Obesity

CHICAGO — More than half of American adults considered to have normal body weight in America have high body fat percentages — greater than 20 percent for men and 30 percent for women — as well as heart and metabolic disturbances, new Mayo Clinic research shows. The finding conflicts with the widely held belief that maintaining a normal weight automatically guards against disorders such as high levels of circulating blood fats and a tendency to develop metabolic syndrome, which often leads to type 2 diabetes.    » read more »

February 1, 2008 -- BERKELEY, CA — The consequences of quitting exercise may be greater than previously thought, according to a new study from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory that determined that the weight gained during an exercise hiatus can be tough to shed when exercise is resumed at a later date.    » read more »

29 January 2008 -- The World Health Organization estimates 180 million people have diabetes and that number could double by the year 2030. The most prevalent form of the disease is often associated with obesity and lack of exercise.

The American Diabetes Association reports that as many as 21 million Americans have the disease caused by the body's inability to process insulin -- a hormone that regulates blood sugar. The association also says another six million may have it, but are still undiagnosed. It is a disease that can strike at any age, even among children.    » read more »

Brain-imaging study may explain why some continue to eat, despite full stomachs

January 9, 2008 -- UPTON, NY - Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have found new clues to why some people overeat and gain weight while others don't. Examining how the human brain responds to "satiety" messages delivered when the stomach is in various stages of fullness, the scientists have identified brain circuits that motivate the desire to overeat.    » read more »

07 November 2007 -- Obesity is a growing problem around the world. This trend worries health care experts because obese people are much more likely to develop chronic diseases, such as diabetes or heart disease, later in their lives. So researchers have been looking for some way to help people control their appetites.    » read more »

Evidence for interplay of brain's "reward" chemical with availability of food in obesity

October 25, 2007 -- UPTON, NY - A brain-imaging study of genetically obese rats conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory provides more evidence that dopamine - a brain chemical associated with reward, pleasure, movement, and motivation - plays a role in obesity. The scientists found that genetically obese rats had lower levels of dopamine D2 receptors than lean rats.    » read more »

10/22/2007 -- A new global study revealed that 40 percent of men and 30 percent of women are overweight, while 24 percent of men and 27 percent of women are obese, researchers reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

In the study, 168,159 people (69,409 men, 98,750 women) from 18 to 80 years old (average age 48) in 63 countries across five continents were evaluated by their primary care physicians.    » read more »

PNNL's new center to explain biological response due to stressors posed by the environment and our natural makeup

Many kinds of nanomaterials will be used to help researchers develop prototype nanotechnology-based sensors for measurement of biomarkers. Materials like metal nanoparticles (gold, silver), semiconductor nanoparticles, and enzyme-loaded carbon nanotubes (CNTs) may be used to amplify biomarker signals.    » read more »

30 September 2007 -- The World Heart Federation says heart disease and stroke are the world's largest killers, claiming 17.5 million lives a year. Marking World Heart Day, the Federation says knowing the risk factors and leading a healthy active lifestyle can largely prevent people from getting these chronic, ultimately fatal diseases.

The World Heart Federation says heart disease and stroke are commonly believed to be diseases of the wealthy. But studies show 80 percent of all deaths from these chronic illnesses occur in low and middle-income countries.    » read more »

Law Would Help Combat Childhood Obesity and Promote Healthy Lifestyles

September 27, 2007 -- New York Governor Eliot Spitzer today visited John Walton Spencer Elementary School in Rochester to urge the State Legislature to pass the Healthy Schools Act, which would help combat childhood obesity and promote healthy lifestyles for children across New York.    » read more »

Sep 27, 2007 -- BATON ROUGE - Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco announced today that Louisiana has been selected as one of only 15 states to receive a national grant to be used for childhood obesity prevention efforts in schools. The state is being awarded $110,000 as part of the National Governor's Association's Healthy Kids, Healthy America award to go toward improving obesity rates among the state's youth.    » read more »

09/19/2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C.-- New Mexico Governor and Democratic Presidential candidate Bill Richardson today vowed to confront the American obesity crisis head-on as President. Governor Richardson made the pledge during a speech to the Obesity Society's Public Policy Conference "The Obesity Challenge: What the Next President Should Do" in Washington, D.C.    » read more »

California’s Leadership in Obesity Prevention Serves as National Model

09/19/2007 -- With California leading the way in preventing childhood obesity, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and President Bill Clinton today announced their partnership with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to inspire America’s youth to develop lifelong healthy habits.    » read more »

14-Sep-2007 -- A group of scientists recently discovered an association between being overweight and a disease called gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) in women.    » read more »

New study contradicts theory that soft drinks alone influence children's weight

11-Sep-2007 -- Soft drink consumption has increased in both the USA and the UK over the years and this has often been blamed for a rise in childhood body mass index (BMI). However, many of the review methodologies investigating the alleged links have been flawed. A recent scientific analysis of a nationally representative sample of children’s diets and lifestyles found no link between the amount of soft drinks children consume and their body weight.    » read more »