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The Obesity Epidemic

Started by C Miller; Last updated Feb 24, 08 12:51 PM CST by Imperator | View history

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The Obesity Epidemic

Will America ever get off of the couch and into shape?

Stories

Stories 21 - 40 of 127

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July 2008
- Deep South Leads in Obesity
  
  CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | Jul 18, 08 7:13 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The South has the nation's largest percentage of obese residents, a new survey by the Centers for Disease Control finds, with 30% of adults in Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee qualifying as obese. Even in Colorado, the state with the best fat stats, 19% of the populace is obese. More »
- NYC Not Eating Up Calorie-Count Law
  
  MSNBC | Jul 17, 08 6:28 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - As chain restaurants waddle their way toward compliance with a New York City law that requires them to post the calorie counts of food, the numbers behind the items have diners grappling with some unappetizing knowledge, MSNBC reports. The restaurant skinny is turning out to be anything but, from 630-calorie Dunkin' Donuts muffins to a pecan-crusted chicken salad at TGI Friday's, whose 1,360 calories trumped a burger and fries on the same menu. More »
- Kids Dump Exercise by Their Teens
  
  HealthDay News | Jul 16, 08 9:59 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - American children stop getting enough exercise by the time they reach their teens, according to a new study. Researchers tracked more than 1,000 children and discovered that those who averaged three hours of exercise a day at age 9 barely managed 30 minutes of physical activity at 15, reports HealthDay. A lack of exercise is linked to childhood obesity. Experts recommend children get at least an hour a day of moderate to vigorous activity. More »
- California Set to Ban Trans Fat
  
  Sacramento Bee | Jul 15, 08 8:01 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The California legislature yesterday passed a bill banning all trans fats in restaurants and bakeries by 2011. It's now awaiting the signature of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who hasn't indicated whether he supports such an action. If passed, the new law would make California the first state to enact such a ban. A similar measure was implemented earlier this month in New York City. More »
- Docs Push Cholesterol Tests for Kids
  
  New York Times | Jul 7, 08 6:49 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - With 30% of US children overweight, pediatricians are now recommending cholesterol screenings for kids as young as 2, and the use of cholesterol-fighting drugs in youngsters 8 and up, in order to stave off diabetes and early heart attacks. Some 30%-60% of children with high cholesterol aren’t being treated, the American Academy of Pediatrics says, and those with family histories of cardiovascular problems should be screened and treated. More »
- Hot Dog! Duo Shoots for Title Tomorrow
  
  Village Voice | Jul 3, 08 8:00 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - With Takeru Kobayashi’s hot-dog hegemony in doubt at tomorrow's Coney Island throwdown, the Village Voice accompanies a pair of contenders as they train for the event. Roommates Crazy Legs Conti and Tim Janus hit an all-you-can-eat sushi bar in preparation for Nathan's July 4th institution, the 10-minute contest described by an organizer as "the Master’s of competitive eating." 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 »
June 2008
- 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 »
- 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 »
- 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 »
- Airlines Mull Weighing Passengers
  
  Bloomberg | Jun 3, 08 4:14 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Desperate airliners are doing everything to cut fuel costs, scaling back on water and snacks—and adding a fee for overweight passengers could be next, analysts tell Bloomberg. "Nothing is beyond their imagination," one says of CEOs. "They have already begun to think exotically." Fuel costs, nearly triple since 2000, account for as much as 40% of operating expenses. 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 »
- Want a Skinny Kid? Don't Tell Her She's Fat
  
  Minneapolis Star Tribune | Jun 2, 08 4:18 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A new study of obese teens has produced a counterintuitive indication: Parents should under no circumstances tell pudgy youngsters to diet, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. A group of teens correctly identified by parents as overweight and encouraged to diet were more likely to still be chunky 5 years later than was a group with clueless parents who took no action. More »
May 2008
- Childhood Obesity Rate Levels Off
  
  Washington Post | May 27, 08 6:09 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The rate of childhood obesity appears to have peaked, providing the first "glimmer of hope" on the problem in decades, federal researchers say. About 15% of kids ages 2 to 19 are obese, a slight decrease from the percentage in 1999, the Washington Post reports. It's the first time since the 1980s that the percentage has not gone up, though researchers cautioned that far too many kids face serious health risks because of their weight. More »
- Diet Duchess Leaves Sour Taste
  
  Spiked | May 23, 08 4:01 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Watching Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson lecture some of Britain’s poorest—and hungriest—on the virtues of healthy eating on the UK show " The Duchess of Hull " may turn stomachs, but it's just the latest offering from a lengthy menu of a la carte snobbery perpetuated by today’s TV food and makeover shows, argues Rob Lyons in his Spiked column. 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 »