Probiotics may help ward off obesity

Study in pregnant women suggests probiotics may help ward off obesity – One year after giving birth, women were less likely to have the most dangerous kind of obesity if they had been given probiotics from the first trimester of pregnancy, found new research that suggests manipulating the balance of bacteria in the gut may help fight obesity.

Stop Using Hydroxycut Dietary Supplements for weight loss

FDA Warns Consumers to Stop Using Hydroxycut Products Dietary Supplements; Pose Risk of Liver Injury. – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to immediately stop using Hydroxycut products by Iovate Health Sciences Inc., of Oakville, Ontario and distributed by Iovate Health Sciences USA Inc. of Blasdell, N.Y. Some Hydroxycut products are associated with a number of serious liver injuries. Iovate has agreed to recall Hydroxycut products from the market.

Obesity raises urinary tract infection risk

Obesity associated with higher risk for urinary tract infections – As body mass increases, so does a patient’s risk of urinary tract infection (UTI), according to Baltimore researchers. A new study, presented at the 104th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) assesses and stratifies this risk.

Too much fructose sugar is bad in obese

Too much sugar is bad, but which sugar is worse: Fructose or glucose? – In 2005, the average American consumed 64kg of added sugar, a sizeable proportion of which came through drinking soft drinks.

GSK launches OTC weight loss drug alli, orlistat in Europe

alli offers adults a real opportunity for losing weight. With a reduced calorie, lower-fat diet, alli can help people lose 50% more weight than by dieting alone. – GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has announced that alli ? the first clinically proven over the counter weight loss aid ? is available in pharmacies across Europe.

Chewing gum reduces snack cravings

New study finds chewing gum helps lower calorie intake and reduce cravings for sweet snacks. – Men and women who chewed Extra? sugar-free gum three times hourly in the afternoon chose and consumed less snacks and specifically, less sweet snacks than they did when they did not chew gum.

Keeping slim is good for the planet

Lean population will consume almost 20% less food and produce fewer greenhouse gases than a population in which 40% of people are obese. – Maintaining a healthy body weight is good news for the environment, according to a study which appears today in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

Obese women underrepresented among top CEOs in US

Weight discrimination could contribute to the glass ceiling effect for women, study finds. – Weight discrimination appears to add to the glass ceiling effect for women, finds a new study co-authored by a Michigan State University scholar.

Brown fat may treat obesity, diabetes

Joslin study identifies ‘good’ energy burning fat in lean adults. Finding may lead to treatments for obesity, diabetes. – Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have demonstrated that adult humans still have a type of “good” fat previously believed to be present only in babies and children.

Obesity early in life leads to physical disabilities

Weight gain early in life leads to physical disabilities in older adults – Carrying extra weight earlier in life increases the risk of developing problems with mobility in old age, even if the weight is eventually lost.