Weight Management News

A new study from the University of Copenhagen's OPUS Research Centre reports that being overweight makes children less active. The findings underscore that parents of overweight children have an obligation to keep their children active, as physical activity is vital for the general health of all children. The study also shows that slender children do not become overweight due … [Read more...]

Eating breakfast causes obese people to be more active, according to the latest research published from researchers at the University of Bath (UK). The study, from health scientists based within the University's Department for Health and published in the leading diet and nutrition journal the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, analysed the links between breakfast and … [Read more...]

In the fight against teenage obesity, some researchers have proposed targeting popular teens, in the belief that such kids would have an outsize influence on their peers. But in a Loyola University Chicago study, researchers were surprised to find that this strategy would be only marginally more effective than targeting overweight kids at random. Results are published in … [Read more...]

A new prescription weight-loss medication that combines a popular antidepressant with a medication for addiction will be reviewed by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for potential approval. Losing excess weight and keeping it off is not as easy as simply popping the right pill, but medications can be a part of a healthy weight-loss diet, says an internationally … [Read more...]

A new study led by Johns Hopkins researchers concludes that people with medically serious weight problems can rarely find or have access to proven, reliable programs to help them shed pounds. "The nutrition and weight loss industry is like the Wild West," says Kimberly Gudzune, M.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor of medicine and a weight loss specialist at the Johns Hopkins … [Read more...]

You know that one friend that never worries about weight and seems to stay effortlessly slim? That friend, and others like them might unknowingly possess secrets to helping those who struggle with their weight. New Cornell Food and Brand Lab research findings have helped to uncover lifestyle secrets of the "mindlessly slim." The Food and Brand Lab researchers created the … [Read more...]

For years, scientists have failed to locate the DNA variants that control the weight-regulating hormone, leptin. However, new research has enabled the identification of four genes associated with leptin levels, which is particularly relevant within an obesity context. The study focuses on the powerful hormone leptin, which regulates humans' long-term energy balance by informing … [Read more...]

A new study led by Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) demonstrates that the abnormal metabolism linked to obesity could be regulated in part by the interaction of two metabolic regulators, called the NAD-dependent deacetylase SIRT1 and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21). Using experimental models, the researchers found that a lack of SIRT1 protein in the liver led to … [Read more...]

The calorie-burning triggered by cold temperatures can be achieved biochemically -- without the chill -- raising hopes for a weight-loss strategy focused on the immune system rather than the brain, according to a new study by UC San Francisco researchers. The team determined that two signaling molecules secreted by cells of the immune system trigger the conversion of … [Read more...]

Taxing sugar – before it’s added to processed foods – would reduce obesity-related disease in America, and cut medical costs to boot, according to research at Cornell and Stanford universities. “Nutrient-specific taxes could have an important effect in inducing healthier purchasing behavior among consumers,” Cornell’s Michael Lovenheim and Stanford’s Matthew Harding write in … [Read more...]

Weight loss surgery might have more value than simply helping morbidly obese people to shed unhealthy extra pounds. It reduces their risk of cancer to rates almost similar to those of people of normal weight. This is the conclusion of the first comprehensive review article taking into account relevant studies about obesity, cancer rates and a weight loss procedure called … [Read more...]

Divorce may be linked to higher risk of overweight/obesity among kids involved, and boys may be especially prone to excess weight gain, new research indicates. The researchers base their findings on a nationally representative sample of more than 3000 pupils attending 127 schools across Norway. All the children were part of the national 2010 Norwegian Child Growth … [Read more...]

The incidence of childhood and adult obesity has increased significantly over the past three decades. New research shows that there is an association between obesity development during adulthood and childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Mayo Clinic researchers led the multi-site study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Although various studies propose … [Read more...]

Over the past few years, body mass index, a ratio of a person's height and weight, has effectively become a proxy for whether a person is considered healthy. Many U.S. companies use their employees' BMIs as a factor in determining workers' health care costs. And people with higher BMIs could soon have to pay higher health insurance premiums, if a rule proposed in April by the … [Read more...]

Increasing weight loss per decade as people age from midlife to late life was associated with an increased risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), according to an article published online by JAMA Neurology. MCI is a prodromal (early) stage of dementia with about 5 percent to 15 percent of people with MCI progressing to dementia per year. Changes in body mass index (BMI) and … [Read more...]

Each year, thousands of teenage girls decide to use the injectable contraceptive depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA). They are drawn to DMPA's long-acting convenience (it's injected just four times a year) and near 100% efficacy. However, for some, the drug causes significant and seemingly unstoppable weight gain. With no good explanation for what causes the pounds to … [Read more...]

The first long-term research study of its kind ties masculine gender expression, or how much an individual conforms to masculine norms, to higher Body Mass Index (BMI) in youth. In particular, researchers led by S. Bryn Austin, ScD, from Boston Children's Hospital, found that societal pressures on young males to be larger than other boys their age may place them at higher risk … [Read more...]

Studying mice, researchers have found a way to prevent nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. Blocking a path that delivers dietary fructose to the liver prevented mice from developing the condition, according to investigators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The study appears in a recent issue of … [Read more...]

Limiting saturated fat could help people whose genetic make-up increases their chance of being obese. In a new study, researchers from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University identified 63 gene variants related to obesity and used them to calculate a genetic risk score for obesity for more than 2,800 white, American men and … [Read more...]

The germ Helicobacter pylori is the cause of most stomach ulcers, but new research in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics suggests that treating the bacteria is linked to weight gain. It is estimated that 50% of the global population may be infected with H. pylori; however, only 20% of infected people experience symptoms. New evidence suggests that patients treated … [Read more...]

Exercise by itself isn't always enough to take off the weight. Now, evidence reported in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on January 28 helps to explain why that is: our bodies adapt to higher activity levels, so that people don't necessarily burn extra calories even if they exercise more. The results suggest it's time to rethink the effect of physical activity on … [Read more...]

It is well known that a predisposition to adiposity lies in our genes. A new study by researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg now shows that it is also crucial how these genes are regulated. The scientists led by Andrew Pospisilik discovered a novel regulatory, epigenetic switch, which causes individuals with identical genetic … [Read more...]

Public health researchers from The University of Manchester have found single dietary interventions are not effective at increasing fruit and vegetable consumption among overweight children and will not halt the global epidemic in childhood obesity. The team from Manchester Urban Collaboration of Health (MUCH), based at the University says broader public health strategies … [Read more...]

Research by the University of Liverpool has found that eating prunes as part of a weight control diet can improve weight loss. Consumption of dried fruit is not readily recommended during weight loss despite evidence it enhances feelings of fullness. However, a study by the University's Institute of Psychology, Health and Society of 100 overweight and obese low fiber … [Read more...]

Twenty years after the hormone leptin was found to regulate metabolism, appetite, and weight through brain cells called neurons, Yale School of Medicine researchers have found that the hormone also acts on other types of cells to control appetite. Published in the June 1 issue of Nature Neuroscience, the findings could lead to development of treatments for metabolic … [Read more...]

In the fight against obesity, bariatric surgery is currently the most effective treatment; however, only 1 to 2 percent of qualified patients receive this surgery due to limited access, patient choice, associated risks and the high costs. A novel treatment method -- endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty -- might offer a new solution for obese patients. Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty … [Read more...]

A new body contouring treatment on the market is exciting for both patients and their doctors. It’s called SculpSure. There’s no surgery involved; doctors use lasers in this FDA- approved procedure that takes less time than a leisurely lunch break. Dyana Cruz is a full-time student, working full-time as well. She researched the newly FDA- approved SculpSure and decided to … [Read more...]

Heavy adults who believe drinking diet soda will help them lose or keep weight off should think again. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who examined national patterns in adult diet beverage consumption and calorie intake found that overweight and obese adults who drink diet beverages consume more calories from food than obese or overweight … [Read more...]

Research involving rats suggests that there is a biological link between paternal diet, bodyweight and health at the time of conception and the health of his offspring. In a new research report published online in The FASEB Journal, scientists show that if male rats ate a high fat diet, had diabetes and were obese, their offspring had altered gene expression in two important … [Read more...]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the Maestro Rechargeable System for certain obese adults, the first weight loss treatment device that targets the nerve pathway between the brain and the stomach that controls feelings of hunger and fullness. The Maestro Rechargeable System, the first FDA-approved obesity device since 2007, is approved to treat patients aged … [Read more...]