BMI is a measurement of the relative percentages of fat and muscle mass in the human body, in which mass in kilograms is divided by height in meters squared and the result used as an index of obesity.
Non-dieting approach reaps health and well-being benefits in obese to improve overweight. – University of Otago researchers have found that non-dieting interventions to improve overweight and obese women’s health and well-being have a longer-lasting effect if they include relaxation training.
Reduced breast cancer risk: Physical activity after menopause pays off – Several studies had previously suggested that regular physical exercise reduces the breast cancer risk of women. However, it had been unknowned just how much exercise women should take in which period in life in order to benefit from this protective effect.
Study links obese women are at an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer compared with women of normal weight. – A new epidemiological study has found that among women who have never used menopausal hormone therapy, obese women are at an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer compared with women of normal weight.
Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center link blood sugar to normal cognitive aging – Maintaining blood sugar levels, even in the absence of disease, may be an important strategy for preserving cognitive health, suggests a study published by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC).
Longer measured sleep is associated with lower calcification incidence independent of examined potential mediators and confounders. – Participants in a study who slept on average an hour longer per night than other participants had an associated lower incidence of coronary artery calcification, which is thought to be a predictor of future heart disease, according to a study in the December 24/31 issue of JAMA.
New research suggests that genes that predispose people to obesity act in the brain and that perhaps some people are simply hardwired to overeat. – A genetic study of more than 90,000 people has identified six new genetic variants that are associated with increased Body Mass Index (BMI), the most commonly used measure of obesity. Five of the genes are known to be active in the brain, suggesting that many genetic variants implicated in obesity might affect behaviour, rather than the chemical processes of energy or fat metabolism.
Each 5cm increase in waist circumference increases the mortality risk by 17% in men and 13% in women. – Having a large waistline can almost double your risk of dying prematurely even if your body mass index is within the ‘normal’ range, revealed by researchers in a new study.
Eating quickly and until full trebles the risk of being overweight. – The combination of eating quickly and eating until full trebles the risk of being overweight, according to a study published on bmj.com – site of British Medical Journal, UK.
43% parents with underweight and overweight children mistakenly believe their children are in the average weight range. – More than four in 10 parents with underweight and overweight children mistakenly believe their children are in the average weight range, according to University of Melbourne research.
Gastric bypass results in substantial weight loss in most patients. Diabetes and larger pouch size are independently associated with poor weight loss after GBP. – Individuals with diabetes and those whose stomach pouches are larger appear less likely to successfully lose weight after gastric bypass surgery, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Increased risk of obesity owing to genetic susceptibility by FTO variants can be blunted through physical activity, exercise. These findings emphasize the important role of physical activity in public health efforts to combat obesity, particularly in genetically susceptible individuals. – Individuals who have a genetic mutation associated with high body mass index (BMI) may be able to offset their increased risk for obesity through physical activity, according to a report in the September 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
In a study involving a representative sample of U.S. adults, higher levels of arsenic in the urine appear to be associated with increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes, according to a report in the August 20 issue of JAMA. – Inorganic arsenic, commonly found in ground water in certain areas, may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
