Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

Physical activity can blunt the effect of obesity genes

People who are concerned that they may have a genetic susceptibility for obesity will find some relief from new research conducted in the U.S.

9 Sep 2008

Parents vastly overestimate how much their children exercise

New research from the UK is suggesting that parents vastly overestimate the amount of time their children spend exercising and the true levels are around six times lower than national data suggests.

9 Sep 2008

Discovery of new link between gum disease and heart disease

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. However, many people with cardiovascular disease have none of the common risk factors such as smoking, obesity and high cholesterol. Now, researchers have discovered a new link between gum disease and heart disease that may help find ways to save lives, scientists heard today (Tuesday 9 September 2008) at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin.

8 Sep 2008

Healthy individuals may be at risk for heart disease

In the face of a growing obesity epidemic in the United States, researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have new study results that indicate that how much fat a person has is not as important as where that fat is located when assessing risk for cardiovascular events and metabolic disease.

8 Sep 2008

Bullying parents' top concern for obese kids

As the new school year begins, many parents with overweight and obese children are worried about how their kids will be treated by other students on the playground and in the classroom.

8 Sep 2008

How fat, less important than where that fat is!

The latest research from the U.S. says how fat a person is may be less important than where that fat is.

8 Sep 2008

Prenatal exposure to pollution a culprit in obesity

According to new research a determining factor as to whether a child is fat or not may be decided before they have even been born.

8 Sep 2008

Simple hardness test detects fake medicines

The fight against fake medicines could soon be aided by a small, portable device that quickly measures the hardness of a tablet, revealing whether it is counterfeit, according to research presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester.

7 Sep 2008

Effectiveness of Mediterranean diet confirmed for chronic disease prevention

It is effective in chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, hypertension or osteoporosis. Experts have insisted that it is possible to prevent 80% cardiovascular diseases and 40% different types of cancer through diet, physical exercise and other healthy habits. Scientists of the UGR are specifically analysing how cells react against aggressions which cause pancreatic alterations and result in cancer.

7 Sep 2008

Atomic structure of the mammalian "fatty acid factory" determined

Mammalian fatty acid synthase is one of the most complex molecular synthetic machines in human cells. It is also a promising target for the development of anti-cancer and anti-obesity drugs and the treatment of metabolic disorders. Now researchers at ETH Zurich have determined the atomic structure of a mammalian fatty acid synthase. Their results have just been published in Science magazine.

7 Sep 2008

NIH tackles urologic chronic pelvic pain disorders

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announces awards to eight academic research centers to conduct collaborative studies of urologic chronic pelvic pain disorders by looking for clues outside the bladder and prostate. The total research investment for the five-year project is estimated to be up to $37.5 million.

7 Sep 2008

Early weight gain linked to higher blood pressure in adulthood

The pace of weight gain in early childhood may be associated with increased blood pressure in adulthood, according to a report by researchers at Bristol University. The findings were published in October's edition of Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

7 Sep 2008

Women who give birth at California hospitals serving mostly minority, low-income patients less likely than others to breastfeed

Women who give birth at California hospitals serving mostly non-white, low-income women and children are less likely to breastfeed than women who give birth at other hospitals around the state, according to a report released from the University of California-Davis Human Lactation Center and the California WIC Association, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports (Dean, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 9/2).

4 Sep 2008

Mike Huckabee says GOP should focus more on health care in Presidential election

Former Republican presidential candidate and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on Tuesday during a forum about obesity expressed disappointment that the party has not focused more on health care in the presidential election, The Hill reports.

4 Sep 2008

Why bypass surgery helps in diabetes

To manage obesity, various different surgical procedures can be performed on the stomach, including so-called bypass surgery in which, as well as reducing the size of the stomach, a bypass is created to send food directly into the distal gut (which, before the operation, is far from the stomach).

3 Sep 2008

Just a little exercise each day helps prevent memory deterioration

West Australian health experts are urging older people to get active after proving for the first time that just 20 minutes of activity each day can prevent memory deterioration.

2 Sep 2008

The impact of soft drink availability in elementary schools on consumption

The consumption of soft drinks is generally considered to be a contributing factor in childhood obesity. Because children spend a substantial amount of time at school, the school food environment plays a central part in shaping eating behaviors.

2 Sep 2008

New diagnostic tools and biomarkers

Patients presenting shortness of breath on arrival at the emergency department (ED) can gain from improved diagnosis allowing physicians to distinguish congestive heart failure patients from those presenting pneumonia.

1 Sep 2008

Advances in the management of diabetes mellitus

The need for long term studies to establish the best means of treating Diabetes, was underlined by Prof John Cleland from the University of Hull at the ESC Congress in Munich. Prof Cleland listed the latest treatment available for patients and voiced his concern about the side-effects and efficacy of available anti-diabetic drugs.

1 Sep 2008

World Cancer Declaration sets ambitious targets for 2020

A summit of more than 60 high-level policymakers, leaders and health experts have adopted a global plan aimed at tackling the growing cancer crisis in developing countries.

1 Sep 2008