US obesity problem ‘intensifies’

Obesity rates in the US have surged over the last year, a report shows. The Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found adult obesity rates rose in 23 of the 50 states, but fell in none. In addition, the percentage of obese and overweight children is at or above 30% in 30 states. Obesity is linked to a range of health problems, including heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Full Story : BBC.co.uk….

Study finds severely obese people are slow to feel full

The physiological process that makes one feel full after eating may be impaired in severely obese people, according to research at Miriam Hospital. The study’s findings, published online in Obesity Surgery, support previous research comparing people with mild obesity and normal-weight people. But the researchers say that this is the first study to test this model in a severely obese group. Full Story : Projo.com….

Experimental Weight-Loss Drugs May Fight Diabetes, Too

Three investigational diet drugs now being developed might also help prevent and treat diabetes, preliminary new research indicates. The drugs – Contrave, lorcaserin, and Qnexa – showed an ability to improve blood glucose levels and other cardiometabolic risk factors. None of the drugs is approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but just last week, the makers of Contrave reported that the drug was performing well in a late-stage clinical trial. The drug is made by Orexigen Therapeutics Inc. Clinical studies of the drugs have found that all three effectively improved blood glucose levels, blood pressure, and triglycerides, according to research presented this week at a meeting of the American Diabetes Association. Full Story : Attorneyatlaw.com…..

Race and short sleep duration increase the risk for obesity

According to a research abstract that will be presented on Monday, June 8, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, race significantly influences the risk of obesity conferred by short sleep duration, with blacks having a greater risk than whites. Results indicate that short sleep was associated with obesity, with the adjusted odds ratios for black Americans (1.78) and white Americans (1.43) showing that blacks had a 35 percent greater risk than whites of obesity associated with short sleep. The prevalence of obesity (body mass index of 30 or higher) was 52 percent for blacks and 38 percent for whites. The prevalence of short sleep (5 hours or less) was 12 percent for blacks and eight percent for whites. Full Story : EurekaAlert.com…

Fatty foods — not empty stomach — fire up hunger hormone

New research led by the University of Cincinnati (UC) suggests that the hunger hormone ghrelin is activated by fats from the foods we eat — not those made in the body — in order to optimize nutrient metabolism and promote the storage of body fat. The findings, the study’s author says, turn the current model about ghrelin on its head and point to a novel stomach enzyme (GOAT) responsible for the ghrelin activation process that could be targeted in future treatments for metabolic diseases. Full Story : ScienceBlog.com…

Study finds link between individual stress and adolescent obesity

Stress may indeed be a direct contributor to childhood obesity. That’s according to a new Iowa State University study finding that increased levels of stress in adolescents are associated with a greater likelihood of them being overweight or obese. Forty-seven percent of the teens studied were overweight or obese, but that percentage increased to 56.2 percent among those who were impacted by four or more stressors. Full Story : Physorg.com…..

Which Sugar Is Worse: Fructose Or Glucose?

In 2005, the average American consumed 64kg of added sugar, a size able proportion of which came through drinking soft drinks. Now, a 10-week study, at the University of California have provided evidence that human consumption of fructose-sweetened but not glucose-sweetened beverages can adversely affect both sensitivity to the hormone insulin and how the body handles fats, creating medical conditions that increase susceptibility to heart attack and stroke. Full Story : ScienceDaily.com…..

Happiest European children in Netherlands

The happiest children in Europe are in the Netherlands and Scandinavia but Britain is among the worst places to grow up, according to new British research published Tuesday. The researchers assessed the countries using 43 separate criteria, ranging from infant mortality and obesity to factors such as poverty and housing. Germany was eighth, France was 15th and Britain was ranked only above Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania and Malta. Full Story :Physorg.com………

Vegetable juice may help People with metabolic syndrome lose weight

Drinking at least one glass of low sodium vegetable juice daily may help overweight people with metabolic syndrome achieve better weight loss results. A study, conducted at the Baylor College of Medicine and presented at this week’s Experimental Biology Meeting, found that participants who drank at least 8-ounces of low sodium vegetable juice as part of a calorie-controlled DASH diet lost four pounds over 12 weeks, while those who followed the same diet but drank no juice lost one pound. Full Story : Physorg.com…..

Cold-Activated Brown Fat May Lead to New Obesity Treatments

Brown adipose tissue (called brown fat) helps babies, young children, and other small mammals stay warm by burning calories when activated by low temperatures. Scientists have been skeptical that adults retain significant amounts of brown fat on their bodies. But the new research shows that many of us—perhaps even most—do. The maximum amount of extra energy that people with relatively large brown fat deposits can burn probably tops out at about 500 calories. Full Story : Health.com…..

Obese May Be Less Likely to Survive Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer patients who are obese may be 12 times more likely to have cancer that’s already spread to their lymph nodes at the time of surgery than similar cancer patients who weigh less, according to a study released Monday in the Archives of Surgery. Full Story : Health.com

Family Dinner leads to Good health

An interesting new study suggests families to dine together, in order to lead a healthy life. The study reveals that families who dine together encourage healthy eating habits among children. With the growing obesity rate among children, I think it should be one of the top priorities of parents.

Obesity And Abnormal Sperm

In the 24th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, Dr. A Ghiyath Shayeb said that men with a higher body mass index (BMI) have lower volumes of seminal fluid and a higher proportion of abnormal sperm. If you want to be fertile and have babies, you should consider losing some weight, and maintain your body weight to normal BMI. Living a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet, regular exercise are needed to be in the normal BMI range.

Reason For Teenage Obesity

Dr. Catherine Berkey and colleagues from Harvard Medical School,  Growing Up Today Study (GUTS), surveyed more than 5000 girls, 14 - 21 years from all 50 states, and  their weekly habits were recorded. The researchers found that more Internet time, more alcohol consumption, and less sleep resulted in extra weight gain. Girls who consumed 2 or more alcoholic beverages a week or slept less than 6 hours at night gained more weight.  Girls who use Internet in addition to alcohol and sleep gain 4 extra pounds a year. Researchers are encouraging adolescent girls to replace recreational Internet time with more sleep, and avoid alcoholic beverage consumption to lose their weight.

Shorter REM And Overweight

A research done by Xianchen Liu, MD, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh, showed the association of short sleep time and overweight in children and adolescents. It’s mostly attributed to reduced REM sleep. When compared with normal-weight children, overweight children slept about 22 minutes less, shorter REM period, and lower REM activity, density and had lower sleep efficiency.

Cost of Obesity $487 billion

In the United States, 66% of adults are overweight. Almost 33% of adults are obese, and 4.7% are morbidly obese, or more than 100 pounds overweight. If Americans were slim, the country would save $487 billion. Breakdown of the savings, $5 billion in fuel costs (airlines would be profitable); $10 billion on plus-size clothing; $81 billion from the extra food we need to maintain our massive weight; $141 billion on health care; and $257 billion in lost productivity. The savings on medical, fuel, food and other costs would be enough to give every U.S. household more than $4,000.

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Urban planning and Obesity

Research led by the University of Alberta and funded by the Canadian Institute for Health Information shows that there is a clear link between the urban surrounding and likelihood of obese. The study found that lower-income neighbourhoods were more likely to have greater access to sources of high-calorie foods, such as fast-food outlets, and lower access to supermarkets or other stores stocking healthy foods.