Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Abbott agrees to voluntarily withdraw obesity drug Meridia from U.S. market

Abbott Laboratories has agreed to voluntarily withdraw its obesity drug Meridia (sibutramine) from the U.S. market because of clinical trial data indicating an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today.

12 Oct 2010

Research shows potatoes can be part of weight loss regimen

Research just released by the University of California, Davis and the National Center for Food Safety and Technology, Illinois Institute of Technology demonstrates that people can include potatoes in their diet and still lose weight. This research was presented at the Obesity Society's 28th Annual Scientific Meeting October 8-12, 2010.

12 Oct 2010

Persistent exposure to light at night leads to weight gain

Persistent exposure to light at night may lead to weight gain, even without changing physical activity or eating more food, according to new research in mice.

12 Oct 2010

Study finds rapid increase in diabetes hospitalizations among young women

A study published in Journal of Women's Health shows a rapid increase in the number of hospitalizations due to diabetes for young adults - particularly young women.

12 Oct 2010

Apollo completes first clinical case with FlexShears Endoscopic device

Apollo Endosurgery, Inc. announced completion of the first clinical case involving its FlexShears Endoscopic Scissors. The new device was used to cut and remove an obstructing eroded suture from the patient's GI tract in a procedure that embodies the Apollo vision of improving patient care with flexible surgery.

12 Oct 2010

Insulin resistance increases risk of stroke in non-diabetic patients

Insulin resistance, a condition in which insulin produced by the body becomes less effective in reducing blood glucose levels, appears to be associated with an increased risk of stroke in individuals without diabetes, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

12 Oct 2010

Healthy Eating Decisions program helps to reduce childhood obesity

Pittman, a psychology professor at Wofford College in Spartanburg, ran tests in two different elementary schools in his area. He was trying, in part, to convince the children to select white milk instead of sugary, flavored milk for their lunch. And then, with an array of menu selections, to pick the healthiest food for lunch. All this comes at a time when America is confronting an epidemic of childhood obesity.

12 Oct 2010

Incentivized structured weight loss program with free prepared meals effectively promotes weight loss

In another article being released early online, Cheryl L. Rock, Ph.D., R.D., from Moores UCSD Cancer Center, La Jolla, Calif., and colleagues, conducted a randomized controlled trial of weight loss and weight maintenance in 442 overweight or obese women (BMI, 25 - 40), ages 18 to 69, over a two year period with follow-up between November 2007 and April 2010.

11 Oct 2010

Obesity treatments falter, but researchers announce gene links

The Wall Street Journal: "An international research consortium says it has identified 18 new gene sites linked to obesity and 13 others associated with how fat is distributed in the body, advances that shed new light on the complex biology underlying one of the world's most pressing public-health problems. The findings are based on studies involving nearly 250,000 people, making the effort the largest so far to unravel the genetic basis of common human traits, researchers said.

11 Oct 2010

Fat-free popcorn may help dieters maintain reduced calorie eating plans

ConAgra Foods, Inc., one of North America's leading food makers, announced today new research indicating that a daily snack of Orville Redenbacher's 94 percent fat-free SmartPop!® popcorn can help dieters maintain reduced calorie eating plans while still feeling full and satisfied. In the study, 94 percent of participants said the daily 100-calorie snack of 100 percent whole grain popcorn helped satisfy hunger and 85 percent credited SmartPop! with helping them stay on track with weight loss.

11 Oct 2010

Florida Governor issues Proclamation recognizing outstanding work of Healthcare Quality Professionals

Florida Governor Charlie Crist issued a Proclamation recognizing the outstanding work Healthcare Quality Professionals do for the people of Florida. This proclamation mirrors the sentiments of National Healthcare Quality Week, October 17-23rd, which celebrates the work of Healthcare Quality Professionals in improving patient outcomes and healthcare delivery systems.

11 Oct 2010

Gelesis presents lead products data at Obesity 2010 Annual Meeting

Gelesis, Inc., a Boston-based company focused on breakthrough treatments for obesity, presented new results at Obesity 2010, the 28th Annual Scientific Meeting of The Obesity Society (San Diego). The new data demonstrated that its lead products (Attiva and Gellica) dramatically reduced food intake in a gold-standard animal model compared to administration of an equal amount of water.

11 Oct 2010

GSU professor receives USDA grant to study dynamics of childhood obesity

A Georgia State University professor has received a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to look at the obesity trends from childhood to adolescence.

11 Oct 2010

Study to uncover genetic basis of obesity

An international consortium has made significant inroads into uncovering the genetic basis of obesity by identifying 18 new gene sites associated with overall obesity and 13 that affect fat distribution. The studies include data from nearly a quarter of a million participants, the largest genetic investigation of human traits to date.

11 Oct 2010

UT Southwestern initiates study on hormone leptin for people with type 1 diabetes

A clinical trial at UT Southwestern Medical Center aims to determine whether adding the hormone leptin to standard insulin therapy might help rein in the tumultuous blood-sugar levels of people with type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes.

11 Oct 2010

Lifestyle interventions benefit overweight, obese and severely obese adults

Lifestyle interventions, including physical activity and structured weight loss programs, can result in significant weight loss for overweight, obese and severely obese adults, according to two reports that were posted online today by JAMA. The studies and accompanying editorials were made available early online to coincide with the presentation of these papers at the 28th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Obesity Society. The articles will appear in the October 27 print issue of JAMA.

11 Oct 2010

'Achilles heel' for HCV infection

Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology (GIVI) have found that an enzyme associated with the storage of fat in the liver is required for the infectious activity of the hepatitis C virus (HCV). This discovery may offer a new strategy for treating the infection.

11 Oct 2010

Researchers pinpoint more obesity costs in workplace

One hidden cost of obesity is lost productivity in the workplace a problem with a price tag as high as $73.1 billion, according to a new study, Agence France-Presse reports.

11 Oct 2010

Abbott to withdraw Meridia medicine from the U.S. market

Abbott will voluntarily withdraw Meridia (sibutramine) from the U.S. market at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

11 Oct 2010

Obesity can accelerate progression of acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Study

The first study to demonstrate that obesity can directly accelerate the progression of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has been conducted at The Saban Research Institute of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and was published in Cancer Prevention Research, on October 5, 2010.

11 Oct 2010