http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. With simple and innovative measures, public agencies at state and local levels can play a significant role in promoting healthier eating habits—steps that could make a difference in curbing the nation's obesity epidemic. One effective option, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is requiring restaurants to include calorie counts on menus, along with the physical activity equivalents required to burn off a meal. The researchers, who examined studies on calorie labeling and regulatory options available to local governments, offer several recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of menu labeling. The suggestions are especially applicable to chain restaurants with fewer than 20 locations, a category that represents more than half of the restaurants in the U.S. These eateries are not subject to the federal Affordable Care Act's menu- labeling provision. It requires chain restaurants with more than 20 locations to provide calorie information on their menus and menu boards, as well as a statement addressing daily recommended caloric intake. The findings are featured in a Perspective in the May 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-state-local-obesity-epidemic.html Overweight and Obesity Thu, 09 May 2013 16:02:45 EST news287334155 A new study suggests that your level of sleepiness or alertness during the day may be related to the type of food that you eat. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-links-diet-daytime-sleepiness-healthy.html Health Tue, 07 May 2013 16:48:11 EST news287164085 The story is a familiar one: most people are able to lose weight while dieting but once the diet is over, the weight comes back. Many of us can personally attest that caloric deprivation weight loss diets typically do not produce lasting weight loss. Oregon Research Institute (ORI) senior scientist Eric Stice, Ph.D., and colleagues provide results in a recent issue of NeuroImage that further our understanding of how and why most weight loss diets fail and provide a more comprehensive description of the impact of caloric restriction. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-dieting-youth-greater-brain-reward.html Neuroscience Thu, 02 May 2013 15:00:58 EST news286725650 (Medical Xpress)—Deep brain stimulation (DBS) in a precise region of the brain appears to reduce caloric intake and prompt weight loss in obese animal models, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. The study, reported in the Journal of Neuroscience, reinforces the involvement of dopamine deficits in increasing obesity-related behaviors such as binge eating, and demonstrates that DBS can reverse this response via activation of the dopamine type-2 receptor. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-binge-curbed-deep-brain-animal.html Neuroscience Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:57:42 EST news286012049 (HealthDay)—Small kids who are given large plates and then allowed to serve themselves take more food and consume more calories, new research finds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-kids-big-plates-food.html Health Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:18:01 EST news284631445 Patients with type 2 diabetes who consume a diet identical to the strict regimen followed after bariatric surgery are just as likely to see a reduction in blood glucose levels as those who undergo surgery, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-diet-shown-critical-factor-diabetes.html Diabetes Tue, 02 Apr 2013 04:43:26 EST news284096579 Radiation oncologists at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital are stressing the need for evidence-based, standardized guidelines on dietary recommendations for cancer patients—and with good reason. A new analysis revealed that online dietary recommendations for cancer patients, if even present on an institution's website, appear to be consistently inconsistent. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-cancer-websites-lack-nutritional-guidance.html Cancer Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:00:01 EST news283522728 A new study from the Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reports that sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are primarily responsible for higher caloric intakes of children that consume SSBs as compared to children that do not (on a given day). In addition, SSB consumption is also associated with higher intake of unhealthy foods. The results are published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-kid-consumption-sugared-beverages-linked.html Health Tue, 12 Mar 2013 05:18:11 EST news282284284 Kids are consuming fewer calories, and adults are eating less fast food, according to a federal government survey released Feb. 21. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-kinesiology-expert-comments-latest-federal.html Health Mon, 04 Mar 2013 07:40:03 EST news281604340 The poor growth seen in children born with complex heart defects may result from factors beyond deficient nutrition. A new study by pediatric researchers suggests that abnormalities in overall growth regulation play a role. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-abnormal-growth-children-heart-defects.html Pediatrics Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:02:45 EST news280494052 Binge drinking causes insulin resistance, which increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes, according to the results of an animal study led by researchers at the Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The authors further discovered that alcohol disrupts insulin-receptor signaling by causing inflammation in the hypothalamus area of the brain. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-binge-diabetes-insulin-resistance.html Diabetes Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:00:01 EST news278783300 Most weight-loss plans center around a balance between caloric intake and energy expenditure. However, new research has shed light on a new factor that is necessary to shed pounds: timing. Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), in collaboration with the University of Murcia and Tufts University, have found that it's not simply what you eat, but also when you eat, that may help with weight-loss regulation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-important.html Overweight and Obesity Tue, 29 Jan 2013 05:00:01 EST news278613709 One of the indicators of a cell's health is the state of its DNA and containers—the chromosomes—so when these fuse together or suffer anomalies, they can become the source of illnesses like cancer and/or ageing processes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-caloric-restriction-effect-chromosomes.html Medical research Wed, 23 Jan 2013 13:57:12 EST news278171824 So, is it a girl or a boy? This is the first question parents ask at the birth of an infant. Though the answer is obvious, the mechanism of sex determination is much less so. Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) attempt to shed light on this complex process by identifying the crucial role played by insulin and IGF1 and IGF2 growth factors, a family of hormones known for its role in metabolism and growth. In the absence of these factors at the time of sex determination, embryos do not differentiate into either male or female and have no adrenal glands. The results of this study, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, allow us to better understand sexual development and will eventually improve diagnosis and genetic counseling practices for individuals with disorders of sex development. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-embryo-male-female.html Genetics Thu, 03 Jan 2013 17:00:10 EST news276442976 (Medical Xpress)—Those considering how to maintain a healthy weight during holiday festivities, or looking ahead to New Year's resolutions, may want to think twice before reaching for traditional staples like cookies or candy – or the car keys. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-curbing-car-effective-calories.html Health Tue, 18 Dec 2012 13:24:41 EST news275059466 Want your children to be healthier snackers? A new Cornell study finds that serving children combined snacks of vegetables and cheese led them to eat 72 percent fewer calories—and be just as satisfied as those who were served only potato chips. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-combo-snacks-cheese-vegetables-kids-calories.html Health Mon, 17 Dec 2012 13:30:02 EST news274972288 Addressing the obesity epidemic by preventing excess calorie consumption with government regulation of portion sizes is justifiable and could be an effective measure to help prevent obesity-related health problems and deaths, according to a Viewpoint in the September 19 issue of JAMA, and theme issue on obesity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-important-role-obesity-epidemic.html Overweight and Obesity Tue, 18 Sep 2012 11:08:33 EST news267185305 A new study by University of North Carolina School of Medicine pediatrics researchers finds a surprising difference in the eating habits of overweight children between ages 9 and 17 years compared to those younger than 9. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-older-overweight-children-consume-calories.html Pediatrics Mon, 10 Sep 2012 03:35:51 EST news266466931 Many people can drop pounds quickly in the early phases of a diet, but studies have found that it is difficult to keep the weight off in the long term. For post-menopausal women, natural declines in energy expenditure could make long-term weight loss even more challenging. A new study finds that in post-menopausal women, some behaviors that are related to weight loss in the short term are not effective or sustainable for the long term. Interventions targeting these behaviors could improve long-term obesity treatment outcomes. The research is published in the September issue of Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-long-term-weight-loss-menopause.html Health Tue, 28 Aug 2012 00:00:03 EST news265309013 (HealthDay) -- It seems there's virtually no end to the power and stamina of Olympic athletes, which is due in part to the detailed guidance they get from experts about the right amount and type of food they need. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-olympic-athletes.html Health Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:22:19 EST news262621249 Research to be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB) the foremost society for research into all aspects of eating and drinking behavior suggests that, not only the amount and type of food eaten but the time of day it is eaten, is important in contributing to obesity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-greater-diet-induced-obesity-rats-consuming.html Health Tue, 10 Jul 2012 05:40:01 EST news261115545 (Medical Xpress) -- People who restrict their caloric intake in an effort to live longer have hearts that function more like those in people who are 20 years younger. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-calorie-restricted-diet-heart-young.html Medical research Wed, 06 Jun 2012 08:49:17 EST news258191322 Cardiac researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have found that a certain cellular pathway is linked to obesity-related disorders, like diabetes, heart disease and fatty liver disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-cellular-pathway-linked-diabetes-heart.html Medical research Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:20:03 EST news254058299 In a surprising result, Michigan State University researchers looking at the effects of diet on bowel disease found that mice on a calorie-restricted diet were more likely to die after being infected with an inflammation-causing bacterial pathogen in the colon. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-low-calorie-diet-bowel-disease-patients.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:52:55 EST news251477570 Snacking is a dietary behavior that has increased in recent decades in the United States, while percentages of the population who are overweight and obese also have increased. Now, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers with the Food Surveys Research Group (FSRG) in Beltsville, Md., have examined dietary intake survey data from more than 5,000 adults aged 20 years and older to focus on snacking habits, which are associated with increased caloric intake and decreased nutrient intake. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-snacking-calories-decreased-nutrients.html Health Tue, 13 Mar 2012 08:10:01 EST news250843253 (Medical Xpress) -- Environmental pollutants, eating habits, lack of exercise and genetic traits have all been raised as possible causes of earlier puberty onset in girls in recent years. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-calories-earlier-puberty.html Health Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:21:13 EST news247990838 Ironically, despite excessive caloric intake, many obese women are deficient in vitamins vital to a healthy pregnancy. This and other startling statistics abound when obesity and pregnancy collide. Together, they present a unique set of challenges that women and their doctors must tackle in order to achieve the best possible outcome for mom and baby. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-myths-truths-obesity-pregnancy.html Sleep apnea Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:10:42 EST news243688210 A 'sin tax' applied to sweetened goods on store shelves is not the most efficient, effective method of lowering caloric intake from sweet food and would be more disruptive to consumers than necessary, according to Iowa State University research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-fat-tax-efficient-effective.html Health Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:02:00 EST news242056876 Patients who are fed more calories while in intensive care have lower mortality rates than those who receive less of their daily-prescribed calories, according to a recent study of data from the largest critical care nutrition database in the world. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-calorific-controversy-intensive-patients.html Health Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:29:54 EST news236960457 Variety is considered the "spice of life," but does today's unprecedented level of dietary variety help explain skyrocketing rates of obesity? Some researchers think it might. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-food-physiologically-drug-choice.html Health Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:57:59 EST news230299064