The Obesity Epidemic

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May 2008
- Fat Cell Numbers Don't Bulge: Study
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | May 5, 08 7:44 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The number of fat cells is set for a lifetime in childhood, a new study indicates. The latest research into obesity reveals fundamental new insights into why some people become fat and why it is so hard for overweight people to keep excess pounds off—even after a successful diet, reports the Daily Telegraph. New findings suggest the number of fat cells in a person remains the same even after weight is lost. More »
April 2008
- No Such Thing as 'Fit but Fat'
  
  Associated Press | Apr 29, 08 12:04 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - If you’re overweight or obese, exercise alone doesn't appear to reduce risk of heart disease, according to a study that pokes a hole in the “fit but fat” theory. The study followed nearly 39,000 women over 11 years, and found even active overweight women were 54% more likely to develop heart disease. For the obese, that figure ballooned to 87%, the AP reports. More »
- Scientists Slim Down, Speed Up Mice by Stripping Enzyme
  
  BBC | Apr 29, 08 7:28 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Australian scientists have made a breakthrough that could lead to treatments for obesity and diabetes, the BBC reports. Researchers removed an enzyme in fat cells of mice and found it sped up their metabolisms. The mice with altered cells were an average of 20% lighter than normal mice and had up to 60% less body fat. They also appeared to have lower risk of developing diabetes because they processed sugar more quickly. More »
- Study Finds More Pregnant US Diabetics
  
  USA Today | Apr 28, 08 1:23 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Diabetes among pregnant women has skyrocketed, a study finds, raising concerns for both mothers and children. In 1999-2005, the number of diabetic women giving birth more than doubled, the study found, and the number of diabetic teenage pregnancies rose five-fold. “These are high-risk pregnancies,” one doctor told USA Today . “All women with pre-existing diabetes need to plan their pregnancies.” More »
- For Women, Big Belly Is Big Trouble
  
  Los Angeles Times | Apr 8, 08 10:20 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Wider-waisted women may have an increased risk of premature death—even if they’re not obese. In a 16-year-long study of 44,636 women, those with waists at least 35 inches wide had a 79% higher chance of premature death, compared with those with waists of 28 inches or less. That held true even for women who weren’t overweight, the Los Angeles Times reports. More »
- Baby Zzzs Linked to Obesity
  
  Boston Globe | Apr 8, 08 7:56 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Babies who get less than 12 hours of shut-eye a day double their risk of being overweight by the time they're 3 years old, a new study finds. The risk is even higher for little ones who watch two hours of TV a day, the Daily Telegraph reports. If habits aren't changed, more than 25% of all children are expected to be obese by 2050, experts warn. More »
March 2008
- Marlins Call Up Big-Time Cheerleaders
  
  Los Angeles Times | Mar 29, 08 3:40 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Weighing in between 225 and 435 pounds, the Florida Marlins' new cheerleaders may take up space better than they dance. But on opening day, the Marlins will introduce fans to the Manatees, baseball’s first all-male, all-plus-sized cheerleading squad, the Los Angeles Times reports. “There are more people who look like them than have those perfect bodies,” says a charter Marlins Fan Club member. More »
- Older (White) Americans Live Longer, Larger
  
  Reuters | Mar 28, 08 4:55 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Americans over age 65 have better financial security, are better educated and expected to live far longer than ever, a study finds—but huge gaps remain between results for whites and those for blacks and Latinos. "The life expectancy gap between whites and blacks has narrowed but is still large," a researcher tells Reuters. "There is a big wealth gap between whites and blacks." More »
- Big Bellies Raise Risk of Alzheimer's
  
  Washington Post | Mar 26, 08 7:58 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - People who have big bellies in middle age have a much greater risk of getting Alzheimer's or dementia as senior citizens, a new study says. The bigger the belly, the bigger the risk, reports the Washington Post . The findings raise more concern about America's expanding waist lines and offer more proof that fat around the abdomen is especially harmful. More »
- Mexico May Overtake US as Fattest Country
  
  McClatchy Newspapers | Mar 24, 08 11:23 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Mexico is the second-fattest nation after the US, and it could top the list within 10 years if waistlines continue to expand at the current rate. Nearly three-quarters of Mexican women and two-thirds of men are overweight, and diabetes is now the main cause of death. Health officials are launching anti-junk-food campaigns, but industry lobbyists aren't about to throw in the towel. More »
- US Braces for Explosion in Knee and Hip Surgeries
  
  Time | Mar 7, 08 11:34 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The number of hip and knee replacements performed in the US will explode in the next several decades—knee operations surging fivefold and hips doubling—as aging baby boomers opt to stay out of wheelchairs, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons estimates. The pricetag will reach $65 billion in less than a decade, most of it borne by Medicare and Medicaid, reports Time magazine. More »
- German Soldiers Too Fat: Study
  
  Guardian (UK) | Mar 6, 08 12:19 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The German army is fat. It’s also unfit, smokes too much, and eats badly, according to a recent parliamentary update, the Guardian reports. About 40% of German soldiers are overweight—8.5% seriously so—and 70% smoke. “This has much to do with poor equipment and lack of training,” the report concluded, adding that soldiers spent too much time on bureaucratic tasks. More »
- Eating Breakfast Helps Keep Teens Slim
  
  St. Paul Pioneer Press (Minn.) | Mar 3, 08 5:45 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Eating breakfast helps keep teens slim and active, says a new study. Scientists tracked 2,216 teens over 5 years and found body-mass index lower in kids who consistently ate a morning meal, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. "Although adolescents may think that skipping breakfast seems like a good way to save on calories, findings suggest the opposite," said the study's principle investigator. More »
- Frogs Offer Hope to Diabetics
  
  BBC | Mar 3, 08 1:15 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - A frog that lives in the Amazon secretes a substance that stimulates insulin release in humans, offering new hope to diabetics, the BBC reports. The South American shrinking frog, which grows smaller as it ages, produces pseudin-2 through its slimy skin. A synthetic version of the peptide worked even better than the real thing in lab tests conducted by scientists in Northern Ireland and the UAE. More »
February 2008
- Fla. Marlins Call For Big-Bellied Cheerleaders
  
  Associated Press | Feb 24, 08 1:04 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The Florida Marlins are currently holding tryouts for new male cheerleaders—the chubbier, the better. Though the Marlins already have lean pompom girls rooting on the sidelines, the AP reports, they're looking to create a rotund 10-man squad called the Manatees to boost record-low attendance at home games. But these big boys will be chosen just like the girls, officials say: based on how well they shake their, uh, booty. More »
- Women's Stroke Rates Triple
  
  Associated Press | Feb 21, 08 7:41 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Strokes have tripled among middle-aged American women in an alarming development experts attribute to obesity. Despite the increased use of blood pressure and cholesterol medication, 2% of women aged 35 to 54 suffered a stroke between 1999 and 2004. That's a three-fold increase over earlier studies.