Weight Loss, Dieting & Obesity

Blog of Weight Loss & Obesity Research - Archive #0108.

Nutritional research vindicates diet programs

September 2, 2008 - EurekAlert / Nutrition Journal

Popular slimming programmes do result in reduced energy intake while providing enough nutrients. A new scientific analysis provides comprehensive dietary data about Slim Fast, Atkins, Weight Watchers and Rosemary Conley's "Eat Yourself Slim" Diet & Fitness Plan

Impact of school-based programs

September 1, 2008 - EurekAlert / European Society of Cardiology Annual Meeting

Childhood overweight and obesity are serious, large-scale, global, public health concerns and the number of children affected is still increasing every year. As the treatment of overweight and obesity is rarely effective, its prevention has priority today

New master switch found in the brain that regulates appetite and reproduction

August 31, 2008 - EurekAlert / Nature Medicine

Body weight and fertility have long known to be related to each other -- women who are too thin, for example, can have trouble becoming pregnant. Now, a master switch has been found in the brain of mice that controls both, and researchers say it may work the same way in humans

Heavy breathing -- an obscure link in asthma and obesity

August 29, 2008 - EurekAlert / American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

There is a strong link between obesity and asthma and as the prevalence of both conditions has been increasing steadily, epidemiologists have speculated that there is an underlying condition that connects the two. But one long-suspected link, the systemic inflammation associated with obesity, has been ruled out by a recent study that found no evidence of its involvement

Health risk behaviors associated with lower prostate specific antigen awareness

August 27, 2008 - EurekAlert / Journal of Urology

Health risk behaviors such as smoking and obesity are associated with lower awareness of the prostate specific antigen, which could lead to a lower likelihood of undergoing actual prostate cancer screening

Not all fat is created equal

August 27, 2008 - EurekAlert / Diabetes

A Temple University study finds that fat in obese patients is "sick" when compared to fat from lean patients, which could more fully explain the link between obesity and higher risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Low levels of brain chemical may lead to obesity, NIH study of rare disorder shows

August 27, 2008 - EurekAlert / New England Journal of Medicine

A brain chemical that plays a role in long term memory also appears to be involved in regulating how much people eat and their likelihood of becoming obese, according to a National Institutes of Health study of a rare genetic condition

Pay attention! Small packages may lead to overeating

August 22, 2008 - EurekAlert / Journal of Consumer Research

Tempting treats are being offered in small package sizes these days, presumably to help consumers reduce portion sizes. Yet new research found that people actually consume more high-calorie snacks when they are in small packages than large ones. And smaller packages make people more likely to give in to temptation in the first place.

M&Ms as diet food? 100-calorie pack misconceptions

August 22, 2008 - EurekAlert / Journal of Consumer Research

Beware of mini-packs and mini-foods, especially if you're a dieter. Chronic dieters tend to consume more calories when foods and packages are smaller, according to a new study

The big gulp: consumers avoid extremes in soda sizes

August 22, 2008 - EurekAlert / Journal of Consumer Research

As portion sizes have increased, Americans' waistlines have expanded. And as a new study demonstrates, consumers are tricked into drinking more soft drinks when retailers eliminate small drink sizes