Skinny genes – how GM food may help you stave off obesity | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Skinny genes – how GM food may help you stave off obesity | Environment | guardian.co.uk: Fond of a full English breakfast? Perhaps you should have a glass of blood orange juice on the side – it might help to reduce the harm from all the fat you are ingesting, and make you less likely to become obese.
But as blood oranges are among the least favoured fruits for consumers, scientists in the UK are hoping to find ways to genetically modify standard oranges to incorporate the beneficial effects of their less popular cousins.

Walking May Lessen the Influence of Genes on Obesity by Half - MarketWatch

Walking May Lessen the Influence of Genes on Obesity by Half - MarketWatch: Watching too much TV can worsen your genetic tendency towards obesity, but you can cut the effect in half by walking briskly for an hour a day, researchers report at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2012 Scientific Sessions.

New Study on Diet-induced Obesity Expands Omega-3 Health Benefits

New Study on Diet-induced Obesity Expands Omega-3 Health Benefits: A new study by The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA and Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Norway, suggests that consuming sufficient amount of EPA and DHA Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids prevents the fat producing effects of the excessive Omega-6, the other polyunsaturated fatty acids abundantly found in red meat. Nutri-Med Logic Corp adds, while this study investigated the benefits of Omega-3 in preventing diet-induced obesity, another very recent study found that consumption of Omega-3 also resulted in short-term weight loss in obesity.

Teaching fat cells to burn calories

Teaching fat cells to burn calories: While investigating how a common drug given to people with diabetes works in mice, a UCSF team discovered that a protein called PRDM16, found in both men and mice, can throw a switch on fat cells, converting them from ordinary calorie-storing white fat cells into calorie-burning brown fat cells.

Anti-obesity drugs with a modified lifestyle helps weight loss -- new study

Anti-obesity drugs with a modified lifestyle helps weight loss -- new study: A study led by the University of Leicester has found that anti-obesity drugs coupled with lifestyle advice are effective in reducing weight and BMI.
Dr Laura Gray and colleagues from the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Leicester have published a paper in the journal Obesity Review which looks at the effectiveness of anti –obesity drugs and a modified lifestyle on weight loss and body mass index. The research was funded by an National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme.

Army's New Weight-Loss Plan: Transplant Soldiers With Extra Fat | Danger Room | Wired.com

Army's New Weight-Loss Plan: Transplant Soldiers With Extra Fat Danger Room Wired.com: Just last week, military brass vowed that the force of the future would be “smaller and leaner.” Apparently, the Army’s taking that pretty ... literally. They want smaller, leaner soldiers. Their best idea to do it? Give GIs transplants of extra fat cells.

Obesity could be infectious | Fox News

Obesity could be infectious Fox News: In the study, mice engineered to have a particular immune deficiency developed fatty liver disease and got fatter when fed a Western-style diet. But strikingly, when these immune-deficient mice were put in the same cage as healthy mice, the healthy mice started to come down with symptoms of liver disease, and also got fatter.
The culprit? Microbes in the stomachs of the mice. Because the mice had their immune systems disturbed, the bacteria in their guts got "out of wack," said study researcher Richard Flavell, a professor of immunobiology at Yale School of Medicine. We normally live in symbiosis with the bacteria in our guts, but in the study, the number of "bad," disease-associated bacteria increased 1,000-fold in mice with immune problems, Flavell said.

A smarter weight loss workout

A smarter weight loss workout: We know walking is good for us, but have we over rated its power to help us lose weight?
For those looking to shed kilos, going for stroll might not be enough, says Sydney dietitian Susie Burrell.
“There’s a perception that going for a walk is getting good exercise but we’re now so sedentary that walking is just compensating for all the sitting we do in our daily lives,” Burrell says.

Weight Loss Programs In Church May Be More Effective | Psych Central News

Weight Loss Programs In Church May Be More Effective Psych Central News: In a new study, investigators determined that the location of the program, and the level of experience attempting a weight loss program, may influence an individual’s success.
In the study, published in The Journal of Black Psychology, researchers determined African-American women beginning a new group weight loss program are more successful if they are less experienced with weight management and if the program meets in a church.

Does Obesity Cause Pain?

Does Obesity Cause Pain?: A large new study shows that obesity and pain often go hand in hand. That appears to be true even if an obese person is otherwise healthy.
Researchers say that begs some questions: Can extra pounds cause pain? If so, how does fat make us hurt?
A slew of chronic conditions that cause pain are also more common in people who are overweight and obese. Those conditions include arthritis, depression, fibromyalgia, type 2 diabetes, and back pain.

FDA panel to discuss Arena obesity drug in 2nd quarter | Reuters

FDA panel to discuss Arena obesity drug in 2nd quarter Reuters: Arena's lorcaserin, which is being developed in partnership with Japanese drugmaker Eisai Co Ltd, was one of three new potential weight loss drugs rejected by the Food and Drug Administration over safety concerns.
Arena resubmitted its new drug marketing application to the agency last month after providing new data to health regulators that it believes will alleviate concerns about cancerous tumors found in rats used in animal studies of lorcaserin.

Gastric bypass "better" than gastric banding, study shows

Gastric bypass "better" than gastric banding, study shows: Gastric bypass results in faster, more sustained weight loss than gastric banding, and with fewer complications, according to a new study.
In one of the longest studies of the two common procedures in the US that limit the amount of food the stomach can hold, researchers studying 400 patients in Switzerland found that weight loss remained "significantly better" six years after gastric bypass compared with patients who received a gastric band, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Could a pill help fight obesity? | Fox News

Could a pill help fight obesity? Fox News: Boston researchers have discovered a hormone produced by muscles during exercise which boosts the amount of calories the body burns.
In experiments with mice, Harvard Medical School researchers found that inducing greater levels of the hormone in obese, pre-diabetic mice led to weight loss, increased energy expenditure, and improvements in insulin resistance, which is a risk factor for diabetes.

Researcher finds 7 habits to maintaining weight loss | The Journal News | LoHud.com | LoHud.com

Researcher finds 7 habits to maintaining weight loss The Journal News LoHud.com LoHud.com: “There’s hope for all those people who have tried to lose weight and have not achieved long-term success,” says J. Graham Thomas, who has studied the habits of “successful losers” through the National Weight Control Registry at Brown University Medical School (nwcr.ws).Thomas studied the habits of some 6,000 adults who had lost 30 pounds or more and maintained the loss for at least one year.

Diabetes drug effective for weight loss - The Clinical Advisor

Diabetes drug effective for weight loss - The Clinical Advisor: Treatment with one class of diabetes drugs, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists, helped obese and overweight patients with and without type 2 diabetes lose weight, data indicates.
All patients who were administered GLP-1 agonists that were included in a review and metanalysis achieved an average 6.4 lbs greater weight loss than patients on placebo or other diabetes drugs, Tina Vilsbøll, MD, of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, and colleagues reported online in BMJ.

Hormone helps obese shed weight

Hormone helps obese shed weight
PARIS — An appetite-curbing hormone found in the gut may help overweight and obese people shed weight, lower blood pressure and reduce cholesterol levels, according to a study released Wednesday.
Known as glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, the hormone is naturally secreted from the intestine when we eat.
Recently, doctors have begun to use GLP-1 to treat patients with type 2 diabetes due to the molecule’s ability to regulate sugar levels in the blood.

Fit pill could treat obesity and related disorders - SlashGear

Fit pill could treat obesity and related disorders - SlashGear: Experts from Harvard Medical School believe that the new hormone could lead to treatments for obesity, diabetes, and possibly even cancer along with all sorts of other conditions that can benefit from exercise. So far, the medication has been testing in mice and in tests, the researchers found that glucose control improved and the mice lost small amounts of weight. It will be a long time yet before the medication hits the market.