Weight Management

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...]

More than a third of children in England are overweight/obese, finds a 20 year study of electronic health records, published online in Archives of Disease in Childhood. But the rapid rise in prevalence may be starting to level off -- at least in younger children -- the findings indicate, although there are no grounds for complacency, warn the researchers. They scrutinised … [Read more...]

A new study suggests that how one compares weight-wise with others in his or her community plays a key role in determining how satisfied the person is with his or her life. "The most interesting finding for us was that, in U.S. counties where obesity is particularly prevalent, being obese has very little negative effect on one's life satisfaction," said study co-author … [Read more...]

Using the latest connected-health technology, research from The University of Manchester indicates that the more often people engage with digital weighing scales, the more weight they lose. The findings, which are based on data gathered over a period of four years with 975 public participants, showed that the users who interacted the most with their internet-enabled scales … [Read more...]

Plasticisers such as phthalates are always found in plastics. They can get into our bodies through the skin or by the diet. They affect our hormone system and are suspected of having an influence on our body weight. The exact correlations and mechanisms have been unclear thus far. In cooperation with the Integrated Research and Treatment Center (IFB) Adiposity Diseases at the … [Read more...]

Researchers at The John B. Pierce Laboratory and the Yale School of Medicine have revealed that the ability to vividly imagine the smell of popcorn, freshly baked cookies and even non-food odors is greater in obese adults. Their research was published in the journal Appetite in August 2015 and was presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive … [Read more...]

New observations show that older bipolar patients often have decreased activity in the hormone system responsible for the secretion of the stress hormone cortisol. Low levels of cortisol in bipolar patients were also associated with depression, low quality of life, obesity, dyslipidaemia and metabolic syndrome. These discoveries could provide important clues as to how treatment … [Read more...]

A new study published today in Obesity, the journal of The Obesity Society, confirms that drinking diet beverages can help people lose weight. "This study clearly demonstrates that diet beverages can in fact help people lose weight, directly countering myths in recent years that suggest the opposite effect -- weight gain," said James O. Hill, Ph.D., executive director of the … [Read more...]

Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have found an association between obesity and the formation of blood clots in the veins of children and adolescents. While obesity is a well-established risk factor for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in adults, previous studies in pediatric populations have yielded mixed results. The Wake Forest Baptist investigation, however, … [Read more...]

Okay, so maybe not a thousand kilos, exactly, but a study at the University of Alicante shows how a photo diary can keep dieters motivated, making them more likely to achieve their target weight. Isaac Elías Kuzmar Daza, a medical professional from Colombia and more recently PhD student at the Universidad de Alicante (University of Alicante, UA), studied the motivation … [Read more...]

Poorer people of all ages are less likely than wealthier ones to follow recommended strategies for weight loss, finds a recent study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. "We found that compared to persons of higher household incomes, both youths and adults of lower household incomes were less likely to use strategies that are consistent with U.S. Department of … [Read more...]

Teens who mistakenly perceive themselves as overweight are actually at greater risk of obesity as adults, according to research findings forthcoming in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. "Our research shows that psychological factors are important in the development of obesity," says psychological scientist and study author … [Read more...]

Using an antioxidant to reverse inflammation in the brain caused by a high-fat diet greatly improves symptoms related to obesity and type II diabetes, a new study from New Zealand's University of Otago suggests. The research, which appears in the leading international journal Diabetes, was led by Dr Alex Tups of the University's Centre for Neuroendocrinology and Department … [Read more...]

Patients undergoing bariatric surgery for severe obesity are often left with excess, sagging skin affecting all areas of the body -- including the face.The unique challenges of facelift surgery in this group of patients -- and effective techniques for addressing them -- are presented in a paper in the February issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical … [Read more...]