Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Philips launches DirectLife fitness program to deliver health benefits

Philips is delivering on their commitment to be the leader in health and well-being with the launch of Philips DirectLife, a new customized, interactive fitness program that offers a fun and simple solution to people eager to adopt a more active lifestyle.

20 Oct 2009

Body composition analysis can help in determining obesity risk

The body mass index (BMI) has long been the yardstick in deciding who is at risk because of their weight. BMI is essentially a measure of density, identifying 'under-' and 'over-weight' risk groups. Recent studies however point towards a more sophisticated approach to the issue.

20 Oct 2009

The Affordable Nutrition Index helps people to find budget-friendly nutritious foods

A new food rating system that analyzes both nutrition and cost value of food may now make it easier for people to find budget-friendly, nutritious foods in today-s tough economy.

20 Oct 2009

Diabetes represents a global health threat

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) released new data today showing that a staggering 285 million people worldwide have diabetes.

20 Oct 2009

Amylin Pharmaceuticals to present new data from its obesity program at Obesity 2009

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that new data from its obesity program will be presented at Obesity 2009, the 27th Annual Scientific Meeting of The Obesity Society, to be held in Washington, D.C. October 24-28. Phase 2 data from the pramlintide/metreleptin combination treatment clinical program will be the subject of a late-breaking oral presentation.

20 Oct 2009

Durham VA Medical Center receives Daxor's BVA-100 Blood Volume Analyzer

Daxor Corporation, a medical instrumentation and biotechnology company, today announced the receipt of a signed trial agreement from the Institute for Medical Research at the Durham Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center of Durham, North Carolina.

19 Oct 2009

Metabolic master switch sets the biological clock in body tissues

Our body's activity levels fall and rise to the beat of our internal drums-the 24-hour cycles that govern fundamental physiological functions, from sleeping and feeding patterns to the energy available to our cells. Whereas the master clock in the brain is set by light, the pacemakers in peripheral organs are set by food availability. The underlying molecular mechanism was unknown.

19 Oct 2009

Counseling program to promote education and lifestyle change in lupus patients

According to a new study by Hospital for Special Surgery investigators presented at the American College of Rheumatology meeting on October 21 in Philadelphia, most lupus patients are not aware that their condition puts them at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and a counseling program is a valuable way to promote education and lifestyle change.

19 Oct 2009

Unlike obesity, overweight does not increase mortality rate

Contrary to what was previously assumed, overweight is not increasing the overall death rate in the German population. Matthias Lenz of the Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Natural Sciences of the University of Hamburg and his co-authors present these and other results in the current issue of Deutsches -rtzeblatt International (Dtsch Artzebl Int 2009; 106[40]: 641𔃆).

19 Oct 2009

NFL, NDC launch 'Fuel Up to Play 60' to tackle childhood obesity

The NFL and National Dairy Council (NDC) today launch Fuel Up to Play 60, a new initiative aimed at tackling childhood obesity by giving youth a voice in changing the school nutrition and physical activity environment. The program will reach 36 million youth in 60,000 elementary, middle and high schools during the 2009/2010 school year.

15 Oct 2009

NBC Universal's 'Healthy At NBCU' to connect its health and wellness content with consumers

NBC Universal will unveil a new company-wide initiative today, "Healthy At NBCU," aimed at connecting consumers, employees and marketers with its breadth of health and wellness content. The announcement was made by Lauren Zalaznick, President NBC Universal Women and Lifestyle Entertainment Networks, who is spearheading the initiative.

15 Oct 2009

New range of foods from marine animals and plants to help fight human diseases

Milk drinks that lower blood pressure, meat products that reduce the risk of heart disease, chocolate that calms you down and a new range of foods that can fight obesity can be created from marine animals and plants. Japan already has several product ranges on the shelves and research programmes are underway all over the world to create more.

15 Oct 2009

National Institutes of Health grants $12 million to WCDRC for obesity research

The Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center (WCDRC) recently received six research grants from the National Institutes of Health - totaling more than $12 million in funding - that will support the work of researchers focused on the prevention and treatment of obesity.

15 Oct 2009

Researchers to study gastric banding procedure on overweight, type 2 diabetic patients

In the first trial of its kind in the world, researchers at Monash University's Centre for Obesity Research and Education (CORE) will examine the benefits of a gastric banding procedure on overweight people with Type 2 diabetes.

15 Oct 2009

Required flu vaccines for New York health workers draws criticism

The New York Civil Liberties Union is criticizing a regulation that requires hundreds of thousands of state health workers to get both seasonal and swine flu vaccinations. Critics say it violates workers' right to decide their own medical treatment.

15 Oct 2009

Interest groups campaign against proposed health taxes

"Insurance companies, unions, medical device makers and others in the health care industry are furiously lobbying lawmakers to shift burdens onto someone else — anyone else — before they find themselves saddled with billions of dollars in taxes under new health care legislation," The Associated Press reports.

15 Oct 2009

ValenTx to present its first clinical study for the treatment of morbid obesity

ValenTx, Inc. announces the presentation of the first clinical study of their endoluminal approach for the treatment of morbid obesity at the 2009 American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress.

15 Oct 2009

State-level education policy essential to reverse childhood obesity

The new issue of The State Education Standard, the journal of the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE), examines how education policymakers can best address childhood obesity in school settings.

14 Oct 2009

Swedish Risk Drinking Project surveys physicians and nurses of Sweden

The proportion of health care personnel reporting that they always or often queried their patients regarding alcohol use has increased significantly. This is particularly notable with nurses, where the proportion has doubled to 60 per cent, and midwives, where 92 per cent estimate their capacity to identify risk consumption as good or very good.

14 Oct 2009

Increase in adiponectin hormone levels protects against sepsis-related mortality

A hormone naturally found in the fat that surrounds the abdominal organs for the first time has been linked to death related to sepsis, surgeons reported at the 2009 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons. A study exhibited at the conference showed that low levels of the hormone adiponectin placed animals at a profoundly high risk of death from a septic insult.

14 Oct 2009