Obesity

04 September 2007 -- Researchers say they have identified a gene that either keeps people thin or makes them obese. They say the gene is present in all creatures, and could eventually be manipulated in humans to help them shed weight.

Fifty years ago, in a forest in Nigeria, a graduate student named Winifred Doane came across a strain of plump flies. Doane discovered that the flies had a mutated form of a gene she called adipose. She speculated the gene helped the insects store fat to sustain them during times of famine. But it was not known how the gene worked.    » read more »

30 August 2007 -- Two-thirds of Americans are overweight and a new study says the rates of obesity continue to rise in the United States. Obesity is also on the rise throughout much of the world. While gastric bypass surgery -- or stomach stapling -- may not be for everyone, new research shows it can improve the health of many obese people. VOA's Carol Pearson has more.    » read more »

ION Media to prohibit junk food advertising during children's programs

August 27, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today released the following statement on ION Media Networks’ announcement to promote good eating habits and physical activity and stop airing junk food advertising to kids. ION Media’s children’s entertainment partner, qubo, produces children’s weekend programming such as Veggie Tales and Babar on NBC and Telemundo.    » read more »

August 27, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. --- Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the subcommittee which funds health care initiatives, issued the following statement today on the new obesity study released by the Trust for America’s Health, which found that Iowa maintained its national obesity rank of 20 and no state experienced a decrease in its levels of obesity.    » read more »

27 August 2007 -- A new report says obesity rates are continuing to rise across the United States.

The report by the research group, Trust for America's Health, says obesity rates climbed in 31 states last year. No state showed a decline.

The state of Mississippi had the highest adult obesity rate for the third year in a row. The report said Mississippi is the first state to reach a rate of more than 30 percent.

The report also said Washington, DC, had the highest obesity rate (22.8 percent) for overweight children ages 10 to 17.    » read more »

Promote Physical Activity And Good Nutrition

June 27, 2007 -- TALLAHASSEE – Florida Governor Charlie Crist and Shaquille O’Neal, NBA Miami Heat basketball star, today joined efforts to encourage children and young adults to adopt healthy lifestyles that include daily physical activity and healthy eating habits. They participated in a rally for about 500 students from the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Big Bend after meeting earlier in the day to discuss the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and O’Neal’s prime-time television show Shaq’s Big Challenge.    » read more »

CD38 plays a role in regulating body weight and obesity

June 26, 2007 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A search for the molecular clues of longevity has taken Mayo Clinic researchers down another path that could explain why some people who consume excessive calories don't gain weight. The study, which was done in laboratory mouse models, points to the absence of a gene called CD38. When absent, the gene prevented mice on high-fat diets from gaining weight, but when present, the mice became obese.    » read more »

Statement by Sidney Wolfe, MD, Director of the Health Research Group at Public Citizen

June 22, 2007 -- A final rule issued today by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) not only is 13 years late but will not do anything to ensure that dietary supplements are safe or effective – a critical necessity.    » read more »

June 19, 2007 -- A new Mayo Clinic study found that liver transplantation can be performed safely in patients who are considered medically obese. Mayo researchers will report their findings on June 22 at the International Liver Transplantation Society's Annual International Congress in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.    » read more »

Research Could Lead to Treatments for Human Obesity

LA JOLLA, CA, June 18, 2007—A protein called interleukin-18 (IL-18), previously known mainly for its role in the immune system, is also a powerful appetite suppressant for mice once they reach the equivalent of adulthood, according to scientists at The Scripps Research Institute. Members of the research team hope the work will eventually lead to the development of new treatments for preventing obesity in humans.    » read more »

24 May 2007 -- America is getting fat. Nearly one third of adults in this country are obese. To help combat obesity, some cities have banned unhealthful ingredients in restaurant food. Other communities support listing students' weight on their report cards. A new effort in Philadelphia is turning to religion.    » read more »

April 19, 2007 -- A RAND Corporation study issued today says school playgrounds and athletic facilities can be important tools in the fight against childhood obesity, but many are locked and inaccessible to children on weekends – especially in poor and minority neighborhoods.    » read more »