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Tag: Obesity

  • Weight Loss Surgery: Why Do So Few Qualify?

    Weight Loss Surgery: Why Do So Few Qualify?

    One of the hardest challenges for individuals struggling with obesity is to lose weight. For these persons exercise often doesn’t help and neither does dieting. “Yo-yo dieting”, where weight is temporarily lost and then regained, can make weight problems worse.

    The weight loss industry continues to be made up of companies pandering non-FDA approved pills and questionable programs with short term success…but few long-term testimonials. The result is an industry that reaps billions of dollars in profit off of the frustration and disappointment of millions of overweight and morbidly obese Americans.

    The one medical alternative that many wish to turn to is weight loss surgery. However, many find that they simply cannot have the procedure. In fact, many obese individuals are unable to qualify for weight loss surgery.

    The reason is that unfortunately surgery to help individuals lose weight tends to not be covered by a number of health insurance providers.

    The amount of patients who have had surgery for weight loss reasons has remained steady at past few years, hardly going above 160,000. Roughly 18 million adults in the U.S. physically qualify; the issue is getting coverage that can make the medical procedure happen.

    Dr. John Morton is a professor of surgery at Stanford University. He is concerned with the dismissive manner in which surgery for weight loss is treated.

    “If we were talking about breast cancer, no one would be content with having only one percent of that population treated.”

    Morton feels that obesity-related health problems greatly impact life expectancy.

    Morton considers obesity, “by far one of the most dangerous conditions we have in public health.”

    If this is the case then why don’t more health insurance companies feel the same way?

    “All major surgeries are risky,” says Susan Pisano who is a spokesperson for America’s Health Insurance Plans. “This one is life altering, and if there is an approach that’s less invasive and less risky for the patient, you want to try that one first.”

    It is true that there are major health risks associated with weight loss surgery, but for many Americans who need it, the option isn’t available, even as a last resort.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Proximity to Fast Food Linked to Childhood Obesity

    Fast food restaurants are ubiquitous in the U.S. Small-town streets across the country are lined with a variety of junk food, displaying the troubled American relationship with food that has helped cause obesity levels health researchers now refer to as an epidemic.

    In case there was any doubt that fast food is strongly linked with being overweight, a new study out of the University of East Anglia (UEA) has shown that proximity to fast food restaurants is a fairly good predictor of whether children will be overweight or obese. The study, published today in the journal Health and Place, found that the density of fast food restaurants in an area is a fairly good predictor of how many overweight children will live in that same area.

    The study looked at more than one million children in the UK, noting their weight and how available cheap, high calorie foods such as burgers and pizza were to them.

    “We found that the more unhealthy food outlets there are in a neighbourhood, the greater the number of overweight and obese children,” said Andy Jones, lead author of the study and a researcher at the UEA medical school. “The results were more pronounced in secondary school children who have more spending power to choose their own food.”

    Jones and his colleagues also found that the opposite was true, that children in areas with access to healthy foods were less likely to be overweight. The study’s authors believe that their findings could inform future health policy, possibly leading to healthier food environments for children in the future.

    “Public health policies to reduce obesity in children should incorporate strategies to prevent high concentrations of fast food and other unhealthy food outlets,” said Andreea Cetateanu, co-author of the study and a PhD student at UEA. “But there is no quick fix – and any interventions for tackling childhood obesity and creating environments that are more supportive for both physical activity and better dietary choices must be part of the bigger picture looking at the whole obesity system.”

  • Obesity Study Shows Need for Early Intervention

    It is no longer a disputed fact as to whether or not obesity is an epidemic, especially here in the United States. Obesity rates in children have doubled over the past 30 years, while obesity rates in adolescents have tripled. In 2013, the CDC reports that over 1/3 of US adults are currently obese. Despite acknowledging the issues, scientists have yet to find out what really causes obesity, or how to recognize that an individual is on the road to obesity.

    A recent report released from researchers at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Georgia has shed some light on the subject, however. The report, led by Solveig Cunningham and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, states that obesity may be determined in an individual as early as age 5.

    Cunningham and fellow researchers used data from a longitudinal study conducted amongst more than 7,700 kindergarten-aged children starting in 1998 and 1999 and continuing until the children reached 8th grade. The results were fairly conclusive that one can predict whether or not a child will be obese in the future by the child’s weight when he or she reaches kindergarten.

    At the beginning of kindergarten, 12% of the children studied were already obese, and 15% were overweight. By the time those children reached 8th grade, 21% were obese and 17% were overweight.

    The study showed the biggest increase in weight amongst those who were already overweight at the start of kindergarten, with those children being 8 times more likely to become obese than those kids who were at a normal weight when beginning kindergarten.

    The study also showed a prevalence of becoming obese amongst those who were of an ethnic minority or who grew up in a lower socioeconomic class.

    While the results are encouraging toward understanding the causes of obesity, it does little to offer solutions to the problem. A recent study stemming from UC Davis does just that, however. In an attempt to halt obesity before it begins, researchers at UC Davis encouraged pediatric doctors to start using electronic health records (EHRs) to indicate whenever a child weighed in at a weight which would qualify him or her as overweight. While the EHRs did much to increase the number of those reported as overweight and scheduled checks for diabetes, referrals to dietitians remained stagnant.

    Image via YouTube

  • Labeling Obesity a Disease Could Undermine Health, Shows Study

    Last summer the American Medical Association (AMA) voted to officially define obesity as a disease. The AMA’s members hope that the reclassification will require medical professionals to more directly intervene with obese patients. The group’s intentions were to encourage a greater focus on obesity and related health issues, but the label of disease has been a controversial one.

    Today a new study has thrown new fuel into the debate, showing that labeling obesity a disease could actually have a negative effect on the health of obese people. The study, published in the journal Psychological Science, shows that the new label could undermine efforts to lose weight and promote the belief that weight is inevitable.

    “Considering that obesity is a crucial public-health issue, a more nuanced understanding of the impact of an ‘obesity is a disease’ message has significant implications for patient-level and policy-level outcomes,” said Crystal Hoyt, lead author of the study and a psychology researcher at the University of Richmond. “Experts have been debating the merits of, and problems with, the AMA policy – we wanted to contribute to the conversation by bringing data rather than speculation and by focusing on the psychological repercussions.”

    The study surveyed over 700 people, logging their BMI to determine whether they were obese or not. Some participants were shown one of two articles, one describing obesity as a disease and the other giving general public health information about weight.

    In surveys taken after the reading, Hoyt and her colleagues found that participants who read the article naming obesity as a disease had less concern for weight and dieting than those who read the general health article. Participants who read the obesity-as-disease article were also found to have higher body satisfaction, which is related to less-healthy food choices.

    “Together, these findings suggest that the messages individuals hear about the nature of obesity have self-regulatory consequences,” said Hoyt.

  • How Soda Can Seriously Harm Your Health

    How Soda Can Seriously Harm Your Health

    Most people are already aware that soda pop is not a health food and is probably not a good drink choice. Now, there is more proof that it isn’t – as a recent report by Food MythBusters has shown some disturbing health effects of this bubbly and sugary drink that might have you off soda for good.

    Food MythBusters is a consumer friendly organization that reports and exposes the truth, good or bad, about our food industry.

    Asthma:

    Disorders linked to soda include asthma, compliments of the sodium benzoate contained in the drink, which is used as a preservative to add shelf life. Although it is not proven a cause, it is said to contribute to the disease and its symptoms.

    A French medical journal recorded a case of asthma in a young girl who was in and out of the hospital monthly due to asthma attacks. After 12 months of avoiding benzoates in foods, drinks and medications, she became asthma-free.

    Type 2 Diabetes

    The MythBusters report claims: The risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases dramatically — 80 percent — for soda sippers. The effects of soda to the now common disease, Type 2 diabetes, is common knowledge, especially for those who listen to their doctors.

    According to Health line: Type 2 Diabetes is a common and increasingly prevalent illness that is largely preventable. Nearly 26 million people in the United States have diabetes.

    Heart Disease

    Heart disease is the number one killer in America, and drinking soda can contribute to obesity, which leads to heart disease. Seventy percent of cardiovascular disease is related to obesity. High fructose corn syrup is not only in our beverages, but also in the biggest percentage of processed foods, and it may be poisoning our health. It has been associated with heightening the risk of metabolic syndrome. According to experts, obesity and heart disease go hand in hand.

    Obesity

    Soda is one of the main causes of the obesity crisis in America, obviously, people love their soda. But, with obesity on the rise not only in adults but also in children, it is becoming an expensive medical crisis, at 21 percent of U.S. healthcare costs.

    And, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity contributes to heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, hypertension, stroke, liver and gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and repertory problems, osteoarthritis and gynecological problems.

    Soda is not the sole culprit for many diseases and ailments, but it sure would be a good idea to understand that it is dangerous to human health.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Preschooler Obesity Influenced by Parents, Sleep

    Though the prevalence of obese preschool-age children in the U.S. is on the decline in some states, health researchers still consider the problem of obesity to be an epidemic in the country. Now, a new study has revealed what could be the most important factors in preventing preschool-age obesity.

    The study, published in the journal Childhood Obesity, found three risk factors that are most significantly related to preschool obesity: not enough sleep, overweight or obese parents, and a restrictive food environment.

    “What’s exciting here is that these risk factors are malleable and provide a road map for developing interventions that can lead to a possible reduction in children’s weight status,” said Brent McBride, a co-author of the study and a human development professor at the University of Illinois. “We should focus on convincing parents to improve their own health status, to change the food environment of the home so that healthy foods are readily available and unhealthy foods are not, and to encourage an early bedtime.”

    McBride and his colleagues looked at over 300 two-year-old children during the course of the study. Of the 22 different factors that the study’s authors investigated, these three emerged as the strongest indicators of preschool-age obesity.

    Based on the study’s findings, the report’s authors believe new recommendations can be provided to help prevent obesity in young children. Much of the suggestions revolve around parents and their own choices with regards to food. The study’s authors point out that food preferences are largely established at a young age, and that bad habits from parents can be easily passed on to children.

    “If you, as an adult, live in a food environment that allows you to maintain an elevated weight, remember that your child lives in that environment too,” said Dipti Dev, co-author of the study and a graduate student at the University of Illinois. “Similarly, if you are a sedentary adult, you may be passing on a preference for television watching and computer games instead of playing chasing games with your preschooler or playing in the park.”

  • Weight Linked to Heart Health More Than Fitness, Shows Study

    Though it had long been assumed that fitness was more important to health than a bit of excess fat, research is now beginning to show that weight may be even more important than fitness. A study last last year found that being overweight itself is a risk factor for heart disease and heart attack. This week, a new study published in European Heart Journal has shown that weight could even be more of a risk factor than fitness levels.

    The new study looked at over 740,000 Swedish men who entered their compulsory national service from 1969 to 1984. Study subjects’ fitness levels were measured at the time, as were their height and weight. The men in the study were followed until January 2011.

    Researchers found that those men most physically fit at age 18 had a reduced risk of heart attack later on in their lives. However, the study also found that those men who were physically fit but overweight or obese at 18 had a “significantly” higher risk of heart attack later in life than those men who were not physically fit but were “lean.”

    “While being physically fit at the end of your teens can reduce the risk of heart attack, fitness alone does not appear to fully compensate for the risks with being overweight or obese,” said Peter Nordström, co-author of the study and a geriatrics professor at Umeå University. “In other words, having a normal weight is more important than being in good physical shape, but it is even better to be both fit and have a normal weight.”

    The study found that “regular fitness training” is associated with a 35% decrease in risk for a premature heart attack. The study’s authors did caution, however, that the study was unable to determine that high fitness levels are specifically what reduces the risk for heart attacks.

  • Plus-Size Barbie Doll: Is This a Bad Idea?

    The Facebook page Plus Size Modeling has stirred up quite the controversy by asking whether toy companies should put out a Barbie that has an expanded waistline. The page has gotten thousands of responses, with many debating whether such a toy would promote poor health or encourage a positive self-image.

    Anyone who has ever examined a Barbie doll knows that her proportions aren’t exactly in line with the average female’s. If a woman had the waist size of a Barbie doll, her waist would be 16 inches compared to 37.5 inches, the waist size for the average American woman. People have discussed whether the current Barbie doll promotes anorexia and other eating disorders for years, so Plus Size Modeling decided to see how people feel about a plus-size Barbie.

    The question posed by Plus Size Modeling a few days ago was, “Should toy companies start making plus size Barbie dolls?” An image of a plus-size Barbie doll was included and users were instructed to ‘like’ the page if they supported such a Barbie doll and to comment if they disagreed. More than 40,000 people have liked the image so far and just over 5,000 people have commented.

    Check out the original Facebook post below.

    Post by Plus Size Modeling.

    Of the 5,000 comments Plus Size Modeling has received, it appears that quite a few users are in agreement that an average-size Barbie doll should be made, but not the one in the picture. One user wrote, “love the fact of having a realistic and curvy doll, but way too many chins is non realistic, it makes us plus size women seem obese and unhealthy.” Another woman echoed a similar sentiment: “Nothing wrong with a curvy Barbie….real women have curves, show girls it’s ok to have meat on their bones, but the double chins are a little much!!”

    The plus-size Barbie photo was submitted to Worth1000 in 2011, so it has been around for a while, but began making waves just days ago. Check out the original photo that shows a plus-size Barbie and a traditional Barbie side-by-side:

    (image)

    Image via Worth1000

  • Majority of Americans Want to Lose Weight, But Less Than Half Actually Try

    In addition to shopping, the Thanksgiving holiday is largely about food. Families across the U.S. last week stuffed themselves with a variety of traditional foods including Turkey, Pumpkin Pie, and

    Though Americans look forward to holiday feasts, it seems that more and more of them are feasting throughout the rest of the year. The American Medical Association is now calling obesity a disease to focus more attention on the issue and the U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now referring to obesity levels in the U.S. as an epidemic.

    Americans are well aware of their increasing size, though. A new Gallup poll shows that just over half of Americans (51%) would like to lose weight. However, that desire doesn’t seem to manifest in any action from most of those same people. The poll also shows that just 25% of Americans are “seriously trying to lose weight.”

    The poll also found that 36% of Americans describe themselves as “overweight,” which is roughly the same percentage of Americans that are classified as obese, according to the CDC. Nearly twice that number (69%) of Americans would be considered overweight or obese. However, 59% of those polled stated that they are above their ideal weight, showing again that Americans are aware of their size even as they avoid the term overweight.

    The reasons behind Americans’ larger size aren’t a mystery. Gallup polls in the past few years have shown that fewer Americans are exercising frequently, while at the same time American eating habits have declined and fast food has become a diet staple.

    Another Gallup poll has found that Americans consider obesity a bigger health problem than smoking. Until those same Americans begin individually doing something about it, however, the country is likely to continue on its current trends.

  • Obesity Increases Heart Risks, Regardless of Health

    According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention, obesity has become an epidemic in the U.S. The dangers of obesity have traditionally been lumped in with metabolic syndrome, a group of health issues that include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes in addition to obesity. Though obesity is often viewed as a side-effect of metabolic syndrome, doctors have now discovered that obesity on its own is enough to increase the risks of heart disease and heart attack.

    A new study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, shows that being overweight or obese are themselves risk factors for heart issues. Researchers believe these new findings could streamline he process of determining a patient’s heart disease and heart attack risk factors simply by using their weight.

    Researchers from Copenhagen University Hospital looked at over 71,000 people enrolled in a general population study. Of the 2,415 people found to have heart disease or have had a heart attack, it was found that being overweight or obese was a risk factor for their heart problems. Moreover, the doctors could find no difference in risk between obese patients who had metabolic syndrome and those who did not.

    “These findings suggest that overweight and obesity are risk factors for MI and IHD regardless of the presence or absence of metabolic syndrome and that metabolic syndrome is no more valuable than BMI (body mass index) in identifying individuals at risk,” wrote the study’s authors, Drs. Børge Nordestgaard and Mette Thomsen.

    In a commentary accompanying the study, Dr. Chandra Jackson and Dr. Meir Stampfer of the Harvard School of Public Health declared that this study contradicts popular claims that it is possible to be both obese and not at risk for heart disease as long as a person is healthy.

    “The findings of Thomsen and Nordestgaard add important new evidence to counter the common belief in the scientific and lay communities that the adverse health effects of overweight are generally inconsequential as long as the individual is metabolically healthy,” wrote Jackson and Stampfer. “In contrast, this study adds further evidence for the increased risks associated with overweight, even among those who might be considered metabolically healthy. These results also underscore the importance of focusing on weight gain prevention due to the difficulty in achieving and maintaining weight loss to reverse being overweight or obese.”

  • Pregnancy Weight Gain Linked to Childhood Obesity

    Though recent data has shown that childhood obesity numbers are falling in a number of U.S. states, health officials in the country are still referring to obesity as an epidemic. This week, a new study has shown that expectant mothers may have more direct, biological influence on the size of their children than previously thought.

    The study, published Monday in the journal PLoS Medicine, shows that high weight gain during pregnancy is directly linked to an increased risk of obesity for the children up until age 12. The study’s authors believe that helping women limit their weight gain during pregnancy could have an impact on the fight against obesity in the U.S.

    “From the public health perspective, excessive weight gain during pregnancy may have a potentially significant influence on propagation of the obesity epidemic,” said Dr. David Ludwig, lead author of the study and the director of the Boston Children’s Hospital’s Obesity Prevention Center. “Pregnancy presents an attractive target for obesity prevention programs, because women tend to be particularly motivated to change behavior during this time,”

    The study looked at 41,133 mothers and children in the state of Arkansas over 12 years, cross-referencing birth records and school BMI records. Statistical comparisons were then made between siblings, ruling out demographic, genetic, and environmental influences. Excessive weight gain in the study was defines as 40 or more pounds, which correlated to an 8% increase in the risk of a child being obese.

    Though the difference in BMI from mothers who gained the least weight during pregnancy to those who gained the most is only one-half of a BMI unit, Ludwig and his colleagues believe this effect could contribute to hundreds of thousands of obesity cases nationwide.

  • Obesity, Insulin Resistance Linked to Body’s Fructose

    Over the past few decades, Americans have gotten larger. So large, in fact, that health authorities are now referring to obesity in the U.S. as an epidemic as they battle even childhood obesity numbers. While researchers are searching for a cure, some are also seeking to understand how the U.S. got to this point. A new study published today in the journal Nature Communications could shed some light on how obesity and associated diabetes concerns became so prevalent in the country.

    The study shows that both obesity and insulin resistance could be tied to the body’s fructose production, as well as the consumption of fructose. Researchers from the University of Colorado found fructose produced in mice livers from non-fructose carbohydrates (such as glucose) can contribute to the development of obesity and insulin resistance.

    “Our studies provide an understanding for why high glycemic foods may increase the risk for obesity and insulin resistance,” said Dr. Richard Johnson, lead author of the study and a professor at the CU School of Medicine. “While some of the weight gain is driven by the caloric content and the effects of stimulating insulin, the ability of high glycemic foods to cause insulin resistance and fatty liver is due in part to the conversion of glucose to fructose inside the body.”

    Johnson and his colleagues found that the liver’s process of converting glucose to fructose is at least partially responsible for fatty liver and insulin resistance. The researchers point out that the fructose produced by the body can have an additive effect on sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup that Americans eat on a regular basis.

    “Ironically, our study shows that much of the risk from ingesting high glycemic foods is actually due to the generation of fructose, which is a low glycemic sugar,” said Johnson. “These studies challenge the dogma that fructose is safe and that it is simply the high glycemic carbohydrates that need to be restricted.”

  • U.S. School Health Policies Improving, Says CDC

    The epidemic of obesity in the U.S. has reached even children. Though some signs are showing improvement in childhood obesity numbers across the country, parents and policy makers are still looking to schools to teach children healthy eating practices.

    This week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced some good news on that front. The agency has released the results of its 2012 School Heal Policies and Practices Study, which shows positive health trends in schools over the past decade. The study, according to the CDC, is the most comprehensive U.S. survey of school health policies.

    Fewer schools (33.5%) now allow soda companies to advertise their products on campus, down from 46.6% in 2006. During that same time frame, schools than ban junk food in vending machines rose from 29.8% to 43.4%.

    Schools have also made strides to educate parents and students. Over half (52.7%) of schools now provide nutrition information on school cafeteria foods, up from just 35.3% in the year 2000. An emphasis on physical education is also coming back, with 93.6% of elementary schools now required to teach PE, up from 82.6% in 2000.

    “Schools play a critical role in the health and well-being of our youth,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “Good news for students and parents – more students have access to healthy food, better physical fitness activities through initiatives such as ‘Let’s Move,’ and campuses that are completely tobacco free.”

    (Image courtesy Thinkstock)

  • Obese Preschooler Numbers Declining in Some States, Says CDC

    The U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today released its newest Vital Signs report on childhood obesity. Despite the high numbers of American children who are obese, the agency was able to show that many states have falling obesity rates for low-income children between the ages of three and five.

    “Although obesity remains epidemic, the tide has begun to turn for some kids in some states,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC. “While the changes are small, for the first time in a generation they are going in the right direction. Obesity in early childhood increases the risk of serious health problems for life.”

    The CDC found that 18 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands saw decreases in their childhood obesity rates from 2008 to 2011. Florida, Georgia, Missouri, new Jersey, South Dakota, and the Virgin Islands all saw their rates drop at lease one percentage point. Twenty other states maintained their rates of childhood obesity, and only three – Colorado, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania – saw increases in their rates.

    CDC childhood obesity map

    The report looked at almost 12 million low-income children involved in U.S. maternal- and child-nutrition programs. Around one in every eight preschoolers was found to be obese.

    The CDC is attributing the drop in childhood obesity rates in some states to healthy eating and active lifestyles for children. The agency is suggesting that local and state governments take action to promote healthy living for children. Some of the suggestions provided by the CDC include making healthy foods more affordable and available; providing more free drinking water in public areas; making school recreational facilities available after school hours or during the summer; and educating child care providers.

    “Today’s announcement reaffirms my belief that together, we are making a real difference in helping kids across the country get a healthier start to life,” said Michelle Obama, First Lady of the U.S. “We know how essential it is to set our youngest children on a path towards a lifetime of healthy eating and physical activity, and more than 10,000 childcare programs participating in the Let’s Move! Child Care initiative are doing vitally important work on this front. Yet, while this announcement reflects important progress, we also know that there is tremendous work still to be done to support healthy futures for all our children.”

    (Image courtesy Robert Lawton/Wikimedia Commons)

  • Shaming Doesn’t Help Obese People Lose Weight, Shows Study

    Americans are now larger than ever, and predicted to become even larger over the next few decades. Along with the rise in obesity has come a rise in associated health problems and costs. Medical professionals across the U.S. are now searching for strategies to motivate weight loss in the population. According to a new study out this week, shaming patients into weight loss should not be one of those strategies.

    The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, found that weight discrimination could increase the risk for obesity rather than motivate lifestyle changes. Researchers at the Florida State University College of Medicine looked at over 6,000 study participants, comparing their height and weight measured in 2006 and 2010.

    The results found that study participants who claimed to have faced weight discrimination were 2.5 times more likely to become obese during those four years. In addition, those participants who were already obese in 2006 and faced weight discrimination were more likely to remain so in 2010.

    “In addition to the well-known emotional and economic costs, our results suggest that weight discrimination also increases risk of obesity,” said Angelina Sutin, lead author of the study and a professor at Florida State. “This could lead to a vicious cycle where individuals who are overweight and obese are more vulnerable to weight discrimination, and this discrimination may contribute to subsequent obesity and difficulties with weight management.”

    Discrimination such as sex and race was not shown to have the same correlation with obesity that weight discrimination did. The study took into account other factors such as the age and gender of study participants.

  • Obesity Risk Could be Passed on Through Sperm, Shows Study

    Though a mother’s health during pregnancy can dramatically affect the health of a child, researchers have now found evidence that the health of fathers may also contribute.

    A new study out of the University of Adelaide has found “molecular signals” in the sperm of obese mice fathers that could pass on obesity and/or metabolic disease to their children. This effect was found to last two generations to the mice’s grandchildren, even if the progeny were healthy eaters. The study has been published in The FASEB Journal.

    “A father’s diet changes the molecular makeup of the sperm,” said Tod Fullston, lead author of the paper and a research scientist at Adelaide’s Robinson Institute. “With obese fathers, the changes in their sperm – in their microRNA molecules – might program the embryo for obesity or metabolic disease later in life.

    “For female offspring, there is an increased risk of becoming overweight or obese. What we’ve also found is that there is an increased chance of both male and female offspring developing metabolic disease similar to type 2 diabetes.”

    According to Fullston and his colleagues, even mice fathers who were obese but did not show any signs of diabetes were found to pass on the risk of this metabolic disease down to two generations. Though the obesity seen in the second generation was not as “severe” as the first generation of offspring, these results were found regardless of the eating habits of either generation.

    “If our laboratory studies are translatable to humans, this could be a new and as yet unexplored intervention window into the epidemic of childhood obesity,” said Fullston. “A focus on the mother’s health is extremely important, but we’re seeing that the father’s health is also important for conception. It’s possible that by showing additional attention to diet and exercise in the father, this could have a positive impact on his future children and grandchildren.”

  • Weight Loss Doesn’t Lower Heart Risks For Diabetics, Shows Study

    A long-term study of weight loss among Type 2 diabetics has just concluded, yielding interesting results that have been published in the most recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The 11-year trial looked at more than 5,000 patients with Type 2 diabetes. The study was done by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh as part of the U.S. Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) Researcher Group.

    Starting in 2001, patients were put onto two groups. One group received the study’s Intensive Lifestyle Intervention, which provided patients with a program for weight management and increased physical activity. The other group was given Diabetes Support and Education, which is only general health information for diabetics. The patients were between the ages of 45 and 75, had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and had a body-mass index of 25 or greater (the CDC’s definition of an overweight adult).

    After 11 years, the two groups were found to have no significant differences when it came to heart attack and stroke risks.

    “While the findings from the Look AHEAD study did not support that engagement in a weight-loss intervention was effective for reducing the onset of cardiovascular disease incidence or mortality, this does not mean that overweight adults with diabetes should not lose weight and become more physically active,” said John Jakicic, chair of the University of Pittsburgh’s Weight Management Research Center. “Rather, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence from this study to date that has shown that weight loss and physical activity were associated with numerous other health benefits.

    “These include improving physical function and quality of life, reduction in risk factors such as lipids and blood pressure with less reliance on medication, better diabetes control with less reliance on medication, improved sleep, psychological and emotional health benefits, and many others. Thus, adults with diabetes can begin to realize many of these health benefits with even modest reductions in body weight and modest increases in physical activity.”

    The study’s authors have speculated that a greater amount of weight loss than that seen in the study may be necessary for diabetics to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease. It was also suggested that both groups’ cardiovascular health may have improved at a comparable rate due to the study providing all patients with annual feed back on their health.

    The study did find that its Intensive Lifestyle Intervention was effective at encouraging weight loss in patients. Those in the intervention group lost an average of 8.7% of their starting body weight after one year, and maintained an average of 6% off their starting weight loss at the end of the trial. The education group only averaged 0.7% of their body weight lost after one year, and only maintained an average of 3.5% off their starting body weight at the end of the study.

  • AMA: Obesity is a Disease, Remove Sugary Drinks From SNAP

    The American Medical Association (AMA) this week held its annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois. The doctors attending the meeting have a large influence on the strategies medical professionals across the U.S. use to combat illnesses.

    Of the many topics taken up at the meeting, one simple change in wording could have a greater effect on Americans than any other topic. The AMA this week adopted a policy recognizing obesity as a disease. The new definition will require, the AMA says, medical interventions to “advance obesity treatment and prevention.”

    “Recognizing obesity as a disease will help change the way the medical community tackles this complex issue that affects approximately one in three Americans,” said Dr. Patrice Harris, AMA board member. “The AMA is committed to improving health outcomes and is working to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, which are often linked to obesity.”

    In addition to the obesity issue, the AMA adopted policies on a wide range of medical topics. The AMA now officially supports a ban on marketing energy drinks to children and recognizes the health risks of prolonged sitting. The organization also opposes discrimination based on an individual’s genetic information and admitted the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association to the AMA’s House of Delegates.

    On the final day of the meeting, the AMA waded into a controversial issue that has put personal freedoms and public health concerns at odds in New York City. The AMA adopted a policy supporting the removal of sugar-sweetened drinks from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP is a U.S. Department of Agriculture service that offers food assistance to low income Americans.

    “The AMA is working to improve the nation’s health care outcomes, particularly cardiovascular disease and diabetes, which are often linked to obesity,” said Dr. Ardis Hoven, AMA president. “Removing sugar-sweetened beverages from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will help encourage healthier beverage choices.”

  • Ricky Naputi: 900 lb. Man Gets New TLC Show

    It’s well-known that a large number of Americans are overweight, and predictions seem to indicate that the issue will only get worse as time goes on. What isn’t as well-known is that the U.S. territory of Guam may be even worse.

    This week, cable TV channel TLC aired a documentary highlighting one man’s weight difficulties on the island of Guam. Titled 900 Pound Man: The Race Against Time, the documentary chronicles Ricky Naputi’s struggle with his size, the troubles he encounters in finding help, and the difficulty he has sticking to doctors’ recommendations.

    Naputi is, for the most part, bedridden and has not been able to go out of the house or shower for “years.” The documentary follows him and his wife as they seek out specialists and try to arrange for a flight to the U.S. mainland, where Naputi could receive life-saving surgery.

    Though Naputi’s weight is disabling, he’s nowhere near the heaviest person ever recorded. The record for world’s heaviest man currently belongs to a U.S. man named Jon Minnoch, who weighed around 1,400 lb. at his peak. He also holds the record for weight loss, after he shed 920 lb. Minnoch died in 1983 at the age of 41 weighing nearly 800 lb.

  • Binge Eating, Weight Reduced Using Brain Stimulation on Mice

    Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania may have found the next big trend in weight loss: deep brain stimulation (DBS).

    A new study has found that DBS in a specific brain region in mice can activate a dopamine type-2 receptor. The process was shown to reduce both the caloric intake and weight of obese mice. The study has been published in in the Journal of Neuroscience.

    “Based on this research, DBS may provide therapeutic relief to binge eating, a behavior commonly seen in obese humans, and frequently unresponsive to other approaches,” said Tracy Bale, a neuroscience professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. “These results are our best evidence yet that targeting the nucleus accumbens with DBS may be able to modify specific feeding behaviors linked to body weight changes and obesity.”

    According to the study’s authors, almost 50% of obese people binge eat. The researchers define binge eating as “uncontrollably” consuming high-calorie food within a short period of time. The mice that received DBS were shown to eat “significantly ” less high fat food. The long-term effects of DBS on obese mice also showed their glucose sensitivity improved.

    DBS is currently used to reduce tremors in Parkinson’s disease patients.

    “Once replicated in human clinical trials, DBS could rapidly become a treatment for people with obesity due to the extensive groundwork already established in other disease areas,” said Casey Halpern, lead author of the study and a resident in the Perelman School’s Department of Neurosurgery.

  • Target Dress: Apology Issued For “Manatee” Size Tag

    Target Dress: Apology Issued For “Manatee” Size Tag

    Though a majority of Americans are now overweight and are predicted to get larger in the coming years, those who are overweight still have to contend with body image issues on a daily basis. While the magazine section at the grocery store is well-known to be a place where body issues will be confronted, a department store is generally not expected to criticize people’s weight.

    This week, one Target shopper stumbled onto what seemed to be a tacit criticism of overweight people. Susan Clemens was shopping on Target’s website when she noticed that the color for a plus-size dress was listed as “Manatee Gray.” She checked the non-plus-size version of the dress and found that the same color was listed as “Heather Gray.”

    Clemens tweeted her findings and, as these things tend to do on the internet, it began to spread. The comment sparked debate over whether the garment industry disapproves of overweight people, while also fueling a debate about how women are portrayed in media.

    Within a day Target responded to Clemens, telling her they had a team looking into the matter. The store later told Forbes that “Manatee Gray” is a color used for many different products, and that in this particular case the people responsible for creating the listings had not communicated properly. Though the proper color for both sizes of the dress is “Manatee Gray,” the color is now listed as simply “Gray.”

    Target has issued a direct apology to Clemens via Twitter: