Weight Loss News and Research

Latest Weight Loss News and Research

Scientists explore the role of microRNA that influences obesity-related traits

Eating more n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, commonly known as omega-3 fatty acids, may help carriers of a genetic variant on the perilipin 4 (PLIN4) gene locus lose weight more efficiently.

21 Apr 2011

Genes linked to obesity may also cause poor weight loss outcomes after gastric bypass surgery

Researchers at Geisinger Health System are studying how genes may affect a patient's ability to lose weight following bariatric surgery. Highlighted in the journal Obesity, the study found that several genes that promote obesity may also result in inferior weight loss outcomes after gastric bypass surgery.

21 Apr 2011

Product name impacts dieters' food evaluations

Dieters are so involved with trying to eat virtuously that they are more likely than non-dieters to choose unhealthy foods that are labeled as healthy, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. It seems dieter focus on food names can work to their disadvantage.

20 Apr 2011

Weight loss and memory improvement: Link found

A new study shows that there is a link between weight loss, and improved memory in patients. The study was led by John Gunstad, assistant professor of psychology at Kent State University and focused on roughly 150 overweight patients.

17 Apr 2011

Kakadu Complex can protect against high insulin levels

Following 27 years of research, Australian wild foods are now scientifically recognized as the world's most nutritious plant foods. Their food quality sustained the world's longest living culture -- the Australian Aborigines -- for over 60,000 years, and in better health than we have today.

16 Apr 2011

Amylin's new metreleptin data in lipodystrophy to be presented at AACE meeting

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced results from a new analysis of an ongoing, long-term research study of the investigational drug metreleptin, an analog of the human hormone leptin, for the treatment of lipodystrophy.

16 Apr 2011

Study: Low-carb diet greatly reduces liver fat

Curbing carbohydrates is more effective than cutting calories for individuals who want to quickly reduce the amount of fat in their liver, report UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers.

15 Apr 2011

GSK announces safety profile of orlistat and alli

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is committed to ensuring that consumers and physicians understand the safety profile of orlistat and alli. alli is safe and effective when used as directed. Orlistat is minimally absorbed in the blood and works locally in the gastro-intestinal tract. GSK continues to proactively monitor for the safety of orlistat and share all relevant information with regulatory agencies.

15 Apr 2011

Researchers temporarily turn off essential gene using RNAi technology

One way of discovering a gene's function is to switch it off and observe how the loss of its activity affects an organism. If a gene is essential for survival, however, then switching it off permanently will kill the organism before the gene's function can be determined. Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have overcome this problem by using RNA interference (RNAi) technology to temporarily turn off any essential gene in adult mice and then turn it back on before the change kills the animals.

15 Apr 2011

Diet and exercise most effective when done together for losing weight and body fat

Everyone knows that eating a low-fat, low-calorie diet and getting regular exercise helps shed pounds, but a new study led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has found that when it comes to losing weight and body fat, diet and exercise are most effective when done together as compared to either strategy alone.

15 Apr 2011

Consumer group calls for ban on weight loss drugs Alli and Xenical

According to the consumer watchdog Public Citizen, the weight loss drugs Alli and Xenical should be removed from the market because of the growing risk of side effects that include liver damage, pancreatitis and kidney stones.

15 Apr 2011

Ortho-McNeil Neurologics announces voluntary recall of TOPAMAX 100mg Tablets

Ortho-McNeil Neurologics Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced it is voluntarily recalling two lots of TOPAMAX® (topiramate) 100mg Tablets. These two lots were shipped between 10/19/2010 and 12/28/2010 and distributed in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

15 Apr 2011

Experts to discuss latest findings in IBD research at Rome meeting

Experts from 11 countries will gather this week in Rome to discuss innovative strategies for studying and treating Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

12 Apr 2011

Diet tips for preventing cancer

Not all diet plans help reduce a person's chances of developing cancer, say experts at The University of MD Anderson Cancer Center. Nutrition experts from MD Anderson separate the good from the bad among popular diets.

12 Apr 2011

The Lancet publishes VIVUS 56-week QNEXA study results in obesity

VIVUS, Inc. today announced that detailed results from the 56-week CONQUER study were published in The Lancet evaluating the efficacy and safety of investigational drug QNEXA in 2,487 patients across 93 sites in the US.

11 Apr 2011

Investigational drug effective for patients with obesity

An investigational combination of drugs already approved to treat obesity, migraine and epilepsy produced up to a 10 percent weight loss in obese individuals participating in a one-year clinical trial, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

11 Apr 2011

New weight loss pill - combination of two existing drugs

According to the latest research on obesity treatments there is now a new weapon in the battle for weight loss. It combines two existing drugs that have resulted in twice as much weight loss as the only approved long-term anti-obesity medication.

10 Apr 2011

First trial to test shared decision making for weight-loss surgery

A video-based decision aid helped severely obese people to make more informed choices about bariatric surgery and reach more certainty about them, according to a trial involving 152 Group Health patients, e-published in Obesity in advance of print. This randomized controlled trial is the first to test shared decision making for weight-loss surgery.

8 Apr 2011

Living human taste cells maintained in culture for seven months

Following years of futile attempts, new research from the Monell Center demonstrates that living human taste cells can be maintained in culture for at least seven months. The findings provide scientists with a valuable tool to learn about the human sense of taste and how it functions in health and disease.

7 Apr 2011

Supplements are less well regulated than drugs and may have side effects, drug interactions and toxicities

Vitamins, herbs and other dietary supplements are sold as natural alternatives to pharmaceuticals and many people turn to them in an attempt to improve their health. Others seek supplements to lose weight or after hearing that they can help with serious medical conditions.

7 Apr 2011