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Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness News

Height Of Black Women Declining; Obesity Might Be Related To Cause, Study Finds
A yet-to-be-released study has found shorter heights among black women born around 1980 compared with those born in the mid-1960s, a disparity that might be linked to obesity among black women, the Washington Post reports. Read article... Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:00:00 PST
Obesity: Reviving The Promise Of Leptin
The discovery more than a decade ago of leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone secreted by fat tissue, generated headlines and great hopes for an effective treatment for obesity. But hopes dimmed when it was found that obese people are unresponsive to leptin due to development of leptin resistance in the brain. Now, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston report the first agents demonstrated to sensitize the brain to leptin: oral drugs that are already FDA-approved and known to be safe. Read article... Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:00:00 PST
Physical Activity May Not Be Key To Obesity Epidemic
A recent international study fails to support the common belief that the number of calories burned in physical activity is a key factor in rising rates of obesity. Researchers from Loyola University Health System and other centers compared African American women in metropolitan Chicago with women in rural Nigeria. On average, the Chicago women weighed 184 pounds and the Nigerian women weighed 127 pounds. Read article... Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:00:00 PST
Lifelong Gender Difference In Physical Activity Revealed By Studies
Females of all ages are less active than their male peers. Two studies, presented today (Tuesday 6 January) at a major academic conference, reveal the gender difference in activity levels among school children and the over 70s. Both studies show males to be more physically active than females. Read article... Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:00:00 PST
Controlling Type 2 Diabetes With Low-Carb Diets
In a six-month comparison of low-carb diets, one that encourages eating carbohydrates with the lowest-possible rating on the glycemic index leads to greater improvement in blood sugar control, according to Duke University Medical Center researchers. Read article... Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:00:00 PST
Exertion At Work And Play Can Trigger Deadly Asthma Attacks
If you're an asthma sufferer, make sure the medical history at your doctor's office includes your employment and recreation plans. A new screening tool developed by Tel Aviv University researchers may save you a trip to the emergency room later on. It has long been suspected that physical exertion itself, as part of work or play, can trigger an asthma attack, but little medical evidence has been found for this conclusion - until now. A study by Dr. Read article... Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:00:00 PST
Obesity Starts Earlier Than You Think
Recent reports have indicated that childhood obesity is set in place by the age of five, but, "Actually, it starts in the womb," says Dr. Barry Sears, one of the world's leading experts on the impact of diet on hormones and gene expression. "Obesity has an exceptionally strong genetic component. Read article... Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:00:00 PST
New Eating Plan Makes Weight Loss Extra Easy
Every January millions of people in the UK make a New Year's resolution to lose weight. Seventy five per cent of adults make weight loss their number one aim, but most have given up by the end of the month. The good news for those seeking to eat more healthily without hunger and deprivation is that it is easy to eat to satisfy your appetite and enjoy an everyday treat too. Read article... Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:00:00 PST
Obesity Comes With A Price Tag
There are hard dollars-and-cents costs to being overweight or obese, according to Humana (NYSE: HUM), one of the nation's largest health benefits companies. Specifically, Humana estimates these costs at the following for 2009: - $19.39 in added health care costs for every overweight pound; - $1,037.64 for every overweight individual; - $127 billion added to the national health care bill. Read article... Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:00:00 PST
Getting A Good Deal On Gym Membership
New Year is the time when many people decide to join a gym, or revisit a neglected gym membership, and in the current economic climate, gym owners will be concerned not only to attract new members but also to hold onto their existing ones, so now is a good time to get a good deal on your gym membership. According to some of the media reports from the US, gym companies are "slashing prices" (LA Times, 5 Jan 09). Read article... Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:00:00 PST
Study Links Obesity To Elevated Risk Of Ovarian Cancer
A new epidemiological study has found that among women who have never used menopausal hormone therapy, obese women are at an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer compared with women of normal weight. Published in the February 15, 2009 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the research indicates that obesity may contribute to the development of ovarian cancer through a hormonal mechanism. Read article... Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:00:00 PST
Trying To Eat Less Becomes More Important To Fend Off Middle Age Weight Gain
Lots of experts disagree over the seemingly obvious notion of keeping weight off by trying to eat less a debate that centers on whether the practice backfires, leading to binging and weight gain. Now a new study shows that practicing restraint becomes more important with age. Women who participated in the study had more than twice the risk of substantial weight gain if they did not become more restrained in their eating. Read article... Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:00:00 PST
Debunking The Detox Myth
A group of over 300 young UK scientists and engineers who investigated the evidence behind claims made for products and diets, have started a public awareness campaign by publishing a dossier that shows the word "detox" has no meaning outside of the clinical treatment of drug addiction and poisoning. Called the "Detox Dossier", the report describes the findings of the investigation by the Voice of Young Science (VoYS) network of over 300 early career researchers. Read article... Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:00:00 PST
Keep Your New Year's Resolution To Lose Weight
With the sumptuous food and treats available during the holiday season, it's easy for us overdo it - even while we are adopting a New Year's resolution to lose weight and be active. "Making a resolution to lose weight today is an important first step to a long and healthy life," said Department of Health Services Secretary Karen Timberlake. Read article... Sun, 04 Jan 2009 01:00:00 PST
Connecticut Department Of Public Health Urges Residents To Consider Their Health When Choosing A New Year's Resolution
The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) is urging people to consider resolutions for a healthy lifestyle for the New Year. Whether your resolution is to take better care of your general health, lose weight, or quit using tobacco, the DPH offers tips and resources to help you succeed in leading a healthier lifestyle. Read article... Sat, 03 Jan 2009 01:00:00 PST
Can't Chalk It Up To "Baby Fat"
Despite recent widespread media attention given to studies that have indicated one-third of American children have a weight problem, a new study shows just one-third of children who are overweight or obese actually receive that diagnosis by a pediatrician. Read article... Sat, 03 Jan 2009 00:00:00 PST
Minimizing Obesity's Impact On Ovarian Cancer Survival
Obesity affects health in several ways, but new research shows obesity can have minimal impact on ovarian cancer survival. A study by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Comprehensive Cancer Center found ovarian cancer survival rates are the same for obese and non-obese women if their chemotherapy doses are closely matched to individual weight. Read article... Fri, 02 Jan 2009 02:00:00 PST
New Strategies For The New Year: Resolving To Break An Addiction? Help From Harvard Medical School
Addiction affects people from all walks of life-presidents struggling to stop smoking, doctors dependent on pain pills, elderly widows who gamble too much, and teenagers abusing stimulant drugs. Nearly a quarter of Americans have a nicotine addiction at one point or another, and more than one in seven grapple with a drug or alcohol use disorder. Read article... Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:00:00 PST
FDA Warns Consumers About Tainted Weight Loss Pills - Agency Seeks Recall Of Products That Pose Serious Health Risks
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting consumers nationwide not to purchase or consume more than 25 different products marketed for weight loss because they contain undeclared, active pharmaceutical ingredients that may put consumers' health at risk. Read article... Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:00:00 PST
Treadmill Desks Improves Cognitive Function, Unlike Low Carb Diets
America's fixation on low carb diets has been shown to be ineffective over the long term for dieters however study results released today suggests it may have harmful effects on brain function as well. The study out of Tufts University focused on women aged 22 to 55 engaging in low carb diets similar to the Atkins Diet. Participants were found to have significantly diminished memory scores than the control groups consuming a normal diet. Read article... Wed, 31 Dec 2008 00:00:00 PST
Weight Loss Surgery Patients Face Holiday Eating Challenges Head On
For most of us, the holidays are a non-stop food fest that challenges our resolve to eat healthy. From office parties and cookie exchanges to holiday parties and tasty gifts, the temptations are all around. Holiday challenges are even greater for people who have undergone weight loss surgery. "Because people who have undergone weight loss surgery can only eat a half cup of food at a time, they have to focus on portion control," said Gregory Barnes, M.D. Read article... Sat, 27 Dec 2008 01:00:00 PST
Overweight In Children Starting School
Immigrant children have a greater risk of suffering from overweight and obesity. This is the result of a study from Augsburg with 2306 children examined on starting school. Elisabeth Weber and her coauthors present the results in the current issue of Deutsches Arzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztbl Int 2008; 105 [51-52]: 883-9). The doctors recorded not only the age, sex, weight, and height of the children, but also their mother tongue. Read article... Fri, 26 Dec 2008 01:00:00 PST
Who Are You Kidding? Overweight Or Obese Mums Who Underestimate Their Weight Status Are More Likely To Over Gain During Pregnancy
Women who misperceive their body weight are more likely to gain too much weight during pregnancy. A study published today in the open access journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth has shown that a poor estimation of one's own size at the beginning of pregnancy is associated with excessive gestational weight gain, in both normal weight and overweight or obese women. Read article... Fri, 26 Dec 2008 01:00:00 PST
Joint Statement From ACC, ADA And AHA Revises Recommendations For Glycemic Targets For Some Patients
Some people with diabetes may require less stringent glycemic control than previously recommended, but most should stick with the target goal of less than 7 percent long advised for reducing the risk of diabetes-related complications, according to a position statement issued joint Read article... Fri, 26 Dec 2008 00:00:00 PST
Eating At Buffets Plus Not Exercising Equals Obesity In Rural America
In small towns in the Midwestern United States, people who eat out often at buffets and cafeterias and who perceive their community to be unpleasant for physical activity are more likely to be obese. "It's not that people don't want to get physical activity or eat healthy foods, but we've made it difficult in many communities," says Ross Brownson, Ph.D., senior author of the study and a professor at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Read article... Thu, 25 Dec 2008 01:00:00 PST