Weight Management News

In recent years, Florida State University College of Medicine researchers Angelina R. Sutin and Antonio Terracciano have found that people who experience weight discrimination are more likely to become or remain obese, to develop chronic health problems and to have a lower satisfaction with life. Now they've found that people who report being subjected to weight … [Read more...]

The food on your counter can predict your weight -- especially if it's cereal or soft drinks. Over 200 American kitchens were photographed to determine if the food sitting out on counters could predict the weight of the woman living in each home. The new Cornell study found that women who had breakfast cereal sitting on their counters weighed 20-lbs more than their neighbors … [Read more...]

High levels of total cholesterol are linked to a heightened risk of tendon abnormalities and pain, reveals a pooled analysis of the available evidence published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Chronic low level inflammation, prompted by cholesterol build-up in immune system cells, may have a key role, the findings suggest. Tendons are the tough fibres … [Read more...]

Genes involved in schizophrenia and obesity have been highlighted in a new UCL study, which could lead to a better understanding of the DNA variants which affect risk of these conditions and aid the development of improved strategies for prevention and treatment. The research by the UCL Genetics Institute, published in Annals of Human Genetics, involved analysing over one … [Read more...]

Researchers with the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine (SOM) and the Marshall University Institute for Interdisciplinary Research (MIIR) have identified a mechanism for blocking the signal by which the cellular sodium-potassium pump amplifies oxidants (reactive oxygen species). These oxidants lead to obesity and metabolic syndrome. Their research was … [Read more...]

A group of researchers, led by Professor Richard Holt at the University of Southampton, are to investigate whether people with schizophrenia or first episode psychosis are able to reduce their weight through a structured education program. People with schizophrenia are two to three times more likely to be overweight or obese. As well as a range of adverse physical health … [Read more...]

  While a healthy lifestyle and "good genes" are known to help prevent obesity, new research published on September 15 in Immunity indicates that certain aspects of the immune system may also play an important role. In the new study, scientists observed that mice lacking a particular type of immune cell gained excess weight and developed metabolic abnormalities even … [Read more...]

  A study evaluating the effects of bariatric surgery on obese women most at risk for cancer has found that the weight-loss surgery slashed participants' weight by a third and eliminated precancerous uterine growths in those that had them. Other effects included improving patients' physical quality of life, improving their insulin levels and ability to use glucose -- … [Read more...]

  There's another burst of seat-bouncing, giggling and shouting in researcher Rebecca Hasson's simulated classroom at the University of Michigan as Hasson catches study participant Marcus Patton cheating at Sorry! Marcus isn't having it. "How do you call that cheating?" demands Patton, an 11-year-old cyclone of energy. Patton admits it's tough to sit still. Like … [Read more...]

More than 30-percent of Americans are considered obese.  The extra fat puts them at risk for diabetes, stroke and heart attack. But are all obese people unhealthy? Some could actually be healthier than their skinny friends. Jennifer Boeving told Ivanhoe, “My thinnest, I was probably 115, my biggest, probably 215.” Jennifer was featured in the HBO special The Weight of The … [Read more...]

A direct correlation has been found between more severe forms of obesity in children and related risk factors for developing heart disease and diabetes--particularly in boys. It is estimated that there are more than 3 million children in the United States who are severely obese. More than 3 million children in the United States who are severely obese may be at a higher risk … [Read more...]

Teenagers and adults who go to bed late on weeknights are more likely to gain weight than their peers who hit the hay earlier, according to a new study from the University of California, Berkeley, that has found a correlation between sleep and body mass index. Berkeley researchers analyzed longitudinal data from a nationally representative cohort of more than 3,300 youths … [Read more...]

  A breakthrough study shows that fat tissue is innervated and that direct stimulation of neurons in fat is sufficient to induce fat breakdown. These results set up the stage for developing novel anti-obesity therapies. Weight is controlled by the hormone leptin, which acts in the brain to regulate food intake and metabolism. However, it was largely unknown until … [Read more...]

In rich countries, obesity is more common among the lower educated, whilst in poor countries, obesity is more common among the higher educated. This was shown in a new study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, which confirms earlier research. Previous studies have shown that the number of people with obesity increases with the gross domestic product (GDP) of a … [Read more...]

Obesity is a leading cause of complications and death in children suffering from Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), yet there are few effective treatment options for these patients. In a new study published in Surgery for Obesity and Related Disease researchers found that bariatric surgery, specifically laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), resulted in substantial weight loss with … [Read more...]

Women who are obese have a higher risk and a worse prognosis for breast cancer, but the reasons why remain unclear. A Cornell study published this month in Science Translational Medicine explains how obesity changes the consistency of breast tissue in ways that are similar to tumors, thereby promoting disease. The study of mice and women shows obesity leads to a stiffening … [Read more...]

Young women who play computer games are a new risk group for developing overweight and obesity. This is the finding of a study that includes more than 2,500 Swedes in their twenties. In the current study, around 2,500 young adults between the ages of 20 and 24 responded to a survey on three different occasions: in 2007, 2008 and 2012. Researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy used … [Read more...]

A study of nearly 1,000 teens found that sexually active obese adolescents were significantly less likely to use contraception than normal weight peers, putting them at higher risk of unintended pregnancy. Obese adolescents who did use contraception were also less likely to use it consistently, according to the University of Michigan Health System study that appears in the … [Read more...]

How obese people feel about themselves has much to do with how they experience social stigma and it can change over time, a new study in Health Sociology Review has found. Andrea E. Bombak of the University of Manitoba carried out repeated in-depth interviews with obese or formerly obese people to see how dealing with their excess weight -- whether trying to lose it or … [Read more...]

Physical activity has many health benefits, ranging from reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer to improving mental health and mood But contrary to common belief, exercise does not help you lose weight, according to public health scientists Richard S. Cooper, MD and Amy Luke, PhD of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. "Physical activity … [Read more...]

Among overweight and obese patients with type 2 diabetes, daily injection of the diabetes drug liraglutide with a modified insulin pen device, in addition to diet and exercise, resulted in greater weight loss over 56 weeks compared with placebo, according to a study in the August 18 issue of JAMA. Obesity is a chronic disease and a significant global health challenge. Weight … [Read more...]

New research published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology suggests that, when considering overall costs of healthcare, obese patients with type 2 diabetes, especially those with recent disease onset, should be prioritised for obesity surgery over those without type 2 diabetes, since many patients see a reversal of diabetes after surgery and thus need fewer expensive … [Read more...]

New research enables "tailored" diet advice -- based on our personal gut microbiome -- for persons who want to lose weight and reduce the risk of disease. Systems biologists at Chalmers University of Technology have for the first time successfully identified in detail how some of our most common intestinal bacteria interact during metabolism. The researchers at Chalmers … [Read more...]

Overweight firefighters are twice as likely to attempt to lose weight if their health care provider gives them weight loss advice, according to new research from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health. The results were published in this month's print edition of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. More than 75 … [Read more...]

'Tis the season of plenty of food and drink. While celebrating should be joyful, for some women, it's not. All the holiday temptations can add another layer to an already complicated biological process. It's well known that women undergo hormonal changes every month due to the menstrual cycle. These changes can cause women to eat more, which is a natural, biological … [Read more...]

Obese atrial fibrillation patients have a lower chance of arrhythmia recurrence if they have high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness, and risk continues to decline as exercise capacity increases as part of treatment, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Cardiorespiratory fitness gain provides an incremental gain over weight … [Read more...]

Malnutrition is a known complication of weight loss surgery, but findings from a small study by researchers at Johns Hopkins show many obese people may be malnourished before they undergo the procedure. "Our results highlight the often-overlooked paradox that abundance of food and good nutrition are not one and the same," says senior investigator Kimberley Steele, M.D., … [Read more...]

Arterial wall stiffness and reduced arterial dilation are the first signs of cardiovascular diseases that can be measured. The Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children Study (PANIC) carried out in the Institute of Biomedicine at the University of Eastern Finland shows that low levels of physical activity, weaker physical fitness and higher body fat content are linked to … [Read more...]

Overweight and obese adults are advised to exercise to improve their health, but more than 50 percent do not do so. New research to be presented at the 14th International Conference on Endothelin: Physiology, Pathophysiology and Therapeutics suggests that taking vitamin C supplements daily can have similar cardiovascular benefits as regular exercise in these adults. The … [Read more...]