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.
Sahlgrenska Academy to lead major European project on obesity – The new project is an interdisciplinary research project covering the neurobiological and socio-psychological causes of obesity. It has been awarded EUR 6 million from the EU, corresponding to just over SEK 60 million.
Turmeric Extract Suppresses Fat Tissue Growth in Rodent Models – Curcumin, the major polyphenol found in turmeric, appears to reduce weight gain in mice and suppress the growth of fat tissue in mice and cell models.
Could sleep be a critical component to maintaining a healthy body weight? – Body mass index (BMI) is linked to length and quality of sleep in a surprisingly consistent fashion, revealed by researchers on Sunday, May 17, at the American Thoracic Society’s 105th International Conference in San Diego.
Reduced physical activity and increased energy intake have been major drivers of the obesity epidemic. – A study presented on Friday at the European Congress on Obesity is the first to examine the question of the proportional contributions to the obesity epidemic by combining metabolic relationships, the laws of thermodynamics, epidemiological data and agricultural data.
Study finds children’s activity levels not influenced by more PE time in school – Scheduling more physical education time in schools does not mean children will increase their activity levels, suggests new research that discovered those who got lots of timetabled exercise at school compensated by doing less at home while those who got little at school made up for it by being more active at home.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
