Weight loss diets: what does the science say?

Obesity has rapidly become a serious problem and with over half of the population recorded as either overweight or obese, weight loss is of major concern. The Health Survey for England (2003) stated that 24 million adults, 65.4 per cent of men and 55.5 per cent of women, were either overweight or obese, and the prevalence of obesity alone was 22.2 per cent in men and 23 per cent in women. The incidence of generalised... read more

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Is Gastric Bypass A Solution To Diabetes?

WCCO) Diabetes is a disease that can hurt you in so many ways causing heart disease, stroke or kidney failure. And the rate of new cases has doubled in the past 10 years.

That has some Twin Cities researchers thinking it's time for drastic action.

John Derocker owns a thriving tech firm and he's a man on the go. But he hated having to slam on the brakes four times a day for... read more

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The Tongue Is The Start Of The Route To Obesity

Obesity gradually numbs the taste sensation of rats to sweet foods and drives them to consume larger and ever-sweeter meals, according to neuroscientists. Findings from the Penn State study could uncover a critical link between taste and body weight, and reveal how flab hooks the brain on sugary food.

"When you have a reduced sensitivity to palatable foods, you tend to consume it in higher amounts," said Andras Hajnal, associate professor of neural and... read more

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New center to tackle obesity epidemic

In a major initiative aimed at addressing a local and national health epidemic, Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine recently opened a center to research the causes of obesity and find new ways to treat it.

The Northwestern Comprehensive Center on Obesity will focus on treatment, research, education and advocacy, officials said.

More than one-third of U.S. adults and about 17 percent of children and adolescents have a body-mass index that qualifies them as obese,... read more

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Local med student wages war on diabetes

A 23-year-old Valencia man who struggled with obesity as a youngster has won a scholarship to continue studies on eliminating obesity and curing type 2 diabetes.

Parents Nick and Lois Brestoff said Friday their son will succeed.

"Jonathan is a go-for-it kind of guy," Lois Brestoff said of her son. "If you don't go for it, you are never going to get it."

This month Jonathan Brestoff won the George J. Mitchell Scholarship, which will... read more

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Obesity fuels fears of faster diabetes rise

CHENNAI, India (Reuters) - The prevalence of diabetes worldwide will far outstrip even the sharp increase currently projected unless rising trends of obesity are controlled, health experts said on Saturday.

Adult-onset diabetes has been linked to risk factors like aging, an inactive lifestyle, unhealthy diets, smoking, alcohol and obesity. The silent, chronic disease damages the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves and was responsible for 3.8 million deaths worldwide in 2007.

The International Diabetes... read more

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Health Risks of Obesity

How obesity affects your health depends on many things, including your age, gender, where you carry your body fat, and how physically active you are. For example, if you are an older woman who gets regular physical activity, you may be at less risk for other weight-related health problems than a younger man who is not physically active.

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Childhood Obesity In The USA Would Be Reversed If Fast Food TV Advertising Were Banned, Says Study

A ban on fast food advertisements in the United States could reduce the number of overweight children by as much as 18 percent, according to a new study being published this month in the Journal of Law and Economics. The study also reports that eliminating the tax deductibility associated with television advertising would result in a reduction of childhood obesity, though in smaller numbers.

The study was conducted by the National Bureau of Economic... read more

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Thanksgiving Podcasts From The American Chemical Society Feature Advances Toward Safer, Healthier Food

With a whole nation set to gather for the annual Thanksgiving Day feast, scientists are describing major advances in making Thursday's meal - and others - safer and more nutritious in the 10th and 11th episodes of the American Chemical Society's Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions (GC/CS) podcast series.

Part One of the podcast focuses on food safety. It includes research by Dan Donoghue, Ph.D., a chemist with the University of Arkansas, who is trying to... read more

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Arthritis Hits More Than Half of Diabetics

Arthritis strikes more than half of the 20.6 million American adults who have diabetes, and the painful joint condition may be a barrier to exercise among these patients, a new government report shows.

Being physically active helps people manage both diseases better by controlling blood sugar levels and reducing joint pain, according to the report in the May 9 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a publication of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control... read more

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