Childhood obesity

LIVERMORE, Calif. – The radioactive carbon-14 produced by above-ground nuclear testing in the 1950s and ’60s has helped researchers determine that the number of fat cells in a human’s body, whether lean or obese, is established during the teenage years. Changes in fat mass in adulthood can be attributed mainly to changes in fat cell volume, not an increase in the actual number of fat cells.

These results could help researchers develop new pharmaceuticals to battle obesity as well as the accompanying diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes.    » read more »

06 December 2007 -- Children who are overweight are at significant risk of developing heart disease as adults. That's the conclusion of two studies published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine, which predicts what experts have long suspected about the health hazards of obesity in kids.

The largest of the two studies was conducted in Denmark by Jennifer Baker and colleagues at the University of Copenhagen.    » read more »

Kids take fitness pledge to receive free tickets to upcoming New York Mets home games

FLUSHING, N.Y., September 9, 2007 -- New York-based health insurer Group Health Incorporated (GHI) today announced that it has teamed up with the New York Mets to raise awareness about childhood obesity by asking kids to sign a pledge to adopt better nutrition and exercise habits. The reward: Improved health and free Mets tickets. The reason: approximately 20% of New York City's children in grades three through six are considered overweight or obese.    » read more »