Obesity traditionally has been defined as a weight at least 20% above the weight corresponding to the lowest death rate for individuals of a specific height, gender, and age (ideal weight). Twenty to forty percent over ideal weight is considered mildly obese; 40?100% over ideal weight is considered moderately obese; and 100% over ideal weight is considered severely, or morbidly, obese.
Gene therapy shows early promise for treating obesity – With obesity reaching epidemic levels, researchers at the Ohio State University Medical Center are studying a potentially long-term treatment that involves injecting a gene directly into one of the critical feeding and weight control centers of the brain.
The combination of resistance and aerobic exercise is the optimal exercise strategy for simultaneous reduction in insulin resistance and functional limitation in previously sedentary, abdominally obese older adults. – Sedentary, obese older adults appear to improve their functional abilities and reduce insulin resistance through a combination of resistance and aerobic exercises, according to a report in the January 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
GlaxoSmithKline receives European Commission approval to market alli? (orlistat 60mg) – A decision made by the European Commission opens access to a treatment that could help people who are overweight and obese.
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.
Low-carbohydrate diet burns more excess liver fat than low-calorie diet, UT Southwestern study finds – People on low-carbohydrate diets are more dependent on the oxidation of fat in the liver for energy than those on a low-calorie diet, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in a small clinical study.
Obesity starts in the head? Six newly discovered genes for obesity have a neural effect – Obesity is known to increase the risk of chronic disorders, such as diabetes (type 2). An international team of scientists with German participation through the Helmholtz Zentrum M?nchen identified six new obesity genes.
Canadian Medical Association – CMA challenges airlines’ demand for doctor’s note for travellers. – Air Canada and WestJet announced Jan. 8 they will follow a directive from the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) and make free extra seating available to disabled and obese passengers who qualify, but only if they have a doctor’s certificate.
Obesity: Reviving the promise of leptin; The first known leptin-sensitizing agents induce mice to lose weight. – The discovery more than a decade ago of leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone secreted by fat tissue, generated headlines and great hopes for an effective treatment for obesity. But hopes dimmed when it was found that obese people are unresponsive to leptin due to development of leptin resistance in the brain. Now, researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston report the first agents demonstrated to sensitize the brain to leptin: oral drugs that are already FDA-approved and known to be safe. Findings were published January 7 by the journal Cell Metabolism.
Trying to eat less becomes more important to fend off middle-age weight gain – Lots of experts disagree over the seemingly obvious notion of keeping weight off by trying to eat less ? a debate that centers on whether the practice backfires, leading to binging and weight gain.
FDA warns consumers about tainted weight loss pills. US Health Agency seeks recall of products that pose serious health risks. – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting consumers nationwide not to purchase or consume more than 25 different products marketed for weight loss because they contain undeclared, active pharmaceutical ingredients that may put consumers’ health at risk.
