Nighttime Snacks Worse Than We Thought

New study shows we mimic habits of those whose bodies we aspire to

(NEWSER) - Existing research suggests those trying to control their food intake should avoid dining with hefty companions with heaping plates. Not quite, says a new study. While the "I'll have what she's having" effect was confirmed in this experiment with college-age women, it was much more pronounced if the person supersizing portions was skinny. “They're big trouble,” a co-author tells Time, referring to "beanpoles with big appetites" eating in view of others. More»

(AP) - Being fat could become the leading cause of cancer in women in Western countries in the coming years, say European researchers. Being overweight or obese accounts for up to 8% of cancers in Europe. That figure is poised to increase substantially as the obesity epidemic continues, and as major causes of cancer, such as smoking, drop. Colorectal cancer, breast cancer in menopausal women, and endometrial cancer accounted for 65% of all cancers linked to being fat. More»

People who disrupt biological clocks have higher BMIs

(NEWSER) - Your alarm clock could be making you flabby, suggests new research. People who force themselves to maintain schedules that are different from their natural sleep routines are more likely to put on the pounds, reports LiveScience . Researchers collected data from more than 65,000 Europeans and found that for every hour of sleep discrepancy between their work days and free days, the person was 33% more likely to have a higher BMI, a measure of fatness. More»

Tired research subjects ate hundreds more calories per day

(NEWSER) - You better be sleeping enough or you'll plump up, say scientists: Tiredness and sleep-deprivation may lead to snacking. A new study by the Mayo Clinic found that people who got less sleep than a normal night consumed hundreds more calories the next day compared to people who get a full night's rest, and the fatigued did not appear to burn off the extra calories, reports the Daily Mail . More»

Saturated fats take the biggest toll in study

(NEWSER) - It's more bad news for fat. A new study shows men who eat large amounts of fatty foods, especially saturated fats common in meat and dairy products, had lower sperm production and concentration. A diet consisting of 37% or more of fat calories or just 13% or more of saturated fat calories correlated with a 40% dip in sperm count, reports Medpage Today . More»