Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Body mass index may be related to alcohol habits

The body mass index (BMI) of individuals who drink alcohol may be related to how much, and how often, they drink, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

15 Feb 2005

Medical expenditures for morbidly obese adults far outweighs that for normal-weight adults

Health-care costs for morbidly obese adults are nearly twice those of people considered to be of normal weight, says a study led by University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers.

14 Feb 2005

Fruit juices do play role in healthy diet

Contrary to what consumers may have heard recently about fruit juice consumption, numerous research studies over the years have found no connection between appropriate consumption of fruit juices and being overweight.

8 Feb 2005

Green tea boosts exercise endurance

Now that even baseball players may need to seek new, more natural performance aids, will Japanese green tea sets become standard in dugouts and athletic training tables around the world?

8 Feb 2005

Risks of obesity in children with kidney transplants

Obese children who get kidney transplants tend to be younger, shorter and on dialysis longer than their leaner peers, according to a study in the February issue of the journal Pediatrics.

7 Feb 2005

High-fiber cereal can help keep diabetes, heart disease, and stroke at bay

A healthy breakfast that includes high-fiber cereal can help you lose weight and keep diabetes, heart disease, and stroke at bay — especially when the menu also includes nonfat milk and fruit.

7 Feb 2005

Study compares at home weight-loss and exercise programs to center work out regimes for women

Joy Ungerer has improved her health and lost excess weight by walking on a treadmill at an exercise center. Janet Brewer walks, too - either at a mall or in her neighborhood - and has watched the readings on her bathroom scale drop as well.

7 Feb 2005

High consumption of dairy products and fruits and vegetables may lower the risk of disability

There may be more reason than ever to drink your milk and eat your fruits and vegetables. A Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center researcher and colleagues reported today that high consumption of dairy products and fruits and vegetables may lower the risk of disability, especially among black women.

7 Feb 2005

Relationship between weight gain and breast cancer survival

Women who are overweight prior to breast cancer diagnosis, or who are lean but gain weight following diagnosis, are more likely to have their disease return or die of the disease, a new study shows. This effect was found to be particularly pronounced among women who had never smoked. The study is published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO).

31 Jan 2005

The role body fat plays in determining one's risk of chronic diseases

As the prevalence of obesity in America approaches epidemic proportions, researchers are scrambling to learn more about how the body stores fat, how fat tissues affect body systems and the role body fat plays in determining one's risk of chronic diseases.

27 Jan 2005

Major health problems in babies of diabetic mothers on the rise

During the past decade, babies born to women with type 2 diabetes have shown an increasing number of serious health problems -- including stillbirth and birth defects, such as brain, spine and heart congenital malformations that can lead to infant deaths, according to a study published in the February issue of Diabetes Care.

27 Jan 2005

Association between fitness and survival suggests a link between impaired oxygen metabolism and disease

Research published in the current issue of Science magazine reinforces the belief that aerobic capacity is an important determinant in the continuum between health and disease.

26 Jan 2005

Obesity and weight gain are associated with increased risk for developing kidney stones

Kidney stones are a major cause of illness, according to background information in the article. The lifetime prevalence of kidney stones is approximately 10 percent in men and 5 percent in women, and more than $2 billion is spent on treatment each year.

26 Jan 2005

Plant protein mimics hormone that mitigates diabetes and obesity

A common protein that protects plants from fungal infection mimics the activity of a hormone in mammals that is linked to weight loss and is believed to play a role in mitigating heart disease, obesity and diabetes, according to a team of researchers at Purdue University and several collaborating institutions.

25 Jan 2005

By age six, children of overweight mothers are fifteen times more likely to be obese

By age six, children of overweight mothers are fifteen times more likely to be obese than children of lean mothers. The research, at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania, showed the strength of genetic influences, and suggests that efforts to prevent obesity should focus on such children at risk, preferably by four years of age.

25 Jan 2005

Lack of the enzyme acetyl CoA carboxylase 2 turns fat cells into fat burners

Lack of the enzyme, acetyl CoA carboxylase 2 or ACC2, appears to turn the adipose or fat cells of mice into fat burners, explaining in part why the animals can eat more and weigh less than their normal counterparts, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers.

25 Jan 2005

Bariatric surgery for severely obese patients leads to weight loss and improves insulin sensitivity

In a study published in the current issue of The American Journal of Medicine, researchers from the State University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil; Catholic University, Rome, Italy; and the University of Pisa, Italy, found that the degree of improvement depended on the surgical technique used, comparing biliopancreatic diversion to gastric bypass.

25 Jan 2005