SURGEON GENERAL LAUNCHES EFFORT TO DEVELOP ACTION PLAN TO COMBAT OVERWEIGHT, OBESITY

Surgeon General David Satcher today announced a year-long effort to develop a national action plan for reducing the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States. Satcher said the process would be inclusive and collaborative, and would include open public comment periods, listening sessions, federal and non-federal dialogue, interactive workshops and the formation of working groups to implement strategies.

"The prevalence of overweight and obesity has nearly doubled among children and adolescents since 1980,"... read more

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Surgeon General's Healthy Weight Advice for Consumers

AIM FOR A HEALTHY WEIGHT

Find your Body Mass Index (BMI) on the chart below.
If you are overweight or obese, losing just 10% of your body weight can improve your health.
If you need to lose weight, do so gradually-1/2 to 2 pounds per week.

BE ACTIVE

Keep physically active to balance the calories you consume.
Be physically active for at least 30 minutes (adults) or 60 minutes (children) on most... read more

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Surgery May Be 'Magic Cure' For Diabetes

BOSTON -- Twenty-four million Americans live with type 2 diabetes, but doctors are increasingly convinced that some diabetics may soon be able to have one relatively safe operation and, within hours, not be diabetic anymore.

While millions of Americans have diabetes, 57 million more are at risk. According to estimates by the American Diabetes Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, medical care for diabetics eats up $174 billion per year, or as... read more

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Minimally Invasive Laparoscopic Gastric Banding Weight Loss Procedure

Allina Hospitals & Clinics' Unity Hospital will present a live weight loss surgery on http://www.or-live.com/unityhospital/2151 at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 30. Jeffrey Baker, MD, will perform a laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery, commonly known as Lap-Band(R) or Realize Band(TM) surgery, while Frederick Johnson, MD answers viewer questions, and talks about the benefits of adjustable banding procedures.

"This is a great opportunity for individuals contemplating weight loss surgery to learn more about a minimally invasive,... read more

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Simple Blood Test Predicts Obesity

According to new research from the Monell Center, the degree of change in blood triglyceride levels following a fatty meal may indicate susceptibility to diet-induced obesity. The findings open doors to new methods of identifying people, including children, who are at risk for becoming obese.

Triglycerides are a form of fat that is transported in the blood and stored in the body's fat tissues. They are found in foods and also are manufactured by... read more

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Newly Identified Cells Make Fat

To understand where fat comes from, you have to start with a skinny mouse. By using such a creature, and observing the growth of fat after injections of different kinds of immature cells, scientists at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Rockefeller University have discovered an important fat precursor cell that may in time explain how changes in the numbers of fat cells might increase and lead to obesity. The finding, published online in this... read more

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VIVUS Announces The Weight Loss Effects Of Qnexa In Type 2 Diabetes - Shows Weight Loss Of 17 Pounds In 28 Weeks

VIVUS, Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS), a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and commercialization of novel therapeutic products, today announced the weight loss effects of Qnexa in subjects with type 2 diabetes at The Obesity Society Annual Scientific Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Barbara Troupin, Senior Director of Clinical Development, announced the data in a poster presentation titled "The Weight Loss Effects of VI-0521 in Type 2 Diabetes." On an intent-to-treat basis, subjects treated with Qnexa,... read more

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New Target For Obesity-Related Insulin Resistance, Type 2 Diabetes

Building on mounting evidence that implicates infection-fighting cells found in obese fat tissue in the growing problem of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes, researchers at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine have identified a particular subset of cells that are linked to obesity-associated insulin resistance, and that offer a promising new target for the treatment of diabetes. They showed that depletion of these cells, called CD11c-positive, in obese mice resulted in... read more

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Fattening (and Frightening!) Fall Foods

When the temperature starts to dip, many of us turn to rich fall foods -- perfect for football games, hayrides, cozy fireside meals, and, if we aren't careful, weight gain.

Take a look at some of fall's most fattening foods. Find tips on how to avoid or improve them so you can make it to Thanksgiving without gaining a pound.

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Fighting Obesity, Hypertension, Diabetes And Other Metabolic Diseases By Computer

A new computational approach developed by computer scientists Tomer Shlomi, Moran Cabili and Prof. Eytan Ruppin from the Blavatnik School of Computer Science at Tel Aviv University may help science gain a clearer overall picture of the metabolic processes in our different tissues. Their model could be potentially used in the future to refine the diagnosis of various metabolic-related disorders, aid in treatment and develop new drugs. The results of their research were recently reported... read more

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