Weight Management News

For the first time scientists have kick-started the natural process by which genetically predisposed obese mice gain weight, opening up a new potential approach to fight off obesity. The study that was presented today at The International Liver CongressTM in Barcelona, Spain suggests that impaired brown adipose tissue (BAT), otherwise known as 'brown fat', drives obesity, and … [Read more...]

A new study presented today demonstrates that a build-up of fat around the waist can cause more serious complications than obesity in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The study was presented at The International Liver CongressTM 2016 in Barcelona, Spain. NAFLD is a condition in which fat builds up in the liver. In some cases this accumulation of … [Read more...]

Maintaining a stable weight loss is the biggest struggle for obese individuals, yet new research from University of Copenhagen have allowed researchers new insights into the complex processes involved in obesity and especially weight loss in obesity. It is now possible to offer overweight people a clearer understanding of how to sustain weight loss. "This study shows that if … [Read more...]

Up to one-quarter of individuals currently labeled as obese are actually metabolically healthy and do not have a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Though obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes, the two conditions aren't always linked. A study published by Cell Press July 3rd in the journal Cell sheds light on a possible explanation, revealing that high levels of a … [Read more...]

Sedentary lifestyle and not caloric intake may be to blame for increased obesity in the US, according to a new analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). A study published in The American Journal of Medicine reveals that in the past 20 years there has been a sharp decrease in physical exercise and an increase in average body mass index … [Read more...]

Research published in the journal Economics and Human Biology has described the relationship between attractiveness, BMI and gender, showing that while women are both the harshest judges of weight in relation to beauty, they are also judged negatively by both men and women for being overweight. When these findings are applied to trends in wages, there is evidence that … [Read more...]

Being overweight appears related to reduced levels of a molecule that reflects brain cell health in the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in memory, learning, and emotions, and likely also involved in appetite control, according to a study performed by researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and other institutions. The results of the study were published in … [Read more...]

Building upon their earlier research on the biology of fat metabolism, Joslin scientists discovered that microRNAs -small RNA molecules that play important roles in regulation in many types of tissue -- play a major role in the distribution and determination of fat cells and whole body metabolism. Also, the study is the first to reveal that microRNAs (miRNAs) influence the … [Read more...]

Obese patients with Type 2 diabetes who don't have excessive surgical risk may find that Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery can help them reduce their risk of heart disease, a new clinical trial shows. "There is emerging evidence highlighting the potential health benefits of bariatric surgery in managing obese patients with Type 2 diabetes. In the past, lifestyle advice … [Read more...]

Obese adults who lose at least 5 percent of their body weight report that they sleep better and longer after six months of weight loss, according to a new study. "This study confirms several studies reporting that weight loss is associated with increased sleep duration," said the study's lead investigator, Nasreen Alfaris, MD, MPH, a fellow in the Department of Medicine at … [Read more...]

Physicians using body mass index (BMI) to diagnose children as obese may be missing 25 percent of kids who have excess body fat despite a normal BMI, which can be a serious concern for long-term health, according to a Mayo Clinic study published online in Pediatric Obesity. The researchers found that BMI has high specificity in identifying pediatric obesity, meaning BMI … [Read more...]

Use of low energy sweeteners (LES) in place of sugar, in children and adults, leads to reduced calorie intake and body weight -- and possibly also when comparing LES beverages to water -- according to a review led by researchers at the University of Bristol published in the International Journal of Obesity. For the first time, all available science was integrated into a … [Read more...]

A new "smart pill" called Gelesis100 safely leads to greater weight loss in overweight and obese individuals compared with those who receive an active comparator/placebo capsule, while all subjects have similar diet and exercise instructions, an international multicenter study finds. Based on three-month results of the First Loss Of Weight (FLOW) study. Gelesis100 (formerly … [Read more...]

Obese and overweight Americans who have tried losing weight report far greater overall satisfaction with weight loss surgery and prescription weight loss medications than with diet, exercise and other self-modification methods, an Internet survey finds. "This finding may mean that diet and exercise alone just don't work for a lot of people," said Z. Jason Wang, PhD, the … [Read more...]

Non-Hispanic white patients who underwent a gastric bypass procedure lost slightly more weight over a three-year period than Hispanic or black patients, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the journal Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases. The study also examined two types of bariatric surgery and found that patients who underwent the now common gastric … [Read more...]

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham say it is time to abandon some popular but erroneous obesity myths. In an article published June 23 in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, the research team presents nine obesity myths and 10 commonly held but unproven presumptions that the authors suggest lead to poor policy decisions, inaccurate public health … [Read more...]

A new study shows that for at least two years after bariatric surgery, patients continue to lose bone, even after their weight stabilizes. The results -- in patients undergoing gastric bypass, the most common type of weight loss surgery. "The long-term consequences of this substantial bone loss are unclear, but it might put them at increased risk of fracture, or breaking a … [Read more...]

New research shows that bariatric surgery (also known as obesity surgery) is much more effective than an intensive lifestyle/medication intervention at reversing type 2 diabetes in patients with only mild-to-moderate obesity. The study is published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes [EASD]) and is by Dr David E. Cummings, … [Read more...]

The number of overweight people is increasing worldwide -- and thus the risk of developing diabetes or cardiovascular disease. For this reason, many dream of an active substance which would simply melt off fat deposits. An international team of scientists has now come one small step closer to this dream: The team discovered a switch in the fat cells of mice and humans with … [Read more...]

Adults who commute to work via cycling or walking have lower body fat percentage and body mass index (BMI) measures in mid-life compared to adults who commute via car, according to a new study in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal. Even people who commute via public transport also showed reductions in BMI and percentage body fat compared with those who commuted … [Read more...]

Bariatric surgery improves life expectancy for many obese diabetic patients, but it may cut life expectancy for patients who are super obese with very high body mass indexes, according to a University of Cincinnati researcher. "For most patients with diabetes and a BMI (body mass index) greater than 35, bariatric surgery increases life expectancy," says Daniel Schauer, MD, … [Read more...]

Will your child be a slim adult? A novel new study published in PLOS ONE asked 532 international English speaking adults to submit or "crowd-source" predictors of whether a child is going to be an overweight or a slim adult. Each participant offered what they believed to be the best predictor of what a child would weigh as an adult and submitted it in the form of a question. … [Read more...]

The spread of obesity and type-2 diabetes could become epidemic in low-income countries, as more individuals are able to own higher priced items such as TVs, computers and cars. The findings of an international study, led by Simon Fraser University health sciences professor Scott Lear, are published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Lear headed an … [Read more...]

In his 2014 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama referred to an August 2013 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study that showed a decline in the obesity rate among low-income pre-school children, saying, "Michelle's Let's Move! partnership with schools, businesses and local leaders has helped bring down childhood obesity rates for the first time in 30 … [Read more...]

Exposure to lead during early development can alter the the gut microbiota, increasing the chances for obesity in adulthood, researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health have found. Adult male mice exposed to lead during gestation and lactation were 11 percent larger than those not exposed, due to differences in their gut microbiota, which is the … [Read more...]

Becoming a big brother or big sister before first grade may lower a child's risk of becoming obese, a new study led by the University of Michigan suggests. The birth of a sibling, especially when the child was between about 2 and 4 years old, was associated with a healthier body mass index (BMI) by first grade, according to the research. Children the same age who didn't have … [Read more...]

Most adolescents consume as much salt as adults -- some more than twice the recommended daily allowance -- and that high sodium intake correlates with fatness and inflammation regardless of how many calories they consume, researchers report. In a study of 766 healthy teens, 97 percent self-reported exceeding the American Heart Association's recommendation of consuming less … [Read more...]

Even though childhood obesity rates in the U.S. have tripled during the past 30 years, more than half of parents do not recognize that their child is overweight, according to a meta-analysis study conducted by UNL graduate student Alyssa Lundahl and her adviser, Timothy Nelson, an assistant professor of psychology. Seeking a clear answer on when and whether parents realize … [Read more...]

Obesity is a known risk factor for many cancers including colon cancer, yet the reasons behind the colon cancer link have often remained unclear. A Michigan State University study is shedding more light on the topic and has shown that elevated leptin -- a fat hormone -- higher body mass index and a larger waistline in men is associated with a greater likelihood of having … [Read more...]

Chronic tissue inflammation is typically associated with obesity and metabolic disease, but new research from UT Southwestern Medical Center now finds that a level of "healthy" inflammation is necessary to prevent metabolic diseases, such as fatty liver. "There is such a thing as 'healthy' inflammation, meaning inflammation that allows the tissue to grow and has overall … [Read more...]