Obesity in the US

Experimental diet drug keeps weight off for 2 years

2011-12-13T13:30:36Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An experimental diet drug seems to help some obese people shed pounds, and keep them off for two years, researchers report.

The drug, which will be called Qnexa if it reaches the market, is a combination of the appetite suppressant phentermine and the anti-seizure drug topiramate.

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China's obese teens seek help

2011-12-08T06:32:05Z

Chinese teenager Zhu Lindai used to weigh 152 kilogrammes (335 pounds). But since signing up to a centre in Beijing dedicated to helping obese adolescents lose weight she has shed nearly 50 kilos.

Under the supervision of an instructor, she exercises for two hours every morning and afternoon with an optional extra hour in the evening, following a strict regime of running, pilates, group gymnastics, push-ups and sit-ups.

"I used to...

Vermont keeps title of healthiest state, report shows

2011-12-06T13:30:10Z

BOSTON (Reuters) - Vermont has again been named the healthiest state in the nation, topping the list for a fifth straight year thanks in part to a high rate of high school graduation and low incidence of infectious disease.

New Hampshire, Connecticut, Hawaii...

Obese people use more meds: study

2011-12-02T11:30:30Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obese adults in the United States use a number of prescription drug types more frequently than normal-weight adults, says a new study from researchers at the Centers for Disease Contr...

British women top EU obesity chart

2011-11-24T10:30:21Z

British women and Maltese men topped European obesity ratings according to data released Thursday that also undermined popular belief that all French women are thin.

The figures released by the European Union's statistics agency showed the proportion of obese adults ranging from eight percent to 23.9 percent for women and 7.6 percent to 24.7 percent for men.

Though a worry for public health, the rates are well below ...

Drug helps fat monkeys slim down - are people next?

2011-11-09T17:30:11Z

CHICAGO (Reuters) - An experimental drug that chokes off the blood supply to fat cells helped obese monkeys slim down, a sign that it may work in people, too, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

The drug, known as Adipotide, takes a different approach from other weight loss medicines, which have generally tried to control appetite, alter the abso...

Behavioral therapy for obesity may help family too

2011-11-09T15:00:09Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - When obese people lose weight with behavioral therapy, their family members may get a bit trimmer as well, a new study suggests.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one option for managing obesity, though it's not widely available. It focuses on changing people's thoughts and attitudes on eating and other lifestyle habits, and giving them practical ways to make ...

Commercial diet schemes better than doctors' help

2011-11-04T08:30:09Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Commercial weight-loss programmes such as Weight Watchers and Slimming World are more effective and cheaper than family doctor-based services led by specially trained staff, according t...

Move to better area tied to less diabetes

2011-10-19T14:30:22Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - They say "You are what you eat." Maybe it should also be, "You are where you live."

A new study has found that the affluence of your neighborhood is linked to your risk of obesity and diabetes. People living in a high-poverty area were more likely to be obese and more likely to have diabetes than those in a low-poverty census tract.

The researchers character...

Obese mothers put children at higher risk of asthma

2011-10-10T03:30:08Z

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Pregnant women who are obese put their children at higher risk of developing asthma compared to mothers of normal weight, a large study in Sweden has found.

The study, which covered over 129,000 mothers in Stockholm and their 189,000 children, found th...

Reality TV experience shapes trainer's view

2011-10-10T02:30:10Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Trainer Kim Lyons already had a decade of fitness experience behind her but she says the lessons she learned while working on a reality TV show shaped her professional philosophy.

Before joining "The Bigg...

Western fast food, waistlines surge in India

2011-10-09T02:30:18Z

Every lunchtime at a McDonald's on the corner of one of central New Delhi's biggest streets, queues of hungry young patrons, often four-wide and unruly, snake towards the counters.

The majority of those standing in line are under 30, most are in Western rather than Indian dress, and almost all in their choice of conversation and style are identifiably part o...

Obesity rate declines slightly, study finds

2011-10-08T13:30:08Z

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The percentage of Americans of "normal weight" has slightly increased in the past year, but overweight and obese people still command a solid majority, according to a new study.

In the third quarter of 2011, 36.6 percent of Americans were of normal weight, compared with 35.6 percent a year ago, the Gallup-CHICAGO (Reuters) - The percentage of Americans of "normal weight" has slightly increased in the past year, but overweight and obese people still command a solid majority, according to a new study.

In the third quarter of 2011, 36.6 percent of Americans were of normal weight, compared with 35.6 percent a year ago, the Gallup-Gallup poll showed Friday.

Some 36.6 percent were a normal weight, up a percentage point from a year earlier, while 35.8 percent were overweight, down from 36.0 percent, and 25.8 percent were obese, down from 26.6 percent.

Black Americans, th...

Study finds some Americans slimming but most overweight

2011-10-07T13:00:19Z

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Some Americans are losing weight resulting in more people of "normal weight," according to a new study, but it is not clear if the trend will last.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index found that for the first time in three years there are more normal...

We're gluttons for negative rankings

2011-10-04T02:30:24Z

Been to a buffet lately? Or how about the buffet of buffets?

Las Vegas is famous for 24-hour buffets, as well as fine dining, so it might come as no surprise that we're close to the top of another list: America's 20 Most Gluttonous Cities.

The Daily Meal website ranked U.S. cities using the number of grocery stores and supermarkets, fast-food e...

Behavioral therapies work for weight loss: review

2011-10-03T14:30:16Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Diet changes, exercise and other behavioral tactics do help obese adults shed some pounds -- with or without the help of medication, according to a study published Monday.

In the new review, of 58 clinical trials, researchers found that behavioral programs helped obese people lose an average of 7 pounds more over 12 to 18 months, versus people who received no spec...

Obesity debate rages on talk of Christie White House bid

2011-10-02T15:30:10Z

(Reuters) - Speculation that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will enter the U.S. presidential race has led to a feverish debate about the possibility of having the fattest man in the White House since the corpulent William Howard Taft squeezed behind the big d...

Obese may be less able to control food impulses: study

2011-09-19T15:30:08Z

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Thin people may be able to summon more mental defenses to resist tempting, high-calorie foods than obese people, researchers said on Monday.

Brain scans of thin people who looked at pictures of high-calorie foods showed increased activity in a region of the brain used for impulse control, but obese people showed little activit...

Michigan to track childhood obesity as part of health push

2011-09-14T12:00:11Z

(Reuters) - Michigan's Republican governor said on Wednesday he will ask doctors in the state to begin reporting information on their young patients' body fat levels to a government registry as part of a broader effort to improve the health of state residents.

Governor Rick Snyder said physicians will now be asked to include information on the ...

Weight Watchers works, scientific study finds

2011-09-07T16:30:27Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Overweight patients told by their doctors to go to Weight Watchers lose around twice as much weight as people receiving standard weight loss care over 12 months, according to the findings of a study published on Thursday.

In the first randomized controlled trial -- considere...

Experimental obesity drug beats placebo again

2011-08-31T11:00:14Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The experimental weight-loss drug lorcaserin may spur modest weight loss without the heart risks of some older drugs, a new clinical trial confirms -- though whether the medication will ever reach the market remains up in the air.

Last October, the Food and Drug Administratio...

Fat camp shows China battling the bulge

2011-08-26T09:30:15Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - On the grounds of the Bodyworks weight loss campus in Beijing, 30 tubby men and women sweat profusely, gasping for air as they pound the treadmills in an exercise room.

They represent a shocking new statistic in the world's most populous country. According to some estimates, a third of Chi...

Obesity surge in Britain 'could cost £2bn'

2011-08-26T06:30:28Z

A staggering 26 million Britons will be obese by 2030, placing a huge strain on health services, according to studies published on Friday highlighting the growing global obesity pandemic.

Based on present trends, obesity rates in Britain will rise from 26 percent to 41-48 percent in men, and from 26 percent to 35-43 percent in women over the next two decades.

By 2030, as many as 11 million more British adults will be...

Obesity to worsen, weigh heavily on healthcare costs

2011-08-26T00:00:10Z

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Obesity is most widespread in Britain and the United States among the world's leading economies and if present trends continue, about half of both men and women in the United States will be obese by 2030, health experts warned on Frid...

Obesity costs set to surge, with US in lead - Lancet studies

2011-08-25T20:30:20Z

One in every two American adults will be obese by 2030, adding hugely to the country's health costs, according to studies published on Friday that highlight the growing burden of the world's obesity pandemic.

On present trends, 50-51 percent of American men and 45-52 percent of American women will by 2030 have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, adding as many as 65 million to the country's population of obese adults, says one of the papers.

Twenty-four million of these 65...

Can chewing more help you eat less?

2011-08-02T20:00:10Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - People who chew their food more take in fewer calories, mainly because more chewing is related to the levels of hormones that regulate appetite, according to a Chinese study.

Chewing food 40 times instead of a typical 15 times caused the study participants to eat nearly 12 percent fewer calories, the study -- published in the Reuters) - Companies that have pledged not to market unhealthy food and drinks directly to children may be turning to product placement on television shows instead of traditional ads to target youngsters, a new study showed.

This type of disguised advertising, including high exposure to sugary soft drinks on prime-time TV, is a major contributing factor to childhood obesity, accordin...

Michelle Obama happy with McDonald's menu shift

2011-07-26T14:30:43Z

US fast-food giant McDonald's unveiled a revamped menu Tuesday in a move to offer healthier options and join the fight against obesity, drawing praise from First Lady Michelle Obama.

The chain will add a serving of fruit or vegetable to its "Happy Meals," which are aimed at children, and shrink the portion of French fries.

The new French fry ...

Exclusive: Soda makers escalate attacks over obesity

2011-07-19T14:00:14Z

LOS ANGELES/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - U.S. public awareness campaigns about sugary soft drinks are under legal attack by beverage makers, which have sued New York City's hea...

State ranks 39th in obesity, but Nevadans still putting on pounds

2011-07-15T02:30:12Z

Nevadans have been putting on the pounds, but they're not alone. A new report says the state's obesity rate has increased more than 90 percent in the past 15 years, but 17 other states have seen similar or larger increases.

The report, "F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future," says Nevada is the 39th most obese state in the nation, with an obesity rate of 25 percent.

Fifteen years ago, the state had an obes...

State should take obese kids from parents: US doctors

2011-07-13T17:30:24Z

The government should have the right to remove severely obese children from their parents' home and place them in foster care, two US doctors argued in a controversial editorial published Wednesday.

"State intervention may serve the best interests of many children with life-threatening obesity, comprising the only realistic way to control harmful behaviors," wrote Lindsey Murtagh of the LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The number of obese U.S. adults rose in 16 states in the last year, helping to push obesity rates in a dozen states above 30 percent, according to a report released on Thursday.

By that measure, Mississippi is the fattest state in the union with an adult obesity...

Food Labeling Sebelius

2010-11-12T10:35:38Z

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius speaks during during a global obesity summit, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

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CHILD OBESITY

2010-05-03T15:37:57Z

U.S. map shows childhood obesity prevalence by state.

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Vancouver Olympics Sebelius

2010-03-27T04:55:21Z

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is seen during an interview in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010. Sebelius is tapping a number of Olympic athletes for the First Lady's "Let's Move" campaign against childhood obesity. Sebelius is tapping a number of Olympic athletes for the ...

Scottish Government Annouce Plans To Deal With The Time Bomb Of Obesity

2010-03-27T10:02:54Z

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - FEBRUARY 22: A man stands outside a food shop in Glasgow City centre on February 22, 2010 in Glasgow, Scotland. The Scottish government announced plans today to tackle the nation's obesity problem, after projected reports suggesting that nearly half the population could be classed as obese by 2030. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Michelle Obama speaks about childhood obesity to the National Governors Association Winter Meeting in Washington, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

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