Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Obesity expert says rates of severe childhood obesity have tripled

Rates of severe childhood obesity have tripled in the last 25 years, according to a recent study by an obesity expert at Brenner Children's Hospital.

27 Jul 2009

Associations between lifestyle factors and quality of life among older, long-term breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer survivors

A new study finds that most older long-term cancer survivors who are interested in diet and exercise actually have poor health habits.

27 Jul 2009

Global health officials working to prevent H1N1 spread

"Global health officials are scrambling to try to prevent the spread of the H1N1 swine flu virus, with U.S. officials moving Thursday with a recommendation that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approve or license a [new H1N1] vaccine," without waiting on the results from "clinical trials to test its safety and efficacy," Wall Street Journal reports (Dooren/Winning, 7/24).

24 Jul 2009

Researchers identify women at risk of gaining excessive weight with Depo-Provera

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have identified women who are likely to gain weight while using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, more commonly known as Depo-Provera or the birth control shot. These findings dispel the myth that all women who use DMPA will gain weight and will help physicians to counsel patients appropriately.

24 Jul 2009

Active children sleep better

Experts from Australia and New Zealand say exercise plays an important role in the sleeping habits of children and children who do no exercise take longer to fall asleep.

22 Jul 2009

Expert says the benefits of breastfeeding are oversold

Michael Kramer, a professor of pediatrics says that much of the evidence used to persuade mothers to breastfeed was either wrong or out of date.

22 Jul 2009

Stress implicated in anorexia nervosa and obesity

An academic at the University of Hertfordshire is leading a research team to explore how emotions, habits and stress can cause people difficulties in controlling their weight.

21 Jul 2009

Prehypertension, obesity and kidney disease risks

People with prehypertension are not at increased risk of kidney disease if their body mass index (BMI) is under 30.0 kg/m2, a first-ever examination of the combined effect of blood pressure and body weight on the risk of kidney disease shows.

21 Jul 2009

More evidence in favour of a healthy lifestyle in the prevention of cardiovascular disease

As the ESC Congress 2009 draws ever closer, the evidence in favour of a healthy lifestyle for the prevention of cardiovascular disease grows ever stronger. Prevention is the highlight theme of this year's event, which will take place in Barcelona from 29 August to 2 September. Lifestyle factors are heavily on the agenda.

21 Jul 2009

Discovery of five genetic variants related to blood pressure in African-Americans

A team led by researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has reported the discovery of five genetic variants related to blood pressure in African-Americans, findings that may provide new clues to treating and preventing hypertension. The effort marks the first time that a relatively new research approach, called a genome-wide association study, has focused on blood pressure and hypertension in an African-American population.

17 Jul 2009

South American health ministers gather in Argentina to discuss H1N1 preparedness

The health ministers of six South American countries gathered in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday to "coordinate defenses against" the H1N1 (swine flu) virus which has killed nearly 200 people in the region," the AFP/Google.com reports.

16 Jul 2009

Blacks have highest rates of obesity

Blacks had 51 percent higher prevalence of obesity, and Hispanics had 21 percent higher obesity prevalence compared with whites, according to researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

16 Jul 2009

Obesity increases risk of complications in pregnancy

Expectant mothers who are obese are much more likely to suffer from minor complications such as heart burn and chest infections during pregnancy, a study suggests.

16 Jul 2009

Parents more conscious of overweight girls than overweight boys

According to the findings of a national survey by a major health insurance company, too many Australian parents are oblivious to the fact their children are overweight.

16 Jul 2009

Many Australian parents oblivious to the fact their children are overweight

The disturbing results showed that only 7.9% of children were considered to be overweight by their parents. However, this is a gross underestimation according to the recent Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report , which showed almost a quarter of all children (aged two to 12) are overweight or obese.

15 Jul 2009

'Unstoppable Swine flu' and how to deal with it

Health authorities worldwide are preparing for what the World Health Organisation (WHO) has termed the 'unstoppable' spread of the new A/H1N1 virus (swine flu) for which Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO, says a vaccine will not be available for several months to come.

15 Jul 2009

Obama announces Regina Benjamin as Surgeon General pick

Dr. Regina Benjamin is President Obama's pick for surgeon general. The Alabama family physician has been an advocate for universal care, and is expected to have a role "at the table" in health reform, which would be an unusual degree of influence over policy for a surgeon general. Obama said Benjamin "represents what's best about health care in America."

15 Jul 2009