Weight Loss, Dieting & Obesity Blog

Blog of Weight Loss, Dieting & Obesity Research - Archive #0135.

Study: Morbidly obese sedentary for more than 99 percent of day

March 25, 2009 - Clinical Cardiology

A new study examines the average fitness level of the morbidly obese (body mass indexes between 40.0 and 49.9). The findings show that the tested population was sedentary for more than 99 percent of the day and, on average, walked less than 2,500 steps per day -- far below healthy living guidelines of 10,000 steps per day

Fructose metabolism by the brain increases food intake and obesity

March 25, 2009 - EurekAlert / Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications

New research is building on the suggested link between the consumption of fructose and increased food intake, which may contribute to a high incidence of obesity and type 2 diabetes

Experimental Parkinson's therapy may have robust weight-loss effect

March 24, 2009 - EurekAlert / Molecular Therapy

A growth factor used to rescue dying brain cells may cause unwanted weight loss if placed in specific brain regions -- a cautionary warning for experimental treatments to treat Parkinson's disease that use GDNF, short for glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor. In addition, the University of Florida finding broadens understanding of the brain's role in the regulation of metabolism and body weight, suggesting that gene therapy techniques in the brain potentially could control obesity

Ben-Gurion U researchers -- bariatric surgery minimizes pregnancy complications for obese women

March 24, 2009 - EurekAlert / International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Women who undergo bariatric surgery to treat obesity will reduce the risk of medical and obstetric complications when they become pregnant

Differences in neighborhood food environment may contribute to disparities in obesity

March 19, 2009 - EurekAlert / Environmental Health Perspectives

Researchers examined the association of neighborhood food environments and "walkability" with body mass index and obesity in New York City and found that a higher density of BMI-healthy food outlets is associated with a lower BMI and lower prevalence of obesity

Exposure to insecticide may play role in obesity epidemic among some women

March 19, 2009 - Michigan State University / Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Prenatal exposure to an insecticide commonly used up until the 1970s may play a role in the obesity epidemic in women

Majority of fire and ambulance recruits overweight

March 19, 2009 - EurekAlert / Obesity

Researchers found that more than 75 percent of emergency responder candidates for fire and ambulance services in Massachusetts are either overweight or obese. The findings have significant consequences for public health and safety

Mice stay lean with high-carb diet

March 19, 2009 --EurekAlert / Cell

UC Berkeley researchers have identified a gene that plays a critical regulatory role in the process of converting dietary carbohydrate to fat. Mice that had this gene disabled had lower levels of body fat than their normal counterparts, despite being fed the equivalent of an all-you-can-eat pasta buffet

Parents failing to recognize their children's risk for obesity may be contributing to epidemic

March 18, 2009 - Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners

With 17 percent of US children between ages 2 and 19 classified as obese, new research shows that parents may not be recognizing their own children's risk factors. The study shows that parents are likely to misperceive their child's weight -- especially those parents who are overweight themselves

Changing the price of foods may significantly affect Americans' weight

March 18, 2009 - Milbank Quarterly

A new article published in the Milbank Quarterly explores how food prices can affect weight outcomes, revealing that pricing interventions can have a significant effect on obesity rates