Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Hunger influenced by leptin hormone

Researchers at UCLA have determined the brain circuits involved in hunger that are influenced by a hormone called leptin.

29 Oct 2007

Research identifies two genes that may play a role in insulin resistance

New research from UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) identifies two genes that may play a role in insulin resistance, opening a new avenue for researchers searching for treatments for type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

28 Oct 2007

Obesity-related hormone is higher in children with Down syndrome

Children with Down syndrome are more likely than their unaffected siblings to have higher levels of a hormone associated with obesity, according to pediatric researchers.

28 Oct 2007

Advancement in radiation oncology treatment called IMRT improves care, avoids healthy tissue

New advancements in a radiation oncology treatment called IMRT (intensity modulated radiation therapy) are proving far superior to standard radiation procedures used today in safeguarding the healthy tissues surrounding cancerous tumors, and thus improving patient care.

28 Oct 2007

Attenuation of NASH by stimulation of free fatty acid metabolism

Medically-complicated obesity is a societal problem that needs to be solved. Liver disease, specifically non-alcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH, is just one of the many complications of increased body weight.

28 Oct 2007

Obesity risks increase after menopause

Postmenopausal women are at an age when the incidence and exacerbation of the chronic health conditions associated with obesity become more prevalent.

25 Oct 2007

More evidence dopamine plays a role in obesity

A brain-imaging study of genetically obese rats conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory provides more evidence that dopamine - a brain chemical associated with reward, pleasure, movement, and motivation - plays a role in obesity.

25 Oct 2007

Many medical disorders may be languishing in mountains of discarded gene data

Previously hidden obesity-related genes have been uncovered from old experiments by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.

24 Oct 2007

The financial burdens of overweight and obesity among elderly Americans

What many Americans eat and how little they exercise could wind up costing them - and American taxpayers - some serious money. Moreover, the overweight and obese may lose months from their lifespans.

24 Oct 2007

Alcoholism in the family linked to greater sweet preferences among women

More than 250 million women worldwide smoke tobacco. Compared to men, women have a greater risk of smoking-related diseases, and also have more difficulty quitting. A new study, the first of its kind, has found that cigarette smoking and having a family history of alcoholism have different effects on sweet-taste perception and food cravings.

24 Oct 2007

Orexigen presents findings on obesity drug candidates

Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders including obesity, has presented the results of a preclinical study that further supports the Company's understanding of an aspect of the mechanism of action of Contrave, one of its two late-stage obesity drug candidates.

24 Oct 2007

How body image is perceived across different ethnic backgrounds

Different cultures have different standards and norms for appropriate body size and shape, which can effect how children perceive their body image.

24 Oct 2007

Obesity goes global

According to the experts obesity is becoming a global affair and over 60% of men and 50% of women are either overweight or obese.

24 Oct 2007

Link between obesity and viral infections

Experts don't dispute the important role that diet and activity play in maintaining a healthy weight.

23 Oct 2007

Weight gain in middle-age linked to breast cancer

According to new research women who gain weight throughout adulthood rather than maintaining a stable weight may have an increased risk for breast cancer

23 Oct 2007

Women who gain weight throughout adulthood have a greater breast cancer risk

Women who gain weight throughout adulthood rather than maintaining a stable weight may have an increased risk for breast cancer, according to a report in the October 22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

22 Oct 2007

Hispanics and African Americans are less likely to use commercial weight loss programs

A new analysis of a landmark weight loss survey suggests that Hispanics and African Americans are more likely than whites to use unproven dietary supplements for weight loss.

22 Oct 2007

More fast food means greater body mass index

Americans are less willing to pay more for healthy dishes, less knowledgeable about healthy menu items, and more likely to consider healthy items bland tasting, finds a Temple University analysis.

22 Oct 2007

40 percent of men and 30 percent of women are overweight

A new global study revealed that 40 percent of men and 30 percent of women are overweight, while 24 percent of men and 27 percent of women are obese, researchers reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

22 Oct 2007

Exercise improves thinking and reduces diabetes in overweight kids

Just three months of daily, vigorous physical activity in overweight children improves their thinking and reduces their diabetes risk, researchers say.

22 Oct 2007