Weight Loss, Dieting & Obesity Blog

Blog of Weight Loss, Dieting & Obesity Research - Archive #0145.

USC researchers present new strategies to prevent childhood obesity

June 9, 2009 - EurekAlert / 5th Biennial Childhood Obesity Conference

Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California will present new findings and strategies for combating childhood obesity at the 5th Biennial Childhood Obesity Conference

Physiological response may explain why some severely obese patients overeat

June 9, 2009 - EurekAlert / Obesity Surgery

Severely obese adults respond more slowly to repeated food exposure than normal weight individuals. Delayed response is linked to reduced rates of satiation, or fullness, during a meal. This study is first of its kind to compare severely obese patient and normal weight individuals

Adolescent obesity linked to reduced sleep caused by technology use and caffeine

June 9, 2009 - EurekAlert / SLEEP 2009

According to a research abstract, adolescent obesity is associated with having less sleep. Reduction in sleep could be related to a higher caffeine intake, more hours of technology use and increased symptoms of sleep disorders (such as snoring)

Health risks begin in overweight range, BMI doesn't tell whole story

June 8, 2009 - American Heart Foundation / Circulation

Being overweight increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and other health conditions. Excess weight is progressive; thus, everyone above normal weight -- including children -- should avoid weight increases and reduce weight through healthy diet choices and regular physical activity. The statement recommends doing research on overweight and health, beyond studies that focus solely on the relationship between total body mass index and risk of death

Plant-based, low-carb diet may promote weight loss and improve cholesterol levels

June 8, 2009 EurekAlert / Archives of Internal Medicine

Overweight individuals who ate a low-calorie, low-carbohydrate diet high in plant-based proteins for four weeks lost weight, and experienced improvements in blood cholesterol levels and other heart disease risk factors. A high-carbohydrate, low-fat vegetarian diet also resulted in weight loss but without the additional cardiovascular benefits

Sleep restriction results in weight gain despite decreases in appetite and consumption

June 8, 2009 - EurekAlert / SLEEP 2009

According to a research abstract, in the presence of free access to food, sleep restricted subjects reported decrease in appetite, food cravings and food consumption; however, they gained weight over the course of the study. Thus, the finding suggests that energy intake exceeded energy expenditure during the sleep restriction

Race and short sleep duration increase the risk for obesity

June 8, 2009 - EurekAlert / SLEEP 2009

According to a research abstract, race significantly influences the risk of obesity conferred by short sleep duration, with blacks having a greater risk than whites

Fatty foods -- not empty stomach -- fire up hunger hormone

June 5, 2009 - EurekAlert / Nature Medicine

New research suggests that the hunger hormone ghrelin is activated by fats from the foods we eat -- not those made in the body -- in order to optimize nutrient metabolism and promote the storage of body fat.

Waiting times too long for bariatric surgery

June 3, 2009 - EurekAlert / Canadian Journal of Surgery

Obesity is now acknowledged as a chronic disease with a number of related complications, and its prevalence has reached alarming epidemic proportions. While bariatric surgery is effective at treating the disease, access to this procedure is still too limited in Canada.

Obesity does not worsen asthma, but may reduce response to medications

June 3, 2009 - National Jewish Medical and Research Center / Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Obesity has been linked to whole host of conditions, ranging from heart disease to diabetes and cancer. Previous research has suggested that being overweight or obese also raises your risk of developing asthma. New research, however, indicates that being overweight or obese does not make your asthma worse. This suggests that losing weight will not improve a patient's asthma.