More, younger US kids are 'extremely obese': study

2010-03-18T15:16:08Z

<div><p>More US children are becoming extremely obese at a younger age, putting them at risk of dying decades younger than normal-weight children and of suffering old-age illnesses in their 20s, a study warned Thursday.</p><p>Extreme childhood obesity, which was defined only last year by the Centers for D...

U.S. child obesity problem worse than thought

2010-03-18T15:15:35Z

<div><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Extreme obesity among American children is much worse than previously believed, putting them at greater risk of serious health problems as they age, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.</p><p>A study of more than 700,000 children and teens in southern California found th...

Supplement may slow overweight kids' fat gain

2010-03-18T10:30:13Z

<div><p>NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Supplements containing the dietary fat conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) may help overweight kids curb the amount of fat they gain over time, a small study suggests.</p><p>Researchers found that overweight and obese children who took the CLA supplement for seven months showed less fat accumulation than a comparison group of children given a placebo.</p><p>However...

Science wins key battles but could cancer win the war?

2010-03-16T15:17:09Z

<div><p>Despite huge advances in prevention and treatment, cancer is poised to become the leading cause of death worldwide as people refuse to ditch bad habits and the population ages, experts said Tuesday.</p><p>In the United States, medical advances and education campaigns have helped slash the death rate from cancer by nearly 16 percent in 20 years,

NY seeks 'fat tax' on sodas to fight rising US obesity

2010-03-09T10:16:57Z

<div><p>New York leaders are pressing for a so-called fat tax on the soft drinks industry, saying that sweet beverages are responsible for an upsurge of obesity across the United States.</p><p>State Health Commissioner Richard Daines took up the issue Monday, speaking of a "golden opportunity" to create the tax.</p><p>"The dramatic underpricing...

Tax soda, pizza to cut obesity, researchers say

2010-03-09T09:30:21Z

<div><p>CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. researchers estimate that an 18 percent tax on pizza and soda can push down U.S. adults' calorie intake enough to lower their average weight by 5 pounds (2 kg) per year.</p><p>The researchers, writing in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine on Monday, suggested taxing could be used as a weapon in the fight against obesity, w...

School drink deal cuts sugar

2010-03-08T14:45:20Z

<div><p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - A deal to sell healthier drinks in U.S. schools has slashed the amount of fattening beverages offered to students, former President Bill Clinton said on Monday as New York leaders pushed for a soda tax to tackle obesity and budget ...

Modern Etiquette: Do the obese really deserve contempt?

2010-03-08T07:00:18Z

<div><p>SEATTLE (Reuters) - Disgust. Pity. Contempt.</p><p>Obesity is everywhere in our society today -- and this is how it is met by a remarkable number of people.</p><p>People who would find slurs against other groups unthinkable still seem to think nothing of correcting, lecturing, and even humiliating complete strangers who are overweight.</p&...

Bugs in the gut can cause obesity: study

2010-03-05T17:15:57Z

<div><p>The bugs that help digest food may also cause the body to pack on the pounds if they are not properly regulated, a new study has found.</p><p>That is because if the wrong kinds of bacteria take over they can cause a low-level inflammation that leads to a pre-diabetic condition and an elevated appetite, the study published Thursday in the journal Science found.</p><p>"It has been assumed that the obesity epidemic in the developed world is driven by an i...

Obesity and depression are a two-way street

2010-03-05T11:15:19Z

<div><p>NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who are obese are at increased risk of becoming depressed, and people who are depressed are at increased risk of becoming obese, Dutch researchers have found.</p><p>"There is a reciprocal association over time between depression and obesity," Dr. Floriana S. Luppino, of Reuters) - Germs that make their home in the gut may help cause obesity and a range of health-threatening symptoms that go along with it, researchers reported on Thursday.</p><p>It could be that certain bacteria cause inflammation that can affect appetite as well as inflammatory bowel conditions like Crohn's disease and colitis, the researchers reported in the journal Science.</p>&...

First lady tours Miss. schools to tout health

2010-03-03T15:45:21Z

<div id="subtitle">First lady goes to Miss., No. 1 in childhood obesity, to promote health, physical activity</div><div><p>First lady Michelle Obama visited Jackson on Wednesday and watched children play on swings and a jungle gym at a school whose programs have been lauded for fighting obesity by keeping kids active.</p><p>It was the first of her two stops in Reuters Life!) - New York City's obesity rate has climbed in recent years, but with lower income neighborhoods hit hardest while wealthier areas like Manhattan's Upper East Side and Chelsea remain slim, a new study found.</p><...

Obesity hits New York's poor neighborhoods hardest

2010-03-02T13:32:54Z

<div><p>NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New York City's obesity rate has climbed in recent years, but there are large variations across the city's neighborhoods, with lower income areas hit hardest, a new study finds.</p><p>Between 2003 and 2007, the prevalence of obesity citywide increased from 20 percent to 22 percent, according to the study, published...

Hot tip: Target inflammation to ease obesity ills

2010-03-01T12:33:27Z

<div id="subtitle">HEALTHBEAT: Anti-inflammatories for diabetes? Scientists hunt what makes obesity cause disease</div><div><p>What if you could be fat but avoid heart disease or diabetes? Scientists trying to break the fat-and-disease link increasingly say inflammation is the key.</p><p>In the quest to prove it, a major study is under way testing whether an anti-inflammatory drug — an old, cheap cousin of aspirin — can fight the Type 2 diabetes spurred by obe...

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