Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Link between psoriasis and diabetes and atherosclerosis

Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition characterized by thick, red, scaly plaques that itch and sometimes bleed, causing considerable discomfort and emotional stress for patients.

19 Apr 2007

Obese women 3.5 times more likely to require a Caesarean

Liverpool scientists have uncovered the reason why overweight women have more Caesarean sections; they are at significant risk of their uterus contracting poorly in childbirth.

19 Apr 2007

New bill to train more preventive medicine doctors

U.S. Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) joined together to take a major step toward stemming the tide of America's eroding preventive medicine and public health workforce.

18 Apr 2007

Twin studies identify genes that influence human health in unexpected ways

Daniel O'Connor, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine has studied about 265 twin pairs over the past few years, which has led him to some surprising discoveries.

18 Apr 2007

Animal model for binge eating disorder

University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) psychologists have developed an animal model for the binge eating disorder, which affects an estimated one in 20 Americans.

18 Apr 2007

New study to assess bariatric surgery in extremely overweight teens

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched an observational study to evaluate the benefits and risks of bariatric surgery in adolescents.

18 Apr 2007

Common misconception that diabetes is 'in the genes' for Indigenous people dispelled

The high rate of diabetes among indigenous people is not due to their genetic heritage, according to a recently published study.

17 Apr 2007

Study dispels myth that certain minority groups are genetically prone to diabetes

A study by U.S. and Australian researchers is helping dispel the 40-year-old "thrifty genotype theory," which purports that certain minority groups are genetically prone to diabetes.

17 Apr 2007

Geisinger Health System launches study on obesity and related liver problem

Relying on one of the largest collections of liver tissue samples ever acquired by a single organization, Geisinger Health System researchers have embarked on a massive study of one of the fastest growing liver problems.

17 Apr 2007

Significant rise in childhood obesity

Four-year-old girls are six times more likely to have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of more than 30 than they were 20 years ago and ten-year-olds are five times more likely, according to research published in the April issue of Acta Paediatrica.

17 Apr 2007

Overweight children more likely to need ear tubes

New research from scientists in South Korea suggests that obesity may be a factor in the risk of middle ear infections with fluid in children.

17 Apr 2007

Chondroitin for arthritis just doesn't work

According to Swiss researchers the dietary supplement chondroitin is no better than a placebo at easing the hip and knee pain of arthritis and they believe its use should be discouraged.

17 Apr 2007

New findings on insomnia

Those persons who are labeled a 'night owl' report more pathological symptoms related to insomnia, despite many having the opportunity to compensate for their nocturnal sleeplessness by extending their time in bed and being able to gain more total sleep time, according to a study published in the April 15th issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM).

16 Apr 2007

Eating well still one of the best ways to prevent cancer and promote good health

We all know that eating fruits, vegetables and soy products provides essential nutrition for a healthy lifestyle, while obesity leads to the opposite.

16 Apr 2007

deCODE launches novel DNA-based reference laboratory test for assessing inherited risk of type 2 diabetes

deCODE genetics has announced the launch of deCODE T2, a novel DNA-based reference laboratory test for the first common and well-validated genetic risk factor for type 2 diabetes (T2D).

16 Apr 2007

Night owls do it tougher than other insomniacs

According to a new study night owls, those who stay up late with insomnia and then sleep longer in the mornings, have more psychological symptoms than morning insomniacs and need different treatment, even though they get more sleep.

16 Apr 2007

Are healthy choices available when eating out?

With obesity, diabetes and other diet-related maladies on the rise in the United States, are healthy choices available when eating out? In an interview study of top executives at major U.S. restaurant chains, researchers found that the message is mixed.

15 Apr 2007

Use of computer-assisted drug design in drug discovery

Metabasis Therapeutics has announced that on March 27, 2007 at the American Chemical Society 233rd National Meeting and Exposition in Chicago, Dr. M. Rami Reddy presented, "Use of Computer-Assisted Drug Design in Drug Discovery: Limitations and Advantages of Available Computational Methods."

15 Apr 2007

People with two copies of a particular gene have a 70% higher risk of being obese

Scientists have identified the most clear genetic link yet to obesity in the general population as part of a major study of diseases funded by the Wellcome Trust, the UK's largest medical research charity.

15 Apr 2007