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Obesity

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News & Research:

• Threonine supplementation prevents the development of fat deposition in mice fed a high-fat diet - Food Funct 2022 Jun 29 - "Obesity is the main factor involved in the onset of many diseases. Threonine supplementation has been demonstrated to reduce fat mass and serum triglycerides in already obese mice ... These results suggest that long-term threonine supplementation inhibited fat mass and improved lipid metabolism, making it a potential agent to prevent the development of diet-induced obesity" - See threonine at Amazon.com.
• Greater body fat a risk factor for reduced thinking and memory ability - Science Daily, 2/1/22 - "strategies to prevent or reduce having too much body fat may preserve cognitive function"
• Effects of probiotics on body adiposity and cardiovascular risk markers in individuals with overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - Clin Nutr 2021 Jul 3 - "Evidence suggests that gut microbiota is a potential factor in the pathophysiology of both obesity and related metabolic disorders ... The present meta-analysis suggests that probiotics consumption may be helpful for improving body weight, body adiposity and some CVD risk markers in individuals with overweight and obesity" - See probiotic supplements at Amazon.com and iHerb.
• Excess Weight May Increase Your Risk of Dementia - NYT, 9/3/20 - "Compared with people of normal weight (body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9), overweight people with a B.M.I. of 25 to 29.9 were 27 percent more likely to develop dementia, and the obese, with a B.M.I. of 30 or higher, were 31 percent more likely to become demented"
• Being overweight 'ages people's brains' - BBC, 8/4/16 - "The brains of overweight people look "10 years older" than those of leaner peers"
• Obesity Trumps Alcohol in Liver Damage - Medscape, 5/13/13 - "In terms of liver-related morbidity and mortality, obesity is even more dangerous than alcohol consumption"
• Obesity may influence heart function through sex hormones - Science Daily, 4/27/13 - "suggests effects on heart function in healthy men with artificially raised estrogen levels and artificially lowered testosterone levels to mimic an obese state ... Estradiol, an estrogen, is primarily known as a female hormone but it also circulates at very low levels in men. Testosterone is converted to estradiol by the enzyme aromatase, the activity of which might be increased in obesity leading to raised estradiol and reduced testosterone ... The men with obesity-related changes in sex hormones exhibited altered heart function ... We found that after increasing the estrogen levels and decreasing the testosterone levels in men for one week the deformation of the left heart chamber was significantly altered"
• Men should shed excess weight before fathering children, study suggests - Science Daily, 8/22/12 - "a father's obesity negatively impacts sperm, resulting in smaller fetuses, poor pregnancy success and reduced placental development"
• Obesity, depression found to be root causes of daytime sleepiness - Science Daily, 6/13/12 - "Three studies being presented June 13 at sleep 2012 conclude that obesity and depression are the two main culprits making us excessively sleepy while awake ... Insufficient sleep and obstructive sleep apnea also play a role; both have been linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, depression, diabetes, obesity and accidents"
• Fat and healthy? Study finds slim isn't always superior - Science Daily, 8/15/11 - "obese people who are otherwise healthy live just as long as their slim counterparts, and are less likely to die of cardiovascular causes ... Kuk's team looked at 6,000 obese Americans over a 16-year span, comparing their mortality risk with that of lean individuals"
• Obesity greater risk for fatty liver than moderate amounts of alcohol, study suggests - Science Daily, 5/30/11 - "It turned out that the amount of fat in the liver was linked with obesity and insulin resistance and was almost not at all affected by the red wine. Specifically, after three months, none of the the wine drinkers had developed fatty liver or elevated liver transaminases"
• Packing on the pounds in middle age linked to dementia - Science Daily, 5/2/11 - "people who were overweight or obese at midlife had an 80 percent higher risk of developing dementia, Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia in late life compared to people with normal BMI"
• Obese adolescents lacking vitamin D, study suggests - Science Daily, 4/28/11 - "For this retrospective study, Harel and his co-authors explored the prevalence of low vitamin D status among 68 obese adolescents, and examined the impact of treatment of low vitamin D status in these patient ... low vitamin D status was present in all of the girls (72 percent deficient and 28 percent insufficient) and in 91 percent of the boys (69 percent deficient and 22 percent insufficient). Of those with vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency, 43 patients had a repeat measurement of vitamin D level after treatment. While there was a significant increase in vitamin D levels following treatment, serum vitamin D levels normalized in only 28percent of these patients. Repeat multiple courses of vitamin D treatment in the patients who did not normalize their vitamin D levels after initial course, failed to normalize their low vitamin D status ... The researchers question whether a higher daily vitamin D intake than the one recently recommended by the Institute of Medicine (600 international units of vitamin D/day) may be required as part of treatment in obese adolescents, in an attempt to increase their vitamin D status" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• Time lived with obesity linked with mortality - Science Daily, 3/21/11 - "for those who had a medium number of years lived with obesity (between five years and 14.9 years), the risk of mortality more than doubled than for those who had never been obese. The risk of mortality almost tripled for those with the longest duration of obesity (more than 15 years)"
• Obesity rate lower in Canada than in US, study shows - BBC News, 3/2/11 - "Canada has a significantly lower rate of obesity than does the US ... When comparing only the non-Hispanic white populations of the two countries, 25.6% of Canadians were obese, compared with 33% for the US. Over the whole population, the figures were 24.1% and 34.4%, respectively"
• U.S. Obesity Rate May Hit 42% by 2050 - US News and World Report, 11/5/10 - "42 percent of adults will be obese ... U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has placed the adult obesity rate at 34 percent, with another 34 percent of Americans overweight but not obese" - Note: Everyone has their opinion on why the life expectancy in the U.S. isn't that impressive.  The lack of exercise, overeating and the resulting obesity are mine.  All are related to insulin resistance and high blood sugar.  See all the studies on my Insulin and Aging page.
• Excessive intake of omega 6 and deficiencies in omega 3 induce obesity down the generations - Science Daily, 7/26/10 - "Chronic excess of linoleic acid (omega 6), coupled with a deficiency in alpha-linoleic acid (omega 3), can increase obesity down the generations ... In the past forty years, there has been a steady rise in obesity over the generations in Western societies. During the same period, the diet in industrialized countries has seen a quantitative increase in the calories ingested (lipids account for 35 to 40% of food intake), high levels of linoleic acid (omega 6) and low levels of alpha-linoleic acid (omega 3). Indeed, the amount of omega 6 consumed during the past forty years has rocketed (+250%) while that of omega 3 has fallen by 40%, thus destabilizing the omega 6/omega 3 ratio when compared with the recommended intakes. While the French Food Safety Agency (AFSSA) recommends an omega 6/omega 3 ratio of 5/1, actual consumption is 15 omega 6 for 1 omega 3. In the USA, this ratio can even reach 40 omega 6 for 1 omega 3 ... researchers exposed four generations of mice to a Western-style diet, characterized by these same omega 6/omega 3 ratios. As a result, they saw a gradual increase in fat mass over several generations"
• Cutting fat and calories can lower cancer risk in dogs and people - Science Daily, 7/22/10 - "As many as 1 out of 3 cancer deaths in both humans and dogs could be prevented by reducing Omega-6 fatty acids and cutting calories ... Omega-6, such as corn oil, vegetable oil and grain-fed red meat. Too much Omega-6 fatty acid can lead to inflammation, which creates an environment conducive to cancer in dogs and people ... obesity in both dogs and humans limits the production of adiponectin, a hormone that has been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth. He recommended reducing calories, particularly those from sugar, which has the additional danger of not only causing obesity, but also feeding cancer cells and encouraging their growth ... the ideal blend of fiber for dog food is about 75 to 80 percent insoluble and 20 to 25 percent soluble. In addition, adding quality prebiotics to pet foods can enhance their gut health"
• Obesity harms women's memory and brain function - Science Daily, 7/14/10
• Obesity may harm your sexual health, study suggests - Science Daily, 6/15/10 - "obese women were 30% less likely to have had a sexual partner in the last 12 months. Obese men were 70% less likely to have had more than one sexual partner in the same period and were two and half times more likely to experience erectile dysfunction"
• Abdominal fat at middle age associated with greater risk of dementia: Obesity linked to lower total brain volume - Science Daily, 5/20/10 - "excess abdominal fat places otherwise healthy, middle-aged people at risk for dementia later in life ... 24.3 million people have some form of dementia, with 4.6 million new cases annually"
• Obesity linked to low testosterone in men - Men's health - MSNBC, 5/3/10 - "Forty percent of obese participants in the study had lower-than-normal testosterone readings. And for those obese men who also had diabetes that percent rose to 50 percent"
• Erectile dysfunction and increased dangers of cardiovascular disease - Science Daily, 4/25/10 - "men with erectile dysfunction and low testosterone have a higher than normal risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Further work from the same research group shows that obesity is also associated with an impairment of blood flow to the penis, which in turn is also associated with cardiovascular disease in men with erectile dysfunction ... Low testosterone itself was not associated with major cardiac events, but those patients with the lowest testosterone who had a major cardiac event were significantly more likely to die than those with higher levels of testosterone (P<0.001; the risk is increased by a factor of seven ... In a second study (but using the same group of patients as above), the group showed that the degree of obesity, along with erectile dysfunction, were significantly and independently associated with cardiac events"
• Waist-hip Ratio Better Than BMI For Gauging Obesity In Elderly, Study Finds - Science Daily, 9/1/09
• More Obesity Blues: Obese People Are At Greater Risk For Developing Alzheimer's, Study Finds - Science Daily, 8/25/09 - "They found that obese people had 8 percent less brain tissue than people with normal weight, while overweight people had 4 percent less tissue. According to Thompson, who is also a member of UCLA's Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, this is the first time anyone has established a link between being overweight and having what he describes as "severe brain degeneration.""
• Link Between Erectile Dysfunction And Obesity Explored In Obesity And Weight Management - Science Daily, 8/25/09 - "Obese men are at increased risk for erectile dysfunction (ED), likely caused by atherosclerosis-related hypertension and cardiovascular disease, as well as hormonal changes associated with obesity"
• Obesity Increases Risk Of Prostate Cancer Recurrence For Both Blacks And Whites - Science Daily, 8/17/09 - "We found that higher BMI was associated with significantly increased risk of cancer recurrence for both blacks and whites ... Obesity is associated with more estrogen and less testosterone, and it may be that lower testosterone promotes more aggressive tumors as recent studies have suggested ... In addition, Jayachandran says alteration in the production of other hormones, like insulin, insulin-like growth factor or leptin, which occur in obese men, may also be involved in the development of more aggressive tumors"
• Obesity Contributes To Rapid Cartilage Loss - Science Daily, 7/14/09
• Study: Overweight People Live Longer - WebMD, 6/25/09 - "There is more evidence that people who are overweight tend to live longer than people who are underweight, normal weight, or obese ... Those classified as underweight were 73% more likely to die ... Those classified as extremely obese with BMI of 35 or greater were 36% more likely to die ... Those classified as obese with BMI 30-34.9 had about the same risk of death ... Those classified as overweight with BMI 25-29.9 were 17% less likely to die"
• Symptoms Of Depression In Obese Children Linked To Elevated Cortisol - Science Daily, 6/11/09 - "There is evidence in adults that abnormal regulation of cortisol plays a role in both obesity and depression ... Cortisol levels in the saliva in the afternoon and evening correlated positively with symptoms of depression ... The more depressive symptoms that subjects reported, the higher the cortisol levels at those times"
• Obesity Associated With Periodontal Disease - Science Daily, 4/4/09 - "The team observed significant associations between all measures of obesity and periodontal disease when accounting for age, smoking, race, dental profession, physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, and diabetes status at baseline. Obesity (BMI > 30 kg/m2) at the beginning of follow-up and over follow-up was significantly associated with a 25% and 29% increased risk compared with normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m2), respectively ... These results provide the first evidence following a large group of people over time with clear evidence of obesity occurring prior to periodontal disease, and support an association between obesity and risk of periodontal disease"
• Moderate Obesity Takes Years Off Life Expectancy - Science Daily, 3/19/09 - "moderate obesity, which is now common, reduces life expectancy by about 3 years, and that severe obesity, which is still uncommon, can shorten a person’s life by 10 years. This 10 year loss is equal to the effects of lifelong smoking"
• Obesity Linked To Hormone Imbalance That Impacts Sexual Quality Of Life - Science Daily, 3/3/09 - "In our study population, we found that lower testosterone levels and diminished ratings for sexual quality of life were correlated with increased BMI ... Subjects who lost weight through bariatric surgery experienced a reduction in estradiol levels, an increase in testosterone levels and an increase in ratings of sexual quality of life" - See my aromatization page.  Another way to increase testosterone and decrease estradiol is with letrozole.  I take a quarter tablet every other day.
  • Letrozole once a week normalizes serum testosterone in obesity-related male hypogonadism - Eur J Endocrinol. 2008 May;158(5):741-7 - "Isolated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH) is frequently observed in severely obese men, probably as a result of increased estradiol (E(2)) production and E(2)-mediated negative feedback on pituitary LH secretion. Aromatase inhibitors can reverse this process ... treated with 2.5 mg letrozole once a week for 6 months ... Six weeks of treatment reduced total E(2) from 123+/-11 to 58+/-7 pmol/l (P<0.001, mean+/-s.e.m.), and increased serum LH from 4.4+/-0.6 to 11.1+/-1.5 U/l (P<0.001). Total testosterone rose from 5.9+/-0.5 to 19.6+/-1.4 nmol/l (P<0.001), and free testosterone from 163+/-13 to 604+/-50 pmol/l (P<0.001). Total testosterone rose to within the normal range in all subjects, whereas free testosterone rose to supraphysiological levels in 7 out of 12 men ... Letrozole 2.5 mg once a week produced a sustained normalization of serum total testosterone in obese men with IHH. However, free testosterone frequently rose to supraphysiological levels. Therefore, a starting dose <2.5 mg once a week is recommended" - See Femara (letrozole) at OffshoreRX.
• Being Overweight Just As Risky To Health As Being A Smoker - Science Daily, 3/2/09 - "Obese adolescents have the same risk of premature death in adulthood as people who smoke more than 10 cigarettes a day, while those who are overweight have the same risk as less heavy smokers"
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids Prevent Medical Complications Of Obesity, Study Suggests - Science Daily, 2/12/09 - "Our study shows for the first time that lipids called protectins and resolvins derived from omega-3 fatty acids can actually reduce the instance of liver complications, such as hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance, in obese people" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
• Adiponectin Is A Metabolic Link Between Obesity And Bone Mineral Density - Science Daily, 11/25/08 - "adiponectin, a protein secreted from adipocytes, is a metabolic link that can explain, in part, the known positive relationship between obesity and both bone mineral density and reduced susceptibility to fractures ... In summary, elevated circulating adiponectin was associated with lower bone mass and weaker bones in growing mice compared to control animals" - See my adiponectin page for ways to increase it. - Ben
• Too Much Body Fat Bad for Bones? - WebMD, 10/31/08 - "postmenopausal women with a higher proportion of body fat tend to have lower bone mineral content"
• Obesity Linked to Erectile Dysfunction - WebMD, 10/31/08 - "conditions related to obesity, particularly hypertension (or high blood pressure), are the most significant causes of obesity-related erectile dysfunction. Abnormal penile blood flow was found to be linked to high blood pressure"
• Obesity And Depression May Be Linked - Science Daily, 6/2/08
• To Avoid Dementia, Watch Your Weight - WebMD, 5/8/08 - "obese people have an 80% increased risk for Alzheimer's disease compared to those with normal weight"
• Telomere length and obesity - Acta Paediatr. 2008 Apr 21 - "No difference was found between the TRF lengths of obese and normal children. Obese adults had shorter TRF lengths than adults who were not obese (mean TRF length difference, -884.5; 95% confidence intervals -1727 to -41.8; t= 2.183; df = 17; p < 0.041)"
• Weight Loss More Effective Than Intensive Insulin Therapy For Type 2 Diabetics - Science Daily, 3/11/08 - "Weight-loss and major lifestyle changes may be more effective than intensive insulin therapy for overweight patients with poorly controlled, insulin-resistant type 2 diabetes"
• Overweight And Obese Men Have Lower PSA Values, Even Before They Get Prostate Cancer - Science Daily, 2/19/08 - "mildly obese men's PSA scores were fourteen percent lower than normal-weight men, and moderately and severely obese men had 29 percent lower PSA values ... Doctors have proposed that overweight and obese men have lower PSA scores because their bodies have a greater volume of blood"
• Strong Link Between Obesity And Colorectal Cancer - Science Daily, 12/14/07 - "obese individuals (Body Mass Index* (BMI) >30 kg/m2) have a 20% greater risk of developing colorectal cancer compared with those of normal weight (BMI < 25 kg/m2) ... carrying even a few excess kilos substantially increases the risk of colorectal cancer; for every 5 kg weight gain the risk of developing the cancer increases by 7%"
• Death Risk Lower for Overweight People - WebMD, 11/6/07 - "Compared with people who fell into the normal-weight category, being obese was associated with an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancers that have been linked to obesity, such as colon, breast, esophageal, uterine, and ovarian cancers ... Being underweight was linked to an increased risk of death from non-cancer and non-cardiovascular causes ... being slightly overweight, but not obese, was associated with a significant decrease in the risk of death from non-cancer and non-cardiovascular causes"
• Obesity Strongest Risk Factor For Colorectal Cancer Among Women; Greater Than Smoking - Science Daily, 10/15/07
• Obesity Ups Women’s Colon Cancer Risk - WebMD, 10/15/07 - "Obesity more than doubles a woman’s risk of developing colon cancer or growths that can lead to colon cancer"
• Excess Weight, Poor Memory Linked - WebMD, 10/9/06 - "Those with in the lowest range of BMI (15-21.5) remembered nine of 16 words, while those in the highest BMI range (27.7-45) could remember just seven. The results were linear -- so as BMI went up, the number of words remembered declined"
• Obesity and Diabetes Increase Risk for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia - Doctor's Guide, 5/29/06 - "The age-adjusted odds ratio for prostate enlargement in overweight men was 1.41, in obese men, it was 1.27, and in severely obese men, it was 3.52"
• Obesity Boosts Risk of Breast Cancer - WebMD, 5/22/06
• Obesity May Up Risk of Kidney Failure - WebMD, 5/22/06
• Obesity Doubles Kids' Risk of Diabetes - WebMD, 2/2/06
• Obesity in Middle Age Linked to Higher Risk of Hospitalization, Death - Doctor's Guide, 1/11/06
• Extra Weight May Age You Faster - WebMD, 5/25/05 - "inflammation burns out white blood cells faster, and the effort of replacing them wears down the telomeres ... Insulin resistance and obesity are also associated with free radical damage"
• Obesity Is Risk Factor For Aggressive Prostate Cancer - Science Daily, 5/23/05 - "Obesity appears to increase the risk of prostate cancer, particularly aggressive disease, and may make it harder to find ... fat makes estrogen-like compounds, which lowers circulating levels of prostate specific antigen ... Hormone changes observed with obesity also cause decreased levels of the male hormone testosterone"
• Midlife Obesity Linked to Late-Life Dementia - WebMD, 4/28/05 - "For those with an obese BMI (30 or higher) in middle age, the risk of dementia in old age was 74% higher than for those with normal BMI. For those who were overweight (BMI of 25-29.9), late-life dementia risk was 35% higher than those with normal BMI"
• Obesity May Lead to Brain Loss - WebMD, 11/22/04 - "women who were obese throughout their adult lives were more likely to lose brain tissue, a condition known as brain atrophy that has been linked to impaired brain function and dementia"
• Obesity Tied to Increased Risk for Dozens of Conditions - Doctor's Guide, 11/22/04
• Obesity Triples Prescription Drug Costs - WebMD, 11/8/04
• Obesity Takes Toll on Sperm and Fertility - WebMD, 10/22/04
• Obesity Raises Risk For 9 Cancer Types - Intelihealth, 8/24/04
• Obesity Increases Breast Cancer Risk - WebMD, 5/17/04
• Soft Drink Sweetener Blamed for Obesity - WebMD, 4/1/04
• Obesity Linked to Type 1 Diabetes - WebMD, 9/26/03
• More Urban Sprawl Means More Weight Gain - WebMD, 8/28/03
• Obese Individuals May Be More Susceptible To Altitude Sickness - Doctor's Guide, 8/20/03
• Obesity, Estrogen Linked to Breast Cancer - WebMD, 8/19/03
• Height, Weight Tied to Ovarian Cancer Risk - WebMD, 8/19/03
• Weight Teasing Linked to Teen Suicide - WebMD, 8/11/03
• Doctors Don't Address Patients' Obesity - WebMD, 7/30/03
• The Higher Health-Care Costs of Heavier Employees - WebMD, 7/30/03
• Obesity Raises Cervical Cancer Risk - WebMD, 7/14/03 - "Overweight women are at high risk of cervical cancer -- double the risk of other women"
• Obesity Could Increase Risk of Alzheimer's Disease - WebMD, 7/14/03
• Relationship between obesity-related metabolic abnormalities and sexual function - J Endocrinol Invest. 2003;26(3 Suppl):62-4 - "it will be reported about the 3 possible mechanisms through which obese people may suffer from sexual dysfunction: a) insulin resistance and associated hormonal changes, b) dyslipidemia and related drugs, and c) psychological problems"
• Obesity Linked to Blindness - WebMD, 6/12/03
• Obesity Leads to Gum Disease - WebMD, 6/2/03
• Newborns of Obese Women at Increased Risk of Birth Defects - Doctor's Guide, 5/26/03
• Obesity Costs Rival Smoking - WebMD, 5/15/03
• Obesity Ups Risk Of Birth Defects - Intelihealth, 5/5/03
• Cancer Death: Obesity a Major Risk Factor - WebMD, 4/23/03
• Survival to 90 Years Linked to Low Weight in Young Adulthood and Exercise - Doctor's Guide, 4/8/03 - "baseline height and weight were not associated with mortality. However, a higher weight at age 21 was associated with increased odds of dying before reaching 90 years (OR=1.04 per 5 lb increase, P 0.0001). Those who exercised were 24-31% less likely to die by the age of 90 (OR=0.76, P 0.0001 for less than 1 hour per day, OR=0.69, P 0.0001 for 1 hour or more per day). Similarly, being in the mid tertile of BMI at baseline (22-24 for men, 20-23 for women) was associated with decreased odds of dying before age 90 (OR=0.70, P 0.0001)"
• Effects of Obesity Reach Into Brain - WebMD, 3/5/03 - "obesity works independently -- as well as in conjunction with other risk factors -- to cause a decline in thinking ability, especially memory and learning ... participants may have suffered from heart disease risk factors that were undetectable 50 years ago ... other social and psychological factors associated with obesity and overeating, such as depression and anxiety, may have also affected the decline ... may damage brain function by making it harder for blood to reach the brain, similar to high blood pressure and heart disease"
• Obese Children Face Hip Problems Later - WebMD, 2/7/03
• Obesity Means Higher Medical Costs - WebMD, 1/13/03
• Fat Lurks Behind Slim Asian Frames - Intelihealth, 11/18/02
• Obesity Affects Sexual Maturation in Girls Differently Than in Boys - Doctor's Guide, 11/11/02
• Sexual Maturity Linked to Weight - WebMD, 11/4/02
• Obesity Increases Risk of Parkinson's - Doctor's Guide, 10/29/02
• Diet Rich In Soy Protein Lowers Estrogens Associated With Breast Cancer - Intelihealth, 9/24/02 - "There is a suggestion that weight change (particularly weight increase) has a profound influence on breast cancer rates in Asian-American women"
• Avoiding Weight Gain Has A Major Role In Cancer Prevention - Doctor's Guide, 9/13/02 - "Obesity is linked to colon, breast (in postmenopausal women), endometrium, kidney, and oesophagus ... associations with cancer risk could be explained by alterations in the metabolism of endogenous hormones, including sex steroids, insulin, and insulin-like growth factors. These can lead to distortion of the normal balance between cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis"
• Premenopausal Obesity Doubles Colorectal Cancer Risk - Doctor's Guide, 7/18/02
• Extra Pounds Add to Healthcare Costs - WebMD, 7/1/02
• Super-Sizing Blamed for Bulging Waists - WebMD, 6/21/02
• Americans Becoming Fatter, Faster - WebMD, 6/17/02 - "They found 27% of the people were obese by 1999, and 61% weighed more than is considered healthy. That's more than double the number of people who were obese in 1960-1962, and a 20% increase in the number of overweight Americans compared with nearly 40 years ago"
• Weight-Loss Surgery Soars, Even in Teens - WebMD, 5/22/02
• Less Sleep Relates To Childhood Obesity - Doctor's Guide, 5/22/02
• Elevated Liver Enzymes in Obese Children - Doctor's Guide, 5/21/02 - "Childhood obesity may set the stage for liver damage, with elevated liver enzymes a warning sign ... Of the 90 percent of obese children who did not show elevated enzymes, "all probably had fatty liver" and were at risk for liver damage"
• High Levels of Sex Hormones Raise Breast Cancer Risk in Older Women - Doctor's Guide, 4/17/02 - "Postmenopausal women with high amounts of oestrogen and testosterone in their bloodstream are at over twice the risk of the disease as those with low levels of the hormones ... obesity is the biggest known reason for high levels of sex hormones among postmenopausal women ... women with raised levels of a molecule called sex hormone binding globulin, which reduces the activity of sex hormones, were at lower than usual risk. Interestingly, women who are obese have low levels of this molecule, which probably also helps to raise their risk of breast cancer"
• Is Obesity A Disease Or Just A Symptom? - Intelihealth, 4/15/02
• Abdominal Volume Index may be More Useful than Waist-To-Hip Ratio for Estimating Central Obesity - Doctor's Guide, 4/11/02
• Increased Protein And Reduced Fat Has No Significant Effect On Weight Loss Among Type 2 Diabetics - Doctor's Guide, 4/11/02
• Extra Pounds Raise Breast Cancer Risk - WebMD, 4/10/02
• Insulin Resistance And Plasma Leptin Association Explained By Distinct Areas Of Body Fat Accumulation - Doctor's Guide, 4/4/02
• IRS Recognizes Obesity As A Disease That Qualifies For A Tax Deduction - Intelihealth, 4/3/02
• Fighting Obesity Is Tax-Deductible - WebMD, 4/3/02
• Waist Circumference/Body Mass Index Together Predict Disease Risk - Doctor's Guide, 3/25/02
• Bad Heart Despite Good Cholesterol? - WebMD, 3/19/02 - ""Seventy percent of these patients were in the lowest risk categories," Schoenfeld says. "Only 25% would qualify for drug treatment." ... So why did these patients have heart attacks? One factor looms large: more than eight out of 10 of these patients were overweight or obese ... "Obesity is becoming an epidemic in and of itself and is a root cause of the continuing heart disease epidemic.""
• Obesity Increases Health Costs More Than Smoking - Intelihealth, 3/12/02 - "Obese Americans spend more for health care and medications than smokers, largely because the extra weight causes the same jump in chronic health problems as does 20 years of aging"
• Obesity Health Costs Outweigh Smoking - WebMD, 3/12/02
• People Warned About Extra Weight - Intelihealth, 12/26/01
• American Kids Are Getting Fatter - Intelihealth, 12/12/01
• The Role of Weight Loss in Improving Metabolic Outcomes - Medscape, 10/7/01
• Even Being Slightly Overweight Increases Risk for Many Diseases - WebMD, 7/9/01 - "people who're even a little overweight face increased risk for many serious diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, colon cancer, high blood pressure, and gallstones"
• Obesity worse than smoking - USA Today, 6/7/01 - "Obese adults have more chronic health problems than smokers, heavy drinkers or the poor"
• Overweight kids a U.S. epidemic - CNN, 10/20/99