Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week back issues from February 2003:
Maternal smoking during pregnancy increases childhood obesity risk.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS, senior medical writer - Children who were exposed to cigarette smoke while still in utero have an increased risk of obesity, say researchers in Germany. Rudiger von Kries and colleagues at Ludwig Maximilian ...
Fatness increases mortality risk, even in fit adults.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS, senior medical writer - Carrying around extra fat increases all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, even for people with a high level of fitness, according to a report in the American Journal of Epidemiology. ...
Early childhood growth affected by maternal smoking.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a report from a research group in England, "There is remarkably wide variation in rates of infancy growth, however, its regulation is not well understood. We examined the relationship between maternal smoking, parity, and breast- or ...
Portion size of food affects energy intake in adults.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "Large portions of food may contribute to excess energy intake and greater obesity," researchers in the United States reported. "However, data on the effects of portion size on food intake in adults are limited. We examined the effect of portion ...
Resistance and aerobic exercise produce similar effects on nutrient oxidation.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Resistance training and aerobic exercise have similar effects on energy expenditure in men, according to a report from a group in the United States. "Whether resistance exercise is as effective as aerobic exercise for body-weight ...
Many young American adults exceed current U.S. military weight standards.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A large percentage of the young adult population from which the U. S. military recruits members exceeds weight standards. "Each branch of the U.S. military enforces maximum allowable weight standards that must be met to join the ...
Physical development and lifestyle of Hong Kong secondary school students.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Body fat in adolescent boys in China decreased with age, while fat content increased with age in adolescent girls, according to a report from researchers in China. "Objectives of the present investigation were to study the growth and ...
Weight loss plan created for women over 40.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- It is much harder for women over 40 to lose weight than it was for them in their 20s and 30s, and the holidays are a particularly difficult time for many. In fact, recent studies show that Americans average a 7-pound weight gain each ...
Ephedra-based products discontinued.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Health & Nutrition Systems International, Inc., (HNNS) was informed by its exclusive manufacturer that effective December 31, 2002 they will be unable to supply the company with ephedra-based products because of the supplier's inability to obtain ...
Energy intake underreported by elite lightweight female rowers.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Diet recording commonly produces low estimates of energy intake and other methods of reporting energy intake may be needed for athletes who wish to maintain healthy weight and nutritional status. "The training program undertaken by many ...
Fatty acid composition of skeletal muscle reflects dietary fat composition in humans.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The composition of fatty acids in lipids of the skeletal muscles reflects the composition of fatty acids in the diet, according to a group working in Sweden. "We investigated whether the fatty acid composition of the diet is reflected in ...
Iron recommendations for pregnant women may be too high.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Doctors may be prescribing too much iron supplementation to pregnant women, the authors of a new report say. "According to our current understanding, iron absorption with weekly iron supplements is not higher than that with daily ...
Undernutrition increases mortality in elderly patients after hospital discharge.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Low body weight related to undernutrition increases mortality following hospitalization in elderly adults, according to researchers in the United States. "The importance of undernutrition as a determinant of postdischarge mortality among ...
Zinc improves growth, lowers morbidity of Bangladeshi infants.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Zinc supplementation promoted growth in zinc-deficient infants in Bangladesh, according to an international group of researchers. "Evidence for an effect of zinc supplementation on growth and morbidity in very young infants in developing ...
Young people put themselves at risk of heart disease with lack of fitness.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The risk for heart disease is 1.5 to 2.4 times higher for people who are inactive compared with those who are physically active on a regular basis, according to a new report from the American heart Association in its Heart Disease and Stroke ...
Increased salt sensitivity related to leptin resistance in rats is mediated by endothelin.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "A link between leptin resistance, obesity, and salt sensitivity has been suggested," researchers in the United States reported. "SHHF/Mcc-facp rats (SHHF) were used to study the effect of gene dosage of a null mutation of the leptin receptor (cp) ...
Orexin-mediated feeding involves both leptin-sensitive and -insensitive pathways.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A pathway involving leptin is activated by feeding induced by neuropeptide Y (NPY) and galanin, while pathways with and without leptin involvement are activated by orexin-induced feeding. According to a study from Japan, "Orexin-A and -B ...
Takeda Chemical and Beth Israel Deaconess announce research agreement.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Takeda Chemical Industries, Ltd., and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have signed a research agreement to investigate the molecular basis of diabetes and obesity and to develop new therapies for these metabolic diseases, which are ...
Norepinephrine transporter inhibition increases fat oxidation.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Fat tissue may be sensitized to beta-andrenergic stimulation by inhibition of the norepinepherine transporter, according to a group in Germany. "Genetic variability, numerous medications, and some illicit drugs influence norepinephrine ...
Adolescent diet influences sex hormone levels.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new study shows that girls who eat a higher-fat diet during puberty may increase the levels of sex hormones in their blood that have been related to breast cancer in adults. "Our study shows that even a modest reduction in the ...
Ferritin in soybeans may be a good iron source for women.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- It turns out that some soybean varieties may be a great help to women who are marginally iron deficient. Research assisted by the Agricultural Research Service showed that ferritin in soybeans is a highly usable source of the iron many women need ....
Students eat excessive amounts of fat at school.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Despite a U.S. government mandate that school lunches and breakfasts meet federal dietary guidelines, some middle school students eat half, rather than the recommended third, of their daily allowance of fat in school cafeteria lunches, according to ...
Insulin-mediated hemodynamic changes impaired in muscle of rats.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to recent research from Australia, "Insulin-mediated hemodynamic effects in muscle were assessed in relation to insulin resistance in obese and lean Zucker rats." "Whole-body glucose infusion rate (GIR), femoral blood flow ...
Medical costs rise with increasing obesity.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Overweight and obese individuals incur up to $1500 more in annual medical costs than healthy-weight individuals, according to a 2-year study of nearly 200,000 employees of General Motors. Average annual medical costs for normal-weight ...
New data on obesity in kids sheds light on a growing problem.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An estimated 8.8 million children and adolescents ages 6-19 are considered overweight or obese, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics reported in the American Heart Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics - 2003 ...
Research shows less income, education not always top factors in child obesity.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers have noticed for years that adolescents who came from higher-income families with more education tended to be less obese in the United States than comparable children from families with less money and less formal education. ...
FOXC2 mRNA expression is associated with insulin resistance.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a study from Sweden, "The human transcription factor FOXC2 has recently been shown to protect against diet-induced insulin resistance in transgenic mice. We investigated the expression of FOXC2 in fat and muscle and performed a ...
Research group relates body fat to BMI cutoffs for overweight and obesity in children.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a recent research report from New Zealand, "body mass index cutoffs for use with children and adolescents, aged 2-18 years, that correspond to the well-accepted BMI cutoffs for overweight (greater than or equal to25 but <30) and ...
Preconception homocysteine and B vitamin levels affect birth status.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Females who receive too much or too little of some nutrients before becoming pregnant may increase their risk for giving birth too soon. "The associations between homocysteine, B vitamin status, and pregnancy outcomes have not been ...
Aging and obesity augment the stress-induced expression of tissue factor gene.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In a murine model, the tissue factor (TF) gene and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) appeared to be associated with thrombosis related to stress in older adults and those who were obese. "Hypercoagulability and thrombotic tendency ...
Oxyntomodulin reduces body weight gain compared to pair-fed rats.
Feb 01, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Treatment with oxyntomodulin caused minimized weight gain and fat mass increase in a rat model. "Oxyntomodulin (OXM) is a product of proglucagon processing in the intestine and the central nervous system," explained Catherine L. Dakin ...
Insulin sensitivity linked to visceral fat mass in premenopausal women.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS, senior medical writer - Researchers in Canada found a strong association between visceral fat mass and insulin resistance in premenopausal women, according to a report in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and ...
Researcher discusses possible mechanisms involved in the link between obesity and cancer.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS, senior medical writer - The obesity-related increase in cancer risk may be promoted through various mechanisms involving reproductive hormones such as estrogen, gastrointestinal hormones such as gastrin, and other ...
Amsterdam growth and health study shows effects of health information on disease risk factors.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "In the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study (AGAHLS) biological risk factors for chronic diseases were measured on eight separate occasions over a period of 20 years in a group of apparently healthy males and females (n=164). Data were ...
Postoperative pulmonary atelectasis related to morbid obesity is underestimated.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "Perturbation of respiratory mechanics produced by general anesthesia and surgery is more pronounced in morbidly obese (MO) patients. Because general anesthesia induces pulmonary atelectasis in nonobese patients, we hypothesized that atelectasis ...
Researchers perform QTL analysis of self-selected macronutrient diet intake in mice.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers from the United States "investigated the inheritance of dietary fat, carbohydrate, and kilocalorie intake traits in an F-2 population derived from an intercross between C57BL/6J (fat-preferring) and CAST/EiJ (carbohydrate-preferring) ...
Acylation-stimulating protein deficiency induces obesity resistance in mice.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "Acylation-stimulating protein (ASP) acts as a paracrine signal to increase triglyceride synthesis in adipocytes. ASP administration results in more rapid postprandial lipid clearance. In mice, C3 (the precursor to ASP) knockout results in ASP ...
Former WebMD executive producer joins NewsRx.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A former WebMD executive producer and medical editor has joined Atlanta-based NewsRx, along with three board-certified editors. Dominique Walton Brooks, MD, with WebMD until 2001, will serve as senior medical editor at NewsRx. ...
Partnership to target development of obesity drug program.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Chiron Corporation (CHIR) announced that it has entered an exclusive partnership with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for the research, development, and commercialization of Chiron's small molecule drug program targeting obesity. The financial ...
Two milestones achieved in drug alliance.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Martinsried/Munich, Germany, and U.S. Research Facilities in GPC Biotech AG (GPC) announced that it has achieved two milestones by using its Reverse Genomics technology platform for the analysis of the mechanisms-of-action of compounds in its ...
Researchers develop new model for understanding obesity, diabetes.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Through the study of fat storage in nematode worms, researchers at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have formulated a new model for understanding the mechanisms of obesity and diabetes in humans. ...
Glucagon-like peptide-1 dependent on glucose for its action on insulin.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a study from Canada, "The physiological effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) are of immense interest because of the potential clinical relevance of this peptide. Produced in intestinal L-cells through posttranslational ...
Weight loss program targets one change at a time.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ChangeOne: The Breakthrough 12-Week Eating Plan: Lose Weight Simply, Safely, and Forever, is a new book that features Reader's Digest's first official diet. ChangeOne is an answer to the dismaying new statistics on weight gain - namely, ...
Cadmium absorption increases during pregnancy.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers say cadmium adsorption increases in pregnant female rats. "Increased intestinal absorption of essential nutrients is characteristic of pregnancy as the maternal gastrointestinal tract undergoes physiological and biochemical ...
Abdominal and total body fat loss linked to regular exercise.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Regular exercise, such as brisk walking, reduces total and intra-abdominal body fat among overweight and obese postmenopausal women, a study by a Yale researcher has found. "Previously sedentary postmenopausal women who exercised for ...
Aortic distensibility in older patients related to systolic heart failure.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "Aortic stiffness increases with advancing age and is associated with the age-related decline in exercise capacity in healthy persons. Previous studies have suggested that aortic compliance is reduced in heart failure (HF). Older persons with ...
Ventilatory efficiency during exercise measured in healthy subjects.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a study from the United States, "When evaluating dyspnea in patients with heart or lung disease it is useful to measure the quantity of ventilation needed to eliminate metabolically produced CO[subscript]2 (i.e., the ventilatory ...
Increased insulin resistance found in obese children with certain polymorphisms.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a study from France, "In two cohorts of 174 and 165 obese Caucasian children, we measured insulin sensitivity and genotyped insulin receptor substrate IRS-1 and IRS-2 genes for the Arg972Gly and the Asp1657Qly variants, respectively. ...
Only adipocytes release leptin while other cells produce prostanoids.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A group from the United States published a report of research "designed to investigate the sites of PGE[subscript]2, prostacyclin and leptin formation inhuman adipose tissue. Most of the PGE[subscript]2 and prostacyclin formation by adipose tissue ...
Corticosterone inhibits energy storage in adrenalectomized rats drinking sucrose.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a study from the United States, "When allowed to drink sucrose, bilaterally adrenalectomized (ADX) rats exhibit normal weight gain, food intake, sympathetic neural activity, and ACTH compared with sham-ADX rats. Furthermore, ADX rats ...
Elderly dietary supplement users may not need them.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- More than half of all Americans ages 65 years and older took a multivitamin, an extra dose of calcium, or a more exotic substance like ginkgo biloba or shark cartilage in 2002, hoping to maintain or improve their health. But these users tend to be ...
Scientists identify hundreds of worm genes that regulate fat storage.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and their colleagues have scoured thousands of genes in the Caenorhabditis elegans worm and have come up with hundreds of promising candidates that may determine how fat is stored and used in a ...
Study: Supplementation with DHA correlates with improved IQ.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A recent study indicates that mothers who supplemented their diet with fatty acids rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) during pregnancy and lactation gave birth to children who scored higher on standardized intelligence and achievement tests at 4 ...
Peppermint touted as athletic performance enhancer.
Feb 08, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Breathing pure peppermint has been scientifically shown, through human testing at Wheeling Jesuit University (WJU) in Wheeling, West Virginia, to enhance athletic performance. Whether the reason for the effect is purely psychological or ...
Obesity and mutant gene combination increase risk of vertebral disc degeneration.
Feb 15, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS, senior medical writer - Obese people who possess an arginine to tryptophan change in the COL9A3 gene (Trp3 allele) are significantly more likely to develop lumbar disc degeneration, according to a report in the journal, ...
Obesity increases cancer risk in women with lupus.
Feb 15, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS, senior medical writer - Obesity appears to increase the risk of solid tumor development in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), according to a report in the Journal of Rheumatology. "There is ...
Long-term fructose intake alters renal histology in rats.
Feb 15, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to recent research from investigators in Israel, "The use of fructose as a pure sugar has considerably increased in the last three decades, especially as a sweetener in carbonated beverages. Our previous studies showed that long-term ...
Higher body mass index values found in a law enforcement cohort.
Feb 15, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A group of researchers in the United States examined the role played by stress in the risk of cardiovascular disease among a cohort of law enforcement officers. "It is unclear to what extent law enforcement officers (LEOs) experience ...
Exercise training does not reduce hyperlipidemia in pigs fed a high-fat diet.
Feb 15, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "The pig is often used as a model for studying lipoprotein metabolism as it relates to human atherosclerosis, but few studies have examined the complete lipoprotein profile and related enzymes in swine ingesting an atherogenic diet. We examined ...
Moderate lifestyle activity can promote weight loss.
Feb 15, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a study from the United States, "Moderate intensity physical activity achieved through changes in lifestyle may promote weight management. However, little is known about changes in physiologic and metabolic variables when patients ...
Growth at puberty involves complex hormonal interactions.
Feb 15, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a study from the United States, "Somatic growth and maturation are influenced by a number of factors that act independently or in concert to modify an individual's genetic potential. The secular trend in height and adolescent ...
Researchers investigate mass media effects on American adolescents' health.
Feb 15, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The contributing influence of the mass media on problems facing U.S. teens today, including the increasing prevalence of obesity, is investigated and possible solutions discussed in a recent report published by two researchers from the University ...
Green tea components are neuroprotective and may even prevent CVA.
Feb 15, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "The neuroprotective effects of theanine and catechins contained in green tea are discussed. Although the death of cultured rat cortical neurons was induced by the application of glutamic acid, this neuronal death was suppressed with exposure to ...
Sociotropy found to be predictor of bulimia.
Feb 15, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "The authors tested the generalizability of A. Sugarman, D. Quinlan, and L. Devenis' (1982) psychodynamic account of eating disturbances, which posits that overt autonomy strivings associated with eating problems are a defense against unconscious ...
Hormone restoration brings total cholesterol levels down.
Feb 15, 2003 ... 2003 FEB 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to recent research from the United States, "a new hypothesis concerning the association of low levels of steroid hormones and hypercholesterolemia is proposed. This study presents data that concurrent restoration to youthful levels of ...