Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Waste from gut bacteria helps host control weight

A single molecule in the intestinal wall, activated by the waste products from gut bacteria, plays a large role in controlling whether the host animals are lean or fatty, a research team, including scientists from UT Southwestern Medical Center, has found in a mouse study.

19 Oct 2008

People with severe obstructive sleep apnea often have poor diets

A study in the October 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows that unrelated to obesity, people with severe SDBs consume a more unhealthy diet, which may be a factor contributing to greater cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. These findings were most evident among women.

15 Oct 2008

Resveratrol shows promise for treating human alcoholic fatty liver disease

The accumulation of fat in the liver as a result of chronic alcohol consumption could be prevented by consuming resveratrol, according to a new study with mice. The research found that resveratrol reduced the amount of fat produced in the liver of mice fed alcohol and, at the same time, increased the rate at which fat within the liver is broken down.

14 Oct 2008

Breast is best in fight against childhood asthma

A University of Sunderland academic has discovered a link between breast feeding and a lower incidence in asthma in young children.

14 Oct 2008

Black patients with chronic pain less likely to have obesity measured

At the intersection of two U.S. health epidemics - obesity and chronic pain - researchers from the University of Michigan Health System found black patients with chronic pain were less likely to have their weight or body mass index (BMI) recorded, even though they are at higher risk for having obesity when compared with their white counterparts.

14 Oct 2008

Low levels of vitamin D linked to Parkinson's

Scientists in the U.S. have found that many people suffering from Parkinson's disease have inadequate levels of vitamin D compared to healthy people.

14 Oct 2008

Walking the dog - the way to curb childhood obesity

A study by researchers at Deakin University has found that young children who have a dog were 50% less likely to be overweight or obese than those without a pet dog in the family home.

14 Oct 2008

Obese teenagers face higher metabolic syndrome risk in South America than Europe

Obese teenagers are much more likely to suffer from metabolic syndrome - which can lead to heart disease - if they live in Brazil than Italy, according to a study in the October issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

13 Oct 2008

Link found between bisphenol A and heart disease

British scientists have revealed a possible link between the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) and disease in adults.

13 Oct 2008

Experts say more exercise and better diet the key to childhood obesity

With experts saying the life expectancy of Australian children will be shortened by two years if something is not done about the country's obesity epidemic, researchers in Britain are saying the one hour of moderate exercise a day recommended to children from health experts may not be enough to tackle the problem of childhood obesity.

13 Oct 2008

Bisphenol A linked to diabetes and heart disease in adults

A research team from the Peninsula Medical School, the University of Exeter, the University of Plymouth and the University of Iowa, have found evidence linking Bisphenol A (BPA) to diabetes and heart disease in adults.

12 Oct 2008

School vending machines dole out excess calories and added sugar beverages

Despite efforts to include more healthy choices at schools, standard offerings from vending machines - including fruit juices - are giving students more calories than they need.

6 Oct 2008

Helicobacter pylori may help prevent adenocarcinoma, esophageal cancers

Some bacteria may help protect against the development of a type of esophageal cancer, known as adenocarcinoma, according to a new review of the medical literature. These bacteria, which are called Helicobacter pylori, live in the stomachs of humans.

6 Oct 2008

Reading the right book helps obese kids lose weight

Researchers at Duke Children's Hospital in North Carolina have looked at the effect of literature on obese adolescents and discovered that reading the right type of novel may make a difference.

6 Oct 2008

How much do you need to exercise?

Researchers in the United States say people who are struggling with their weight often underestimate how many calories they are actually consuming, which hinders their weight loss efforts.

6 Oct 2008

Weight linked to prostate cancer death

New research, funded in part by the Canadian Cancer Society, shows that men suffering from prostate cancer are up to 2 1/2 times more at risk of dying from the disease if they are overweight or obese. The men who participated in the study had been weighed prior to being diagnosed with prostate cancer.

5 Oct 2008

Discovery of important fat precursor cell

To understand where fat comes from, you have to start with a skinny mouse. By using such a creature, and observing the growth of fat after injections of different kinds of immature cells, Rockefeller University scientists have discovered an important fat precursor cell that may in time explain how changes in the numbers of fat cells might increase and lead to obesity.

5 Oct 2008

Researchers discover genes linked to increased gout risk

A team of researchers from the United States and the Netherlands has identified mutations in three genes that are associated with high levels of uric acid in the blood, which is a risk factor for gout.

5 Oct 2008

Research reveals strong link between music and cardiovascular exercise performance

Brunel University's School of Sport and Education today reveals that, according to Dr Costas Karageorghis's latest research, carefully selected music can significantly increase a person's physical endurance and make the experience of cardiovascular exercise far more positive.

2 Oct 2008

Merck ditches taranabant for obesity

Merck & Co., Inc. will not seek regulatory approval for taranabant, an investigational medicine, to treat obesity and is discontinuing its Phase III clinical development program for taranabant for obesity.

2 Oct 2008