Weight Management

When it comes to weight gain for women, childhood stress appears to be a bigger culprit than stress during adulthood, finds a national study led by a Michigan State University sociologist. Interestingly, though, neither childhood nor adult stress was associated with weight gain for men. The federally funded study, which appears online in the journal Social Science & … [Read more...]

The current recommended minimum daily dose of vitamin D is not sufficient to restore healthy vitamin D levels in overweight or obese blacks, researchers report. Rather, daily intake of more than three times the recommended minimum is needed to restore what is generally considered a healthy blood level of vitamin D, said Dr. Yanbin Dong, geneticist and cardiologist at the … [Read more...]

In a study that seems to defy conventional dietary wisdom, University of Iowa scientists have found that adding high salt to a high-fat diet actually prevents weight gain in mice. As exciting as this may sound to fast food lovers, the researchers caution that very high levels of dietary salt are associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease in humans. Rather than … [Read more...]

Aging can cause many changes to the body, including obesity and a loss of lean mass. Now, a group of University of Florida Health researchers has discovered that an existing drug reduces body fat and appetite in older rats, which has intriguing implications for aging humans. Rapamycin, a pharmaceutical used to coat coronary stents and prevent transplant rejection, reduces … [Read more...]

New estimates suggest that more than two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese, according to an article published online by JAMA Internal Medicine. Overweight and obesity are associated with a variety of chronic health conditions, which could potentially be avoided by preventing weight gain and obesity. Graham A. Colditz, M.D., Dr.P.H., and Lin Yang, Ph.D., … [Read more...]

Adventurous eaters, known as "foodies," are often associated with indulgence and excess. However, a new Cornell Food and Brand Lab study shows just the opposite -adventurous eaters weigh less and may be healthier than their less-adventurous counterparts. The nationwide U.S. survey of 502 women showed that those who had eaten the widest variety of uncommon foods -- including … [Read more...]

People on a vegetarian diet, and especially those following a vegan one that includes no animal products, see better results than dieters on other weight-reducing plans. In fact, they can lose around two kilograms more on the short term, says Ru-Yi Huang of E-Da Hospital in Taiwan after reviewing the results of twelve diet trials. The findings appear in the Journal of General … [Read more...]

Scientists have discovered a new inherited form of obesity and type 2 diabetes in humans. A large number of genes are involved in regulating body weight, and there are now over 30 genes known in which people with harmful changes in DNA sequence become extremely overweight. Similarly, there are a number of genes that can, when altered, cause type 2 diabetes. These conditions … [Read more...]

New research using data from the reputable Look AHEAD study suggests doctors may want to look at results from a patient's first two months of intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) to help predict his or her long-term success. These secondary analyses conducted by Unick and colleagues published in the July issue of Obesity, the scientific journal of The Obesity Society examined … [Read more...]

Muscadine grape seed oil supplies a form of Vitamin E, giving scientists another clue to reducing obesity, a new University of Florida study shows. The oil may help mitigate the formation of new fat cells because it produces tocotrienol, an unsaturated form of Vitamin E, said Marty Marshall, a UF professor of food science and human nutrition. “Thus, consuming foods made … [Read more...]

It is generally assumed that marriage has a positive influence on health and life expectancy. But does this "marriage bonus" also apply to the health indicator of body weight? Researchers have investigated this question in cooperation with the market research institute GfK. Specifically, they compared the body mass index of married couples with that of singles in nine European … [Read more...]

A study has inferred that a simple new computerized game could help people control their snacking impulses and lose weight. Psychologists at the University of Exeter and Cardiff University have published a study that shows that participants lost an average of 0.7kg and consumed around 220 fewer calories a day whilst undergoing the week of training. With 64% of adults in the … [Read more...]

A study has proved that compulsive snacking is leading cause of weight gain. A QUT researcher has had an article on how compulsive snacking is a major cause of weight gain published in the international journal Eating Behaviors. Dr Stephanie Fay wrote the article entitled "Psychological predictors of opportunistic snacking in the absence of hunger" as part of her PhD … [Read more...]

A study has confirmed that weight loss, combined with vitamin D, reduces inflammation. For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have found that weight loss, in combination with vitamin D supplementation, has a greater effect on reducing chronic inflammation than weight loss alone. Chronic inflammation is known to contribute to the development … [Read more...]

For those wishing to lose weight and keep it off, here's a simple strategy that works: step on a scale each day and track the results. A two-year Cornell study, recently published in the Journal of Obesity, found that frequent self-weighing and tracking results on a chart were effective for both losing weight and keeping it off, especially for men. Subjects who lost weight … [Read more...]

A study has proved that obesity predisposes to developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The lungs of seven percent of all intensive care unit patients will fill up with fluid causing a 30 to 50 percent chance of death from a condition called acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This syndrome has few options for treatment, progresses quickly and is still … [Read more...]

A Danish study has found a new obesity treatment that prevents bone loss during weight loss. Using the intestinal hormone GLP-1 in obesity treatment prevents the loss of bone mass otherwise frequently associated with major weight loss. This is the finding of a new study from the University of Copenhagen, Hvidovre and Glostrup Hospital. According to the researchers behind the … [Read more...]

A Canadian study published in the June issue of the journal CHEST found weight loss reduced asthma severity as measured by airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in obese adults. The incidence of asthma is 1.47 times higher in obese people than nonobese people, and a three-unit increase in body mass index is associated with a 35% increase in the risk of asthma. The study supports the … [Read more...]

A study has confirmed that Obese moms children are more inclined towards obesity and metabolic disease. The evidence is clear that the children of obese parents are prone to obesity themselves, placing them at higher risk for type 2 diabetes, but how and why this occurs remains under investigation. A study being presented at the American Diabetes Association's 75th Scientific … [Read more...]

A study has established that current BMI tests underestimate obesity in teens with disabilities. New approaches, based on body mass index (BMI) or other simple measures, are needed to improve assessment of obesity in adolescents with physical disabilities, reports a paper in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, the official journal of the Association … [Read more...]

A study has concluded that the timing of exposure to moderate levels of light may influence body mass index (BMI) and body fat. Results show that people with more exposure to moderate or higher intensity light earlier in the day had lower body mass index and percent body fat than those with more of their moderate or higher intensity light exposure later in the day. "These … [Read more...]

A study has concluded that smoking while breastfeeding puts children at risk of obesity later in life. Children of mothers who smoke while breast feeding are more likely to develop serious health problems such as obesity, hypothyroidism, diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life, according to new research done in rats. Scientists are calling for better information for … [Read more...]

A study has established that a Low-cost weight loss program that has long-term results. As America's obesity epidemic continues to grow, a new study from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus shows that a low-cost, non-profit weight loss program offers the kind of long-term results that often elude dieters. 'We know that people lose weight and then gain it back,' … [Read more...]

A study has confirmed that weight loss surgery puts spark back into a relationship. Bariatric surgery does not only benefit the health of patients who undergo this weight loss procedure. It also leads to greater intimacy between them and their life partners, and adds a spark to their sex life. It's all in all a shared journey that brings partners closer together, says Mary Lisa … [Read more...]

A study has concluded that fructose contributes to weight gain, physical inactivity, and body fat. In the last 40 years, fructose, a simple carbohydrate derived from fruit and vegetables, has been on the increase in American diets. Because of the addition of high-fructose corn syrup to many soft drinks and processed baked goods, fructose currently accounts for 10 percent of … [Read more...]

A study has inferred that yeast protein network could provide insights into human obesity. A team of biologists and a mathematician has identified and characterized a network composed of 94 proteins that work together to regulate fat storage in yeast. "Removal of any one of the proteins results in an increase in cellular fat content, which is analogous to obesity," says study … [Read more...]

A Finnish study has inferred that obesity, weight loss change splicing pattern of obesity, type 2 diabetes genes. Alternative splicing of obesity and type 2 diabetes related genes may contribute to the pathophysiology of obesity, according to research from the University of Eastern Finland. Obesity leads to changes in the splicing pattern of metabolically relevant genes such … [Read more...]

A study has inferred that obese teens brains unusually susceptible to food commercials. A Dartmouth study finds that TV food commercials disproportionately stimulate the brains of overweight teen-agers, including the regions that control pleasure, taste and -- most surprisingly -- the mouth, suggesting they mentally simulate unhealthy eating habits. The findings suggest such … [Read more...]