza. Half of Californians greater than 20 years of age hospitalized with 2009 H1N1 were obese.

7 Jan 2011

Isis Pharmaceuticals announces addition of two new drugs to development pipeline

Isis Pharmaceuticals, announced today that it has added two new drugs to its development pipeline, ISIS-FGFR4Rx and ISIS-STAT3Rx.

7 Jan 2011

Liver transplant recipients develop PTMS, face high risk of cardiovascular disease

Researchers from Israel have determined that more than half of liver transplant recipients develop post-transplantation metabolic syndrome, placing them at greater risk for cardiovascular disease.

7 Jan 2011