Entries categorized as Obesity

Obesity Associated With Depression And Vice Versa

On March 9, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Depression, Obesity / No Comments

Obesity appears to be associated with an increased risk of depression, and depression also appears associated with an increased risk of developing obesity, according to a meta-analysis of previously published studies in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. “Both depression and obesity are widely spread problems with major public health implications,” the authors write as background information in the article. (read the full story)

Researcher Finds That Exercise Counters Negative Effects Of Weight Regain

On March 8, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Obesity / No Comments

With the obesity rate rising for American adults and children, health concerns such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease are a frequent reality. Although obesity itself is a major risk factor for disease, most of the threat may be associated with a cluster of risk factors called the metabolic syndrome (MetS). Losing weight can improve health and reduce these risk factors, but many people have difficulty keeping the weight off. Now, University of Missouri researchers have found that exercising during weight regain can maintain improvements in metabolic health and disease risk. (read the full story)

Weight Loss Diets Significantly Reverse Arterial Clogging

On March 6, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Nutrition, Public Health / No Comments

A two-year study led by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) found that healthy, long-term weight loss diets can significantly reverse carotid (main brain artery) atherosclerosis, a direct risk factor for strokes and heart attacks. The study is one of the first to prove the potential of moderate weight loss as a strategy to reverse atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) in overweight and mildly obese people. (read the full story)

People With Type 2 Diabetes Have Impaired Self-Control

On February 15, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Diabetes / No Comments

Type-2 diabetes, an increasingly common complication of obesity, is associated with poor impulse control. Researchers writing in BioMed Central’s open access journal BioPsychoSocial Medicine suggest that neurological changes result in this inability to resist temptation, which may in turn exacerbate diabetes. Check the end of this article for a link to download the freely available original study. (continue reading)

The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines

On February 14, 2010 / By Stephen Elliott / In Public Health / No Comments

2008 Physical Activity GuidelinesIn November 2008, The U.S. Department of Health And Human Services (DHHS) issued a landmark recommendation for exercise and health titled The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Yet surprisingly, most people this correspondent communicates with do not know of it. The report makes some very strong recommendations regarding the need for exercise. Interested readers can obtain the original 2008 Physical Activities Guidelines ebook, an audio summary of these findings, and other relevant articles using links provided in this review. (continue reading)

Most Parents Do Not Realize That Their 4 or 5 Year-Olds Are Overweight Or Obese

On February 9, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Obesity / No Comments

Half of the mothers who took part in a study thought that their obese four or five year-old was normal weight, as did 39% of the fathers, according to the February issue of Acta Paediatrica. When it came to overweight children, 75% of mothers and 77% of fathers thought that their child was normal weight. More than 800 parents of 439 children took part in the study, carried out by researchers from the University Medical Centre Groningen in The Netherlands. 5% of the children were overweight, 4% were obese, and the rest were normal weight. Check the end of this review for a link to download this article for free. (continue reading)

Fast Food Menus With Calorie Information Lead To Lower Calorie Selections For Young Children

On February 7, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Obesity, Public Health / No Comments

In a new study, the amount of calories selected by parents for their child’s hypothetical meal at McDonald’s restaurants were reduced by an average of 102 calories when the menus clearly showed the calories for each item. This is the first study to suggest that labeled menus may lead to significantly reduced calorie intake in fast food restaurant meals purchased for children. (continue reading)

Physical Activity Associated With Healthier Aging

On February 5, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Public Health / No Comments

A series of studies in Archives of Internal Medicine detail associations between exercise and cognitive function, bone density, and overall health. Physical activity appears to be associated with a reduced risk or slower progression of several age-related conditions as well as improvements in overall health in older age, according to a commentary and four articles published in the January 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Read on for a summary of the findings from all 4 articles. (continue reading)

Obesity Now Poses As Great A Threat To Quality Of Life As Smoking

On January 7, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Obesity, Public Health, Tobacco / No Comments

As the US population becomes increasingly obese while smoking rates continue to decline, obesity has become an equal, if not greater, contributor to the burden of disease and shortening of healthy life in comparison to smoking. In an article published in the February 2010 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers from Columbia University and The City College of New York calculate that the Quality-Adjusted Life Years lost due to obesity is now equal to, if not greater than, those lost due to smoking, both modifiable risk factors. (continue reading)

Negative Emotions Outweigh Intent To Exercise At Health Clubs

On January 2, 2010 / By Chris Fisher / In Public Health / No Comments

Time and time again, it has been documented that regular exercise has many health benefits including lowering risks associated with the comorbidities of obesity. With only 30% of Americans trying to lose weight meeting the National Institutes of Health exercise guidelines of 300 minutes/week, a study in the January/February 2010 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior explores the paradox that exists – an antidote for obesity and its comorbidities is exercise, but the majority of obese Americans do not exercise. Investigators explore and compare the barriers associated with regular exercise in health clubs between overweight and normal weight individuals. (more…)

Science Daily Research News Update 12-21-09

On December 21, 2009 / By Chris Fisher / In News / No Comments

newspaper_genericThe 12-21-09 edition of the Science Daily Research News Update brings about a plethora of newly published health research. Read on to discover more on very concerning data that shows that the rate of Autism Disorders climb to 1% among 8-year-olds, Rush University Medical Center to open the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Clinic, how saturated fats my anger the immune system and lead to Type II Diabetes, physicians over-prescribe antibiotics due to perceived parental pressure, 10 to 15 percent of women have maladaptive eating behaviors, health experts urge Santa to get off his sleigh and walk, a possible link between the immune system and COPD, Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) helps prevent obesity in “at risk” teenage girls, a cup of coffee may make it harder for people to realize they are drunk, and much, much more. (more…)

Science Daily Research News Update 9-20-09

On September 20, 2009 / By Chris Fisher / In News / No Comments

newspaper_generic Busy week for the Science Daily Research News Update series. This week brings to you new research on how yoga contributes to mindful eating and a thin waistline, poor attention and memory associated with binge drinking, how our immune system may actually protect cancer cells early on, a new keyboard that will help persons with Autism communicate, how positive parenting can impact families for many generations, fascinating research that further decodes complex brain function, and much, much more. (more…)

Excellent Free Resource: Food Safety.gov

On September 12, 2009 / By Chris Fisher / In Nutrition / No Comments

foodsafetywebsiteBMED Report readers learned about the excellent healthy eating website Nutrition.gov earlier this year. Now the federal government has launched another free science-based food website appropriately named FoodSafety.gov. FoodSafety.gov seeks to alert and inform the general public on important public health/food -related topics. Check the end of this report for a link to this website. (more…)

The Scientist Research News Update 8-26-09

On August 26, 2009 / By Chris Fisher / In News / No Comments

newspaper_genericAn admittedly unusual group of announcements and studies for this edition of The Scientist Research News Update – certainly not a dose of the typical psychology and public health related stories usually found in this series. Topics include that initial research that suggests antioxidants may actually help cancer cells survive, an announcement that the FDA halts the first ever stem cell study for spinal cord injury, a new way to create genetically modified bacteria that has implications for green technology, viruses that may be responsible for the shortages of honey bees, and the FDA investigates claims of significant side effects from obesity drugs. (more…)

Science Daily Research News Update 5-27-09

On May 27, 2009 / By Chris Fisher / In News / No Comments

newspaper_genericAnother round of interesting research news updates from Science Daily. Today’s report provides links to research that details, for example, how children may raise their parents, the psychological impact of child abuse, money and fame may lead to unhappiness, many more reasons not smoke (seems like I have this headline in almost every update – when will people stop smoking?), substance abuse rather than schizophrenia diagnosis leads to increased crime, and a new gene linked to autism. (more…)