End Obesity by 2020

20% fat tax on unhealthy food & drinks and subsidies on healthy foods

As an increasing number of countries introduce taxes on unhealthy food and drinks, Oliver Mytton and colleagues at the University of Oxford examine the evidence on the health effects of food taxes. Taxes on unhealthy food and drinks would need to be at least 20% to have a significant effect on diet-related conditions such as obesity and heart disease. Ideally, this should be combined with subsidies on healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables.

20% fat tax on unhealthy food & drinks

Caloric moderation can reverse link between low birth weight and obesity

Babies who are born small have a tendency to put on weight during childhood and adolescence if allowed free access to calories. However, a new animal model study at UCLA found when small babies were placed on a diet of moderately regulated calories during infancy, the propensity of becoming obese decreased.

Low birth weight and obesity

Obesity epidemic in America underestimated

The scope of the obesity epidemic in the United States has been greatly underestimated, according to a study published Apr. 2 in the journal PLoS ONE. Researchers found that the Body Mass Index (BMI) substantially under-diagnoses obesity when compared to the Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scan, a direct simultaneous measure of body fat, muscle mass, and bone density.

Obesity epidemic in America

Dieting mothers increase obesity and diabetes risks in babies

If you’re expecting, this might make you feel a little better about reaching for that pint of ice cream: New research published in the FASEB Journal suggests that twins, and babies of mothers who diet around the time of conception and in early pregnancy, may have an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes throughout their lives.

Obesity and diabetes risks in babies

Gene in fat cells protects from type 2 diabetes

In a finding that may challenge popular notions of body fat and health, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have shown how fat cells can protect the body against diabetes. The results may lead to a new therapeutic strategy for preventing and treating type 2 diabetes and obesity-related metabolic diseases, the authors say.

Most weight loss supplements are not effective

An Oregon State University researcher has reviewed the body of evidence around weight loss supplements and has bad news for those trying to find a magic pill to lose weight and keep it off – it doesn’t exist. Do you know whether your weight loss supplement is effective?

Marijuana smokers are less likely to be obese

Marijuana smokers are thinner and less likely to be obese as compared to non-smokers, revealrd by French researches in a recent study published. Researchers found that people who smoke marijuana regularly are less likely to be obese than non-pot smokers. Researchers analyzed data from two large national surveys of the American population, which together included some 52,000 participants. In the first survey, they found that 22% of those who did not smoke marijuana were obese, compared with just 14% of [...]

Marijuana smokers are thinner

Presidential Proclamation – National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month in US

Since the 1970s, the rate of childhood obesity in our country has tripled, and today a third of American children are overweight or obese. This dramatic rise threatens to have far‑reaching, long-term effects on our children’s health, livelihoods, and futures. Without major changes, a third of children born in the year 2000 will develop Type 2 diabetes during their lifetimes, and many others will face obesity‑related problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and asthma. As a Nation, our [...]

National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

Potatoes may reduce blood pressure in obese with high blood pressure

The potato’s stereotype as a fattening food for health-conscious folks to avoid is getting another revision today as scientists report that just a couple servings of spuds a day reduces high blood pressure almost as much as oatmeal without causing weight gain. High blood pressure is a medical condition. Scientists reported on the research, done on a group of overweight people with high blood pressure, at the 242nd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), being held [...]

Potatoes reduce blood pressure in people with obesity and high blood pressure

Free radicals may suppress appetite

Obesity is growing at alarming rates worldwide, and the biggest culprit is overeating. In a study of brain circuits that control hunger and satiety, Yale School of Medicine researchers have found that molecular mechanisms controlling free radicals—molecules tied to aging and tissue damage—are at the heart of increased appetite in diet-induced obesity. The image shows satiety promoting melanocortin neurons (green) in the hypothalamus, some of which are activated (red nuclei) after treatment. Published Aug. 28 in the advanced online issue [...]

Free radicals crucial to suppressing appetite