http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. People can be obese but metabolically healthy and fit, with no greater risk of developing or dying from cardiovascular disease or cancer than normal weight people, according to the largest study ever to have investigated this, which is published online today in the European Heart Journal [1]. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-fatness-obese-people-prognosis.html Cardiology Tue, 04 Sep 2012 19:00:04 EST news265973051 People who are obese and also have high blood pressure and other risk factors called metabolic abnormalities may experience a faster decline in their cognitive skills over time than others, according to a study published in the August 21, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-obesity-metabolic-factors-linked-faster.html Neuroscience Mon, 20 Aug 2012 16:00:05 EST news264692556 Overweight and obese individuals can achieve a decade's worth of important health benefits by losing just 20 pounds, even if they regain the weight later that decade, according to research presented at the American Psychological Association's 120th Annual Convention. With a focus on psychology's role in overcoming the national obesity epidemic, the session also examined research that indicates foods high in sugar and fat could have addictive properties. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-modest-weight-loss-health-benefits.html Overweight and Obesity Thu, 02 Aug 2012 17:44:52 EST news263148286 Snack consumption and BMI are linked to both brain activity and self-control, new research has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-snacking-bmi-linked-effect-brain.html Neuroscience Mon, 23 Jul 2012 10:28:58 EST news262258133 The combination of obesity and vitamin D deficiency may put people at even greater risk of insulin resistance than either factor alone, according to new research from the Drexel University School of Public Health recently published early online in the journal Diabetes Care. Insulin resistance is a major risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, a condition that affects 25.6 million adults and is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-obesity-vitamin-d-greater-diabetes.html Diabetes Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:07:22 EST news261756419 Statistics show that today, almost one in four Canadians is obese. A deadly trend that has been on the rise for the last thirty years, obesity is associated with diabetes, heart disease and cancer. But is the obesity epidemic putting more pressure on an already strained Canadian health care system? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-weight-loss-today-doctor.html Overweight and Obesity Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:21:27 EST news261674481 (HealthDay) -- Weight loss, particularly intentional weight loss, is associated with a reduced incidence of cancer and mortality, especially for women and for obesity-related cancers, according to a review published online June 4 in Obesity Reviews. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-weight-loss-linked-cancer-incidence.html Overweight and Obesity Fri, 15 Jun 2012 15:00:01 EST news258983773 (HealthDay) -- The health risks associated with being overweight and obese are well publicized, but new research may add another condition to this list: leg lymphedema, pain and swelling due to blockage of the lymph nodes in the groin area. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-obesity-odds-painful-leg-condition.html Overweight and Obesity Wed, 30 May 2012 18:00:02 EST news257616947 Why does one person become anorexic and another obese? A study recently published by a University of Colorado School of Medicine researcher shows that reward circuits in the brain are sensitized in anorexic women and desensitized in obese women. The findings also suggest that eating behavior is related to brain dopamine pathways involved in addictions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-brain-circuitry-women-anorexia-obesity.html Neuroscience Mon, 14 May 2012 15:58:25 EST news256229894 Among surgeries for obesity, a newer, increasingly popular procedure called sleeve gastrectomy provides more weight loss to high-risk, severely obese patients than adjustable gastric banding, a new study suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-weight-loss-surgery-benefit-high-risk-severely.html Surgery Thu, 03 May 2012 05:30:03 EST news255241252 The international obesity epidemic is widespread, nondiscriminatory, and deadly. But do we really understand all of the factors underlying this alarming trend? The concept of energy balance (energy consumed = energy expended + energy stored) is undeniable, being driven by the first law of thermodynamics. Consequently, there is no contradiction that excessive calorie intake and plummeting levels of physical activity are largely to blame for our ever-expanding waistlines. However, scientists remain baffled as to why some individuals are particularly prone to becoming obese and if there is anything aside from lowering calorie consumption and increasing activity levels that can be done to prevent and/or reverse excessive weight gain in our most at-risk populations. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-gut-clue-obesity.html Medical research Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:50:01 EST news254397553 Contrary to popular perception, a large proportion of obese Americans can and do lose weight, say researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. What's more, they say, the old tried and true methods of eating less fat and exercising are some of the most effective paths to weight loss success. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-fat-weight-loss-popular-diets.html Health Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:20:01 EST news253209598 Obesity is increasing worldwide in adults and children and is currently viewed by many as one of the most serious threats to public health. It is likely that solutions to the obesity pandemic will require changes in public policy and that scientific insight into obesity will be invaluable for guiding those changes. Now, a new review of human brain imaging studies published by Cell Press in the journal Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism suggests that a major reason for the dramatic increase in obesity may be a heightened sensitivity to heavily advertised and easily accessible high-calorie foods. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-heightened-sensitivity-cheap-high-calorie-food.html Medical research Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:00:01 EST news252845334 Weight loss and increased physical fitness nearly halved the risk of losing mobility in overweight or obese adults with type 2 diabetes, according to four-year results from the Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) trial funded by the National Institutes of Health. The results are published in the March 29, 2012, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-weight-loss-decline-mobility-adults.html Health Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:00:02 EST news252152038 A recent study shows that the presence of H. pylori bacteria is associated with elevated levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), an important biomarker for blood glucose levels and diabetes. This association was stronger in obese individuals with a higher Body Mass Index (BMI). The results, which suggest the bacteria may play a role in the development of diabetes in adults, are published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases and are now available online. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-link-pylori-bacteria-adult-diabetes.html Diabetes Wed, 14 Mar 2012 04:51:58 EST news250919485 (Medical Xpress) -- Presenting obese individuals in a positive, non-stereotypical manner in the media could help reduce weight-biased attitudes held by the public, finds a study from the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale. The study, published online in Health Psychology, investigates the impact on public attitudes and preferences of both stigmatizing and positive portrayals of obese individuals in the media. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-positive-media-portrayals-obese-individuals.html Health Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:50:01 EST news249032183 In most western countries the annual increase in the prevalence and the severity of obesity is currently substantial. Although obesity typically results simply from excessive energy intake, it is currently unclear why some people are prone to overeating and gaining weight. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-obesity-brain-function.html Medical research Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:58:43 EST news248014709 Among obese individuals, having bariatric surgery was associated with a reduced long-term incidence of cardiovascular deaths and events such as heart attack and stroke, according to a study in the January 4 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-bariatric-surgery-reduction-cardiovascular-events.html Cardiology Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:24:10 EST news244830226 While all obese women are less satisfied with the weight-related quality of their lives than women of 'normal' weight, black women report a higher quality of life than white women of the same weight. In addition, black women appear to be more concerned about the physical limitations resulting from their obesity, than by the potential psychological consequences of being overweight or obese. These findings by Dr. Tiffany L. Cox, and her team from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the Neuropsychiatric Research Institute in Fargo, ND, and Obesity and Quality of Life Consulting in Durham, NC, are published online in Springer's journal Applied Research in Quality of Life. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-overweight-stigma-african-american-women.html Overweight and Obesity Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:23:34 EST news242483006 Most people understand that serious weight loss requires changing attitudes toward what they eat and how often they exercise. But, what if the process could be aided by simply chewing a stick of gum after meals? That's the question a team of scientists, led by Syracuse University chemist Robert Doyle, is trying to answer. In a groundbreaking new study, Doyle's team demonstrated, for the first time, that a critical hormone that helps people feel "full" after eating can be delivered into the bloodstream orally. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-gum-weight.html Medical research Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:01:10 EST news241113656 In a study titled "MicroRNA Modulation in Obesity and Periodontitis," lead author Romina Perri, University of North Carolina School of Dentistry, Oral Health Institute, conducted a pilot investigation to determine whether obesity or periodontal disease modified microRNA expression and whether there was any potential interaction between obesity and periodontitis that could involve microRNA modulation. This study is published in the Journal of Dental Research, the official publication of the International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR/AADR). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-iadraadr-publish-obesity-link-periodontitis.html Health Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:05:06 EST news239288700 Patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis have a lower incidence of liver-related complications and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) than patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), according to the prospective study published in the October issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Patients with both NAFLD and HCV had similar mortality rates. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-liver-cancer-incidence-patients-nonalcoholic.html Cancer Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:02:18 EST news236336525 Obesity stigma exists within many workplaces and cultural settings, often having a negative impact on individuals’ health, social behaviours and outcomes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-stigma-obesity.html Health Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:31:50 EST news236266299 By measuring the radioactive isotope carbon-14, scientists at Karolinska Institutet have revealed an association between lipid cell dysfunction and diseases such as obesity, diabetes and blood lipid disorders. The study, which is presented in the journal Nature, can lead to new approaches to combating metabolic diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-cell-dysfunction-linked-obesity-metabolic.html Medical research Mon, 26 Sep 2011 07:28:13 EST news236240848 New research suggests obese individuals often perform poorly in reasoning and planning tasks and, likewise, those with poor cognitive function are more vulnerable to excessive weight gain. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-obesity-linked-cognition.html Health Thu, 25 Aug 2011 06:02:10 EST news233470863 A study out of York University has some refreshing news: Being fat can actually be good for you. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-fat-healthy-slim-isnt-superior.html Health Mon, 15 Aug 2011 08:43:13 EST news232616579 Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) have shown that the quality – not just the quantity – of adipose, or fat, tissue is a significant contributing factor in the development of inflammation and vascular disease in obese individuals. The study, which is a special feature on the iPAD version of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, provides compelling evidence that the answer to treating cardiovascular disease and other obesity-related disorders, such as type 2 diabetes and cancer, might be found in the adipose tissue itself. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-obesity-related-diseases-reside-fat-tissue.html Cardiology Mon, 04 Jul 2011 16:00:10 EST news229008823 Obesity among people who eat a high-fat diet may involve injury to neurons, or nerve cells, in a key part of the brain that controls body weight, according to the authors of a new animal study. The results will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-high-fat-diet-rapidly-brain-cells.html Medical research Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:48:01 EST news226766865 (PhysOrg.com) -- Obese individuals shown in online news images are frequently portrayed in a negative and stigmatizing way, according to a study from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University. The study is published online in the Journal of Health Communication. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-obesity-stigma-prevalent-online-news.html Health Fri, 06 May 2011 08:03:55 EST news223887815 A new study from Rhode Island Hospital researchers shows that obese individuals with social anxiety related only to their weight may experience anxiety as severe as individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD). The findings directly conflict with the criteria for SAD in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV). The study is now published online in advance of print in the journal Depression and Anxiety. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-obese-individuals-social-anxiety-disorder.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 13 Apr 2011 10:47:45 EST news221910453