Stories related to: obesity

The Good in $4 Gas

Time  |  Jul 2, 08 12:03 PM CDT

(Newser) - The rest of the world may have thought it would never happen, but energy prices are beginning to change Americans' behavior. Time notes some positive aspects: Jobs lost to globalization return, because energy costs make international shipping unattractive. Suburban sprawl is slowing as people choose to live closer to cities. Many firms are switching to four-day workweeks—the practice saved Florida's Brevard College $268,000 over a summer session. Less pollution as motorists drive less … …and more frugally, both in how they drive and what they drive. More »

We Are What Our Moms Ate

Guardian (UK)  |  Jul 1, 08 9:18 AM CDT

(Newser) - Long-term health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease may begin in the womb with mothers who eat junk food during pregnancy, the Guardian reports. A new study suggests expectant mothers who eat unhealthy diets not only risk the health of their newborns, but may set the child up for a lifetime of health problems. More »

Cash-Strapped Dieters Drop Weight Loss Programs

Advertising Age  |  Jun 30, 08 3:15 AM CDT

(Newser) - Millions of Americans are getting fat on the economic downturn—but not in a good way. As prices for essentials like gas and food spiral, the 20% of the population on a diet are turning away from highly structured weight loss programs like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers in search of less expensive—and likely less effective—solutions, reports Advertising Age . More »

Surgery Cuts Down Obesity Without a Knife

Boston Globe  |  Jun 28, 08 5:54 PM CDT

(Newser) - A Boston hospital has successfully performed a first-of-its-kind obesity surgery that doesn’t require a scalpel. The promising treatment involves passing a tube through the patient’s throat, which bypasses the need to cut the patient—and reduces the risk of infections, bleeding, and scarring. “This is less invasive, and patients would have a very quick recovery,” one researcher said. More »

24M Americans Diabetic: CDC

Reuters  |  Jun 24, 08 4:39 PM CDT

(Newser) - Almost 8% of the US population has diabetes, the government reported today. About 24 million Americans suffer from type-1 or -2 diabetes, an increase of 3 million since 2005, Reuters notes. Another 57 million Americans are pre-diabetic, a condition of insulin insensitivity that predisposes them to type-2 diabetes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. More »

Oz Tops US As World's Fattest

Age (Aust.)  |  Jun 20, 08 5:02 PM CDT

(Newser) - Australia is the fattest nation in the world, the Age reports. A new study says body-mass index measurements pegs 4 million people—26% of the nation's population—as obese, narrowly beating the US, where 25% are obese. An additional 5 million Aussies are classified as overweight—with the usual suspects of more fast food and less exercise behind the epidemic. More »

Japan Wages War on Waists

New York Times  |  Jun 13, 08 6:48 AM CDT

(Newser) - Japan has launched an unprecedented national campaign to help its residents lose their love handles. The nation now requires local governments and corporations to annually measure the waistline of everyone age 40 to 74, the New York Times reports. Women over 35.4 inches and men over 33.5 inches—rather slender by US standards—will be educated on how to slim down, and local officials and business leaders face fines for missing targets. More »

No-Longer-Fat Lady Sings Part She Was Denied

New York Times  |  Jun 11, 08 8:34 AM CDT

(Newser) - In 2004 Deborah Voigt, one of the world's most gifted sopranos, was dismissed from a London production of Ariadne auf Naxos for being too fat to fit in the little black dress that the director insisted was integral to the production. On Monday Voigt, who has gone from a size 30 to a 14 after weight-reduction surgery, has what the New York Times is calling a "second date" with that black dress: starring in the same production of Ariadne. More »

Your Body Wants You to Stay Fat

Los Angeles Times  |  Jun 3, 08 12:34 PM CDT

(Newser) - Your body doesn't want you to lose weight, scientists say, and makes it tough to keep off pounds lost. Scientists tell the Los Angeles Times that brain and hormone cues increase post-diet as natural processes try to get that old figure back. And while research into the heavy issues is still ongoing, exercise and medications are seen to help. More »

Bad Habits: It's Who You Know

Washington Post  |  May 26, 08 4:48 PM CDT

(Newser) - If your friends all jumped off a bridge, you'd probably listen to your mom and not follow them, but how about if they started exercising? New research into social networks—in 3D, not on MySpace or Facebook—shows people are more likely to quit smoking or lose weight if someone close to them does likewise. The search for other applications is on, reports the Washington Post. More »

Indiana Jones & Raiders of the Fat Fridge

Salon  |  May 21, 08 5:21 AM CDT

(Newser) - Indiana Jones has a new enemy. Pediatrician Rahul Parikh is irritated about Indy's marketing tie-ins to high-calorie foods like Burger King's "Indy Double Whopper" and Snicker's "Adventure Bar." Parikh has been enjoying the films of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg for decades, but he's also watching kids grow obese, thanks in part to fatty food marketing, he writes in Salon. More »

Erratic Sleepers Have More Health Problems: Study

Associated Press  |  May 7, 08 4:54 PM CDT

(Newser) - Irregular sleep habits increase the likelihood of obesity and smoking, the AP reports. The CDC surveyed 87,000 Americans over 2 years and found that individuals who sleep fewer than 6 hours a night or more than 9 were 5% to 10% more likely to smoke and 4% to 11% more likely to be obese than those who slept 6 to 9 hours. More »

Hormone Makes Food More Appetizing

LiveScience  |  May 7, 08 3:35 PM CDT

(Newser) - What makes people eat more than their bodies need? It might have a lot to do with the hormone ghrelin, a new study at McGill University finds. The chemical tells the brain to find food more appealing, and causes hunger, LiveScience reports. Work has already started on ghrelin-blocking drugs, but the probability of severe effects on mood is a significant hurdle. More »

Fat Cell Numbers Don't Bulge: Study