Archive by Author
U.S. Health Stagnates For Fourth Year In A Row As Revealed In 2008 America’s Health Rankings™
In a disturbing development, the 2008 America’s Health Rankings™: A Call to Action for Individuals & Their Communities revealed that the health of Americans has failed to improve for the fourth consecutive year. Key factors contributing to these results included unprecedented levels of obesity, an increasing number of uninsured people, and the persistence of risky health behaviors, particularly tobacco use.
Continue Reading
Thyroid Function And Structure May Be Altered In Pediatric Obesity
In addition to its strong associations with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, pediatric obesity may induce alterations in thyroid function and structure, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).
Continue Reading
Young Doctors Exercise Less Than National Average
In comparison to the national average, young doctors get much less exercise, and this level of exercise is below recommended levels, according to a study released on December 2, 2008 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, one of the BMJ Specialist Journals.
Continue Reading
Secreted Protein Sends Signal That Fat Is On The Way
After you eat a burger and fries or other fat-filled meal, a protein produced by the liver may send a signal that fat is on the way, suggests a report in the December issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication.
Continue Reading
Curbing Hormones’ Effects In Obese Patients Could Aid Against Breast Cancer
Once-promising drugs that were abandoned in the fight against breast cancer still could be effective in obese patients, new research suggests. In laboratory tests, hormones produced by fat cells stimulate breast cancer cells to migrate and invade surrounding tissues, scientists at Emory University School of Medicine found
Continue Reading
Bariatric Surgery May Resolve Liver Disease
Obesity is a growing epidemic in the U.S. with a significant increase in prevalence from 15 percent to 32.9 percent from 1980 to 2004. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an emerging problem related to the obesity epidemic, becoming one of the most common causes of liver disease in the nation. Bariatric surgery has become a popular and effective method for rapid and permanent significant weight loss in morbidly obese individuals.
Continue Reading
Persistent Pollutant May Promote Obesity
Tributyltin, a ubiquitous pollutant that has a potent effect on gene activity, could be promoting obesity, according to an article in the December issue of BioScience. The chemical is used in antifouling paints for boats, as a wood and textile preservative, and as a pesticide on high-value food crops, among many other applications.
Continue Reading
Pregnant Women After Bariatric Surgery Show Fewer Complications
In comparison with pregnant women who are obese, the rates of negative outcomes for mothers or pregnant women and newborn babies may be lower after the woman has undergone bariatric surgery, according to an article released on November 19, 2008 in JAMA. Bariatric surgery, sometimes known as weight loss surgery, can help obese people achieve a healthier body weight.
Continue Reading
The Tongue Is The Start Of The Route To Obesity
Obesity gradually numbs the taste sensation of rats to sweet foods and drives them to consume larger and ever-sweeter meals, according to neuroscientists. Findings from the Penn State study could uncover a critical link between taste and body weight, and reveal how flab hooks the brain on sugary food.
Continue Reading
Mechanism Linking Serotonin With Regulation Of Food Intake Revealed By Research
Genetic mouse models have provided surprising insight into mechanisms linking serotoninergic compounds with the regulation of feeding behavior and body weight.
