http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Junk food, video games and a lack of exercise all have received their fair share of blame for the spiraling epidemic of obesity in the U.S. But according to a University of Illinois researcher, public health enemy No. 1 for our supersized nation may very well be the one staple of modern life most Americans can't seem to live without one (or more) of: the automobile. http://phys.org/news224335227.html Other Sciences Wed, 11 May 2011 12:20:51 EST news224335227 A third of common cancers could be prevented if people shifted to a sounder diet, exercised more and controlled their weight, researchers said on Thursday. http://phys.org/news154875172.html Medicine & Health Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:53:33 EST news154875172 New research has found that modern lifestyle habits may play a bigger role than food alone, when it comes to tooth decay. http://phys.org/news154867787.html Medicine & Health Thu, 26 Feb 2009 10:50:34 EST news154867787 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, according to research published on bmj.com today. http://phys.org/news154768226.html Medicine & Health Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:10:59 EST news154768226 Overweight people who are between the ages of 20 and 55 may have a higher risk of experiencing migraine headaches, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle, April 25 to May 2, 2009. http://phys.org/news153679651.html Medicine & Health Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:47:46 EST news153679651 A new system proposed by Canadian and US obesity researchers may provide another weapon in the battle against obesity. University of Alberta obesity expert Dr. Arya Sharma, along with a researcher from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, has proposed a classification system to help doctors assess and treat overweight patients. http://phys.org/news153499978.html Medicine & Health Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:53:38 EST news153499978 Irish kids now weigh 24 kilos more than they did in 1948, reveals research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. http://phys.org/news153473661.html Medicine & Health Tue, 10 Feb 2009 07:37:25 EST news153473661 Putting food on the table, struggling with unemployment and meeting the relentless needs of young children all contribute to household stress. Now, a new study finds that these pressures also increase the possibility that a mother will be obese. http://phys.org/news153148635.html Medicine & Health Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:17:40 EST news153148635 The rate of childhood obesity has risen significantly in the United States, with many children becoming overweight at younger ages. At the same time, the number of preschoolers in center-based programs is also on the rise. Now a new study finds that, contrary to conventional wisdom, preschoolers don't move around a lot, even when they're playing outside. http://phys.org/news153145363.html Medicine & Health Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:24:12 EST news153145363 A Texas AgriLife Research scientist and fellow researchers have discovered that arginine, an amino acid, reduces fat mass in diet-induced obese rats and could help fight human obesity. http://phys.org/news152981332.html Medicine & Health Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:50:58 EST news152981332 With all the finger-pointing at fast food as a factor in America's obesity epidemic, you'd think people would be fatter where the supply of restaurants is greater--that is, neighborhoods teeming with burger joints, chicken shacks and so on. http://phys.org/news152808563.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:49:55 EST news152808563 Mice whose fat cells were allowed to grow larger than fat cells in normal mice developed "healthy" obesity when fed a high-fat diet, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center found in a new study. http://phys.org/news152471533.html Biology Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:12:51 EST news152471533 (PhysOrg.com) -- National statistics show one in four children in Canada are obese, yet very little research has been done to find out what effects, if any, being overweight has on their self esteem and well-being. http://phys.org/news151680002.html Medicine & Health Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:21:01 EST news151680002 (PhysOrg.com) -- Three new genetic variations that increase the risk of obesity are revealed in a new study, published today in the journal Nature Genetics. The authors suggest that if each acted independently, these variants could be responsible for up to 50% of cases of severe obesity. http://phys.org/news151508699.html Medicine & Health Sun, 18 Jan 2009 13:44:59 EST news151508699 Recent research presented today at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Small Changes Summit that addresses childhood obesity shows that calories in recipes have gradually increased over time. http://phys.org/news151151787.html Medicine & Health Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:36:27 EST news151151787 Small changes can lead to big rewards, such as maintaining a healthy weight, American Society for Nutrition (ASN) President James O. Hill, PhD, describes in a recent report. The article, to be published in the February issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is written by Hill on behalf of a joint task force of ASN, the Institute of Food Technologists, and the International Food Information Council. http://phys.org/news151072771.html Medicine & Health Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:39:31 EST news151072771 Counselling via the phone and internet can help weight management in overweight individuals, according to a Dutch study published in the open access journal, BMC Public Health. http://phys.org/news150695972.html Medicine & Health Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:59:32 EST news150695972 The international GIANT (Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Parameters) consortium works on the discovery of obesity genes. So far, the scientists have analyzed two million DNA variations in 15 genome-wide association studies with a total of more than 32,000 participants. The hereby identified candidate genes were validated in 14 further studies including 59,000 participants. In addition to the FTO and MC4R genes already known, it was now possible for six more obesity genes to be identified: TMEM18, KCTD15, GNPDA2, SH2B1, MTCH2, and NEGR1. http://phys.org/news150636788.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:33:08 EST news150636788 Mice exposed to low temperatures develop more blood vessels in their adipose tissue and metabolise body fat more quickly, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet. Scientists now hope to learn how to control blood vessel development in humans in order to combat obesity and diabetes. http://phys.org/news150543426.html Medicine & Health Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:37:06 EST news150543426 (PhysOrg.com) -- The discovery more than a decade ago of leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone secreted by fat tissue, generated headlines and great hopes for an effective treatment for obesity. But hopes dimmed when it was found that obese people are unresponsive to leptin due to development of leptin resistance in the brain. Now, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston report the first agents demonstrated to sensitize the brain to leptin: oral drugs that are already FDA-approved and known to be safe. Findings were published January 7 by the journal Cell Metabolism. http://phys.org/news150468469.html Biology Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:47:49 EST news150468469 A recent international study fails to support the common belief that the number of calories burned in physical activity is a key factor in rising rates of obesity. http://phys.org/news150461696.html Medicine & Health Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:54:56 EST news150461696 A new epidemiological study has found that among women who have never used menopausal hormone therapy, obese women are at an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer compared with women of normal weight. Published in the February 15, 2009 issue of Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the research indicates that obesity may contribute to the development of ovarian cancer through a hormonal mechanism. http://phys.org/news150346593.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:56:33 EST news150346593 Surgery to treat obesity could be avoided if GPs and healthcare trusts put more time and money into early stage weight management programmes, a senior clinical researcher will say today. http://phys.org/news148706516.html Medicine & Health Wed, 17 Dec 2008 03:21:56 EST news148706516 Is obesity all in your head? New research suggests that genes that predispose people to obesity act in the brain and that perhaps some people are simply hardwired to overeat. http://phys.org/news148485640.html Medicine & Health Sun, 14 Dec 2008 14:00:40 EST news148485640 A Kansas State University graduate student has found a correlation between childhood obesity and asthma. Sara Rosenkranz, doctoral student in human nutrition, Manhattan, conducted research that found that healthy children with higher levels of body fat and lower levels of physical activity had greater amounts of airway narrowing after exercise. http://phys.org/news148316700.html Medicine & Health Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:05:00 EST news148316700 One in three UK adults—or 13 million people—will be obese by 2012, finds research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. http://phys.org/news148193201.html Medicine & Health Thu, 11 Dec 2008 04:46:41 EST news148193201 In addition to its strong associations with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, pediatric obesity may induce alterations in thyroid function and structure, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). http://phys.org/news147533102.html Medicine & Health Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:25:02 EST news147533102 Older adults with symptoms of depression appear more likely to gain abdominal fat, but not overall fat, over a five-year period, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. http://phys.org/news147372755.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:52:35 EST news147372755 Work-related fatigue is a common complaint encountered by the occupational physician in the industrialized societies. Most past investigations of work-related fatigue focused on age, subjective discomforts, social-economical factors or on work styles. However, the association between work-related fatigue and general objective health measures, such as liver function tests, metabolic syndrome components (waist circumference, blood pressure, sugar and lipids profile) or hematology test results are yet to be declared among the modern workplaces in Taiwan. http://phys.org/news147367613.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:26:53 EST news147367613 Tributyltin, a ubiquitous pollutant that has a potent effect on gene activity, could be promoting obesity, according to an article in the December issue of BioScience. The chemical is used in antifouling paints for boats, as a wood and textile preservative, and as a pesticide on high-value food crops, among many other applications. http://phys.org/news147337618.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:06:58 EST news147337618