Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

2010 DDW conference to highlight breakthrough research on GI health

Thousands of physicians, researchers and academics from around the world will gather in New Orleans in early May for Digestive Disease Week- (DDW-), the premiere scientific conference in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.

2 Apr 2010

Sunshine vitamin cures common health problems

What do obesity, heart disease, depression, diabetes, and fibromyalgia have in common? The answer is vitamin D deficiency. More than 200 million Americans lack this essential vitamin and as a result suffer from a host of daily annoyances, chronic conditions, and even life-threatening illnesses.

2 Apr 2010

Liver function tests misinterpreted in majority of children's hospitals

New research led by physician-scientists at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine shows that the test most commonly used to screen pediatric patients for chronic liver disease is often incorrectly interpreted in many children's hospitals throughout the United States.

2 Apr 2010

Leaders join forces to help young athletes play safe and stay healthy

Today, leaders in healthcare, wellness, safety and fitness came together to launch the STOP Sports Injuries campaign. The campaign will educate athletes, parents, trainers, coaches and healthcare providers about the rapid increase in youth sports injuries, the necessary steps to help reverse the trend and the need to keep young athletes healthy.

1 Apr 2010

New book from AGA helps patients self-manage their IBD and challenges

Inflammatory bowel disease strikes young people between the ages of 15 and 30 most often, but it can appear at any age. It is easy to for the 100,000 people diagnosed with IBD - Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis - each year to feel powerless against this condition, but now, a new book from the AGA helps patients self-manage their IBD and the challenges they face.

1 Apr 2010

Rudd proposes that GP’s take on care of diabetics

In a bid to ease the strain caused by diabetes on the hospitals, Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd has proposed that GP’s take on care of diabetics. For every diabetes patient that a GP handles, the government will pay the doctor $1200 a year to cover day-to-day costs. Each GP will receive up to $10,800 annually based on performance.

1 Apr 2010

VIVUS terminates Luramist development, commercialization agreement with FemPharm

VIVUS, Inc. today announced that it has terminated the Development and Commercialization Agreement with FemPharm Pty Ltd. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Acrux Limited) for Luramist™, a metered dose transdermal application of testosterone for women.

1 Apr 2010

Orexigen Therapeutics announces submission of Contrave NDA for treatment of obesity

Orexigen® Therapeutics, Inc. announced that the Company has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Contrave® (naltrexone SR/bupropion SR), its investigational drug for the treatment of obesity. The NDA is based on a substantial body of evidence gathered through the Contrave Obesity Research (COR) clinical program, which included over 4,500 patients.

1 Apr 2010

Personalized online resource to help Canadians achieve healthy weight loss

A Heart and Stroke Foundation survey of almost 2,000 Canadians found that 62% reported intentionally losing five or more pounds over the past five years but failed to keep the weight off. And 70% of those who were overweight or obese regained all or even more pounds after their weight-loss efforts.

1 Apr 2010

Positive results from Ardea Biosciences' Phase 2b study of RDEA594 for hyperuricemia and gout

Ardea Biosciences, Inc. announced positive, preliminary, top-line results from its Phase 2b monotherapy study of RDEA594, its lead product candidate for the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout. In this 28-day, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation study, 123 gout patients with hyperuricemia (serum urate levels greater than or equal to 8 mg/dL) received 200 mg once-daily (qd) RDEA594, 400 mg qd RDEA594, 600 mg qd RDEA594 or matching placebo.

1 Apr 2010

High-fructose corn syrup makes rats fat: Princeton University study questioned

"HFCS makes rats fat? I can hardly believe that Princeton sent out a press release yesterday announcing the results of this rat study. The press release says: "Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even when their overall caloric intake was the same."

31 Mar 2010

Astellas Pharma forms agreement to review certain confidential information of OSI Pharmaceuticals

OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it had entered into an agreement with Astellas Pharma Inc., under which Astellas will be able to review certain confidential information related to OSI.

31 Mar 2010

Fat-rich breakfast may help prevent metabolic syndrome, says study

The age-old maxim "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper" may in fact be the best advice to follow to prevent metabolic syndrome, according to a new University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) study.

31 Mar 2010

Drinking orange juice with fast-food meal may help prevent vascular inflammation

Eating foods containing flavonoids -- orange juice, in this case -- along with a high-fat, high-carbohydrate fast-food meal neutralizes the oxidative and inflammatory stress generated by the unhealthy food and helps prevent blood vessel damage, a new study by University at Buffalo endocrinologists shows.

31 Mar 2010

Hsp90 inhibitors may help fight cardiovascular disease, say researchers

New drugs that are helping fight a multi-front war on cancer may do the same for cardiovascular disease, Medical College of Georgia researchers said.

31 Mar 2010

Overweight infants may experience delayed motor skills

Those cute little rolls of fat some infants have may actually slow their ability to crawl and walk, according to a new study by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

31 Mar 2010

Asclera injection receives FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Asclera (polidocanol) injection for the treatment of small types of abnormally swollen or twisted veins called varicose veins.

31 Mar 2010

Posting calorie counts on menus and menu boards also needed in Ontario

US President Barack Obama's groundbreaking health care legislation includes a provision requiring restaurants to post calories on menus and menu boards. For the past year, Ontario's doctors have been calling for similar action from the government, chain restaurants and school cafeterias in the province and believe now is the perfect time for this initiative to be implemented.

30 Mar 2010

Preventive health care researchers meet to outline vision for evidence-based prevention in health care

Leading preventive health care researchers, physicians and executives assembled at U.S. Preventive Medicine® Friday to outline their vision for advancing evidence-based prevention in health care.

30 Mar 2010

Gout incidence lower in women than men: Study

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine found that women with serum uric acid levels over 5 mg/dl had a significantly lower risk of developing gout than men. This study, the first to examine the relationship between uric acid levels and gout risk in women, also evaluated purported risk factors for gout and found that increasing age, obesity, hypertension, alcohol use, and diuretic use to be among leading contributors for women.

30 Mar 2010