Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Universite de Montreal researchers are developing leptin-based pill to control hunger

A Universit- de Montr-al research team is developing a pill composed of leptin, the protein that tells our brain to stop eating. "Mice deprived of leptin will not stop eating. They become so big they have trouble moving around," says Mo-se Bendayan, a pathology professor at the Universit- de Montr-al Faculty of Medicine who has studied the leptin protein extensively.

27 Jan 2010

FDA approves Novo Nordisk's Victoza for type 2 diabetes

Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare company, announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the new drug application for Victoza® (liraglutide [rDNA origin] injection), the first once-daily human glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Victoza is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

27 Jan 2010

Texas to invest $4.5 mn in cancer research at UT Health Science Center

Texas plans to invest $3 billion in cancer research over the next 10 years and six scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston are among the first to receive grants.The researchers, whose grants total $4.5 million, are working to protect girls from cervical cancer, to interrupt tumor growth at the molecular level and to develop a new approach for the treatment of colon cancer, among other cutting-edge projects.

27 Jan 2010

IntegraGen now offers Fluidigm's IFC technology to French researchers

Fluidigm, the inventor of integrated fluidic circuits (IFCs), has joined with IntegraGen SA, one of France’s leading providers of genetic research testing services, to bring IFC technology to French researchers. IntegraGen will offer premium class services to its customers using the Fluidigm BioMark™ System for Genetic Analysis and the Access Array™ sample preparation system for next-generation sequencing. IntegraGen’s lab will also be a demonstration site for researchers investigating Fluidigm’s technology.

25 Jan 2010

Labeled menus may lead to reduced calorie intake in children

In a new study, the amount of calories selected by parents for their child's hypothetical meal at McDonald's restaurants were reduced by an average of 102 calories when the menus clearly showed the calories for each item. This is the first study to suggest that labeled menus may lead to significantly reduced calorie intake in fast food restaurant meals purchased for children.

25 Jan 2010

Renowned heart specialists to discuss new cardiovascular treatment and patient care at public forum

World-leading cardiovascular specialists, researchers, family physicians and the public will learn what's new in cardiovascular treatment, patient care and research at the second annual Peter Munk Cardiovascular Symposium, Partnerships in Integrative Patient Care, on January 29 and 30 at the Toronto Metropolitan Hotel.

23 Jan 2010

Interventional cardiologist accesses coronary arteries through radial artery on the inside of wrist

In an innovative new procedure, interventional cardiologist Ramesh Mazhari, MD, is one of only a few in the Washington, DC, region to access the coronary arteries through the radial artery on the inside of the wrist.

23 Jan 2010

UK Gill Heart Institute offers individualized fitness program for heart patients

How do you change health habits among a population with some of the highest heart disease rates in the world? Tackling heart disease in Kentucky - an epicenter of heart health problems - the University of Kentucky Gill Heart Institute Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is helping high-risk patients make radical, lasting changes to improve their heart health.

23 Jan 2010

Lifestyle changes are best defense against heart attack

When it comes to heart health, whether or not your job is stressful isn't what you should be worried about, according to doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Diet, exercise and risk factors like high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity are what contribute to a person's chance of having a heart attack.

23 Jan 2010

NJHA honors professionals and organizations for sustainable healthcare

Several individuals and organizations were honored at the 91st Annual Meeting of the New Jersey Hospital Association today at the Hyatt Regency Princeton.

23 Jan 2010

NCMHD awards Weill Cornell Medical College $8M for establishing CEDREC in New York City

Weill Cornell Medical College has established a new research center to improve medical care in ethnically diverse and medically underserved communities in New York City.

23 Jan 2010

Tips to combat childhood obesity

You've heard the alarming statistic before: one-third of U.S. children and teens are overweight or obese, increasing their risk of developing health problems such as diabetes.

23 Jan 2010

The American Journal of Pathology: Highlights from February 2010 issue

A group led by Dr. Peter Lloyd Jones at the University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland; the University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO; and the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA has demonstrated that tenascin-C affects proto-oncogene function in breast cancer. Their report can be found in the February 2010 issue of The American Journal of Pathology.

22 Jan 2010

Findings may provide new insights into diabetes; suggest novel targets for drug intervention

The neuropeptide corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) makes cameo appearances throughout the body, but its leading role is as the opening act in the stress response, jump-starting the process along the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have found that CRF also plays a part in the pancreas, where it increases insulin secretion and promotes the division of the insulin-producing beta cells.

22 Jan 2010

Mice study shows obesity can increase risk of developing liver cancer

Obesity comes with plenty of health risks, but there's one that's perhaps not so well known: an increased risk of developing cancer, and especially certain types of cancer like liver cancer. Now, a group of researchers reporting in the January 22nd issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, have confirmed in mice that obesity does indeed act as a "bona fide tumor promoter." They also have good evidence to explain how that happens.

22 Jan 2010

Association between vitamin D and risk of colorectal cancer identified

High blood levels of vitamin D are associated with a lower risk of colon cancer, finds a large European study published on bmj.com today. The risk was cut by as much as 40% in people with the highest levels compared with those in the lowest.

22 Jan 2010

Reducing dietary salt can offer significant health benefits

Reducing salt in the American diet by as little as one-half teaspoon (or three grams) per day could prevent nearly 100,000 heart attacks and 92,000 deaths each year, according to a new study. Such benefits are on par with the benefits from reductions in smoking and could save the United States about $24 billion in healthcare costs, the researchers add.

21 Jan 2010

Five questions for successful weight loss

The American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) works with physicians so they’re better prepared to deal with society’s obesity epidemic. Even though people focus on weight loss more in January than any other month, successful weight loss is a year-round long-term initiative that goes far beyond just diet and exercise. The ASBP has highlighted five questions everyone who needs to lose weight should ask their physician.

21 Jan 2010

PHS offers interactive exercise program for school children to combat childhood obesity

ProMedica Health System (PHS) is offering high school students an opportunity to create a children's exercise program for a chance to win $5,000 for college.

21 Jan 2010

Obesity in pregnant women is associated with increased risk of birth defects

In recent years, there has been a large increase in the prevalence of overweight and obese women of childbearing age, with approximately 51% of non-pregnant women ages 20 to 39 being classified as overweight or obese.

21 Jan 2010