Weight Loss, Dieting & Obesity Blog

Blog of Weight Loss, Dieting & Obesity Research - Archive #0147.

'Shortcuts' of the mind lead to miscalculations of weight and caloric intake

June 15, 2009 - EurekAlert / Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied

Psychologists have identified a cognitive shortcut they call "Unit Bias," which causes people to ignore vital, obvious information in their decision-making process, points to a fundamental flaw in the modern, evolved mind and may also play a role in the American population's 30 years of weight gain

Severe obesity increases risks of health problems during surgery

June 15, 2009 - American Heart Association / Circulation

Severe obesity can pose special challenges, including cardiac risks, in patients undergoing surgery; healthcare providers must carefully evaluate those risks and not underestimate them. The risk of a cardiac event before, during or after surgery in obese patients is related to the type and severity of their heart's condition, as well as other health conditions and the type of surgery they are having

Appetite-stimulating hormone is first potential medical treatment for frailty in older women

June 12, 2009 - EurekAlert / ENDO 09

Older women suffering from clinical frailty stand to benefit from the first potential medical treatment for the condition. Ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite, was administered to older women diagnosed with frailty, a common geriatric syndrome characterized by unintentional weight loss, weakness, exhaustion and low levels of anabolic hormones which increases risk of falls, hospitalizations, disability and death.

Low-fat diet helps genetically predisposed animals avoid liver cancer

June 11, 2009 - EurekAlert / Human Molecular Genetics

In a study comparing two strains of mice, one susceptible to developing cancer and the other not, researchers found that a high-fat diet predisposed the cancer-susceptible strain to liver cancer, and that by switching to a low-fat diet early in the experiment, the same high-risk mice avoided the malignancy. The switched mice were lean rather than obese and had healthy livers at the end of the study.

Adults, especially women, have calorie-burning 'brown fat'

June 11, 2009 - EurekAlert / ENDO 09

Keeping your baby fat turns out to be a good thing, as long as it is "brown fat" -- the kind that burns calories, according to a study that found adults have much more of this type of fat than previously thought. The results suggest a new way to treat obesity

Childhood obesity increases early signs of cardiovascular disease

June 11, 2009 - EurekAlert / ENDO 09

By as early as 7 years of age, being obese may raise a child's future risk of heart disease and stroke, even without the presence of other cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure

Successful weight loss with dieting is linked to vitamin D levels

June 11, 2009 - EurekAlert / ENDO 09

Vitamin D levels in the body at the start of a low-calorie diet predict weight loss success, a new study found. The results suggest a possible role for vitamin D in weight loss

Symptoms of depression in obese children linked to elevated cortisol

June 11, 2009 - EurekAlert / ENDO 09

A new study connects abnormalities of the "stress" hormone cortisol with symptoms of depression in obese children, and confirms that obesity and depression often occur together, even in children.

Obese women with PCOS can lose weight with a doctor's help

June 11, 2009 - EurekAlert / ENDO 09

Simple weight-loss advice from a physician and regular follow-up helped obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome lose a substantial amount of weight, a new study found

Lap band weight loss surgery reduces teens' risk factors for heart disease, diabetes

June 11, 2009 - EurekAlert / ENDO 09

In teenagers, laparoscopic gastric banding surgery for treatment of extreme obesity can significantly improve and even reverse the metabolic syndrome, a new study found.