German Soldiers Too Fat: Study

US must get a handle on public health crisis

(NEWSER) - A widespread vice has a negative effect on Americans' health, and it's up to the government to do something about it. That approach worked for tobacco, David Lazarus writes for the LA Times , and it can work for obesity, too. "The answer seems obvious," he argues. "If we want to protect ourselves from a deadly epidemic of heart disease, diabetes and other ailments, just as we've taken steps to protect ourselves from an epidemic of lung cancer, we need to act." More»

Southern states plagued by high obesity, smoking rates

(NEWSER) - Move over, Mississippi: Louisiana is now America’s unhealthiest state, Reuters reports. An annual state-by-state report that measures factors like smoking, obesity, and health insurance coverage also put Vermont at the top for the second year in a row. The five healthiest states are:

1. Vermont
2. Hawaii
3. New Hampshire
4. Minnesota
5. Utah

Smoking, obesity blamed for spread of 'death gap'

(NEWSER) - Life is getting shorter for many of America's poorest people, USA Today reports. Life expectancy has risen in most of the nation since 1960 but in some areas—including the Deep South and Appalachia—life expectancy has dropped significantly, according to a study published in The Public Library of Science. Smoking and obesity were the among the main factors, and women were most affected. More»

Fat have more attacks, but are more likely to survive

(NEWSER) - Chew on this: While obese people are at much higher risk for having heart attacks, they also more likely than their thinner counterparts to survive them, the AP reports. Three years after their heart attacks, as many as 10% of healthy-weight patients had died compared to 3.6% of obese patients, according to one of several recent studies that drew the same conclusion. Now scientists are puzzling out possible reasons why. More»

Toddlers with poor relationships with mom may suffer in terms of health

(NEWSER) - Most parents have gotten an "I hate you!" tossed their way. But if your toddler really seems to mean it, Mom, you may want to figure out how to improve the relationship. A study set to be published next month found that toddlers who were ranked as having the worst emotional relationship with their moms were more than twice as likely to be obese at age 15 than those with a good relationship, reports the Daily Mail . More»