Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Researchers find clear genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes

Scientists from the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Lund University and Novartis have announced the discovery of three unsuspected regions of human DNA that contain clear genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes, and another that is associated with elevated blood triglycerides.

27 Apr 2007

Food-associated cues linked to obesity

A unique pattern of gene expression observed in rats may be linked to a conditioned desire for food and excessive food intake, an article published in BMC Biology suggests.

27 Apr 2007

TV food ads make fat kids eat more

Researchers in Britain have found that obese and overweight children eat more after watching food ads on TV.

26 Apr 2007

Schools in the U.S. to lead the way in healthy eating

It was concern regarding the increasing obesity, especially amongst young people, which prompted Congress to ask the Institute of Medicine to develop a set of standards for foods that should be on sale in schools.

26 Apr 2007

Frequent self-weighing is not associated with depression in women

A study being published in a recent issue of Preventive Medicine found no strong evidence linking frequent scale stepping and depression in women. In addition, self-weighing daily, rather than once every week or month, was associated with lower Body Mass Index (BMI) levels in women 40 years or older.

26 Apr 2007

Report calls for more dairy foods at school

The National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine released a report recommending nutrition standards be established for "competitive" foods in the school environment, such as a la carte cafeteria items, vending machines and school stores.

26 Apr 2007

microRNAs can function as tumor suppressors

University of Virginia researchers have discovered that microRNAs, a form of genetic material, can function as tumor suppressors in laboratory studies.

26 Apr 2007

If we could make diet soda taste better, it would be a big step in fighting the obesity epidemic

University of Illinois researchers Soo-Yeun Lee and Shelly Schmidt are trying to solve a mystery: Why doesn't diet soda taste more like regular soda? Can a well-trained panel of "taste testers" pinpoint the exact problem? And can food scientists do anything to fix it?

26 Apr 2007

New study on prisoner health

People with chronic illnesses can experience great difficulties in prison, but people such as drug addicts and the homeless may find their healthcare improves, according to a study in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing.

26 Apr 2007

Menstrual link to obesity

Women who begin their menstrual periods before they are 11 years old are more likely to have children who also start puberty early and are more overweight than the children of mums who mature later.

26 Apr 2007

Obese kids increase their food intake by more than 100% after watching food ads

Obese and overweight children increase their food intake by more than 100% after watching food advertisements on television; a study by the University of Liverpool psychologists has shown.

26 Apr 2007

Children exposed to food ads eat more

Obese and overweight children can double the amount they eat after watching food advertisements on television, according to a new study revealed at the European Congress on Obesity.

26 Apr 2007

Striking parallelism between humans and horses when it comes to obesity

Horses are inheritably couch potatoes. An overeating, slothful horse leads to an obese horse. Unlike humans, however, horse owners often don't see the dangers of an obese horse.

25 Apr 2007

Underlying causes of hot flashes

Many women in the menopausal transition experience hot flashes: unpredictable, sometimes disruptive, periods of intense heat in the upper torso, neck and face.

25 Apr 2007

Primary school children should not be routinely screened for obesity

Primary school children should not be routinely screened for obesity and overweight in the absence of effective treatment, finds research in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

25 Apr 2007

Age when a woman's periods start may affect her children's growth rate

Researchers from the Medical Research Council and University of Cambridge, led by Dr Ken Ong, studied the association between mother's age at first menstruation, mother's adult body size and obesity risk, and children's growth and obesity risk in 6,009 children from the UK Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) in Bristol.

25 Apr 2007