Obesity
Obesity and cancer: the risks, science, and potential management strategies
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Overweight and obesity increase the risk of developing several cancers. Once cancer develops, individuals may be at increased risk of recurrence and poorer survival if they are overweight or obese. A statistically significant association between overweight or obesity and breast cancer recurrence or survival has been observed in the majority of population-based case series; however, adiposity has been shown to have less of an effect on prognosis in the clinical trial setting.
Overweight People Are More Likely to Have Bad Breath, TAU Study Finds
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Researchers publish study that finds a direct link between obesity and bad breath
Now there’s another good reason to go on that diet after the holidays. Tel Aviv University researchers have published a study that finds a direct link between obesity and bad breath: the more overweight you are, the more likely your breath will smell unpleasant to those around you.
The research, led by breath expert Prof. Mel Rosenberg from the Department of Human Microbiology and The Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, was reported in the Journal of Dental Research in October. The study also reported, for the first time, scientific evidence that links bad breath to alcohol consumption.
U.S. obesity rates level off: government study
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After 25 years of successive increases, obesity rates in the United States are holding steady, government health officials said on Wednesday.
But Americans are still plenty fat, with more than a third of U.S. adults found to be obese in 2005-2006, according to a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Obese teens may be at risk of depression later
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Obese teenage girls may be more likely than their thinner peers to develop depression or anxiety disorders as adults, a study suggests.
Researchers found that among nearly 800 children and teenagers followed for 20 years, girls who were obese as teens had a roughly four-times higher risk of clinical depression or anxiety disorders in adulthood.
Obesity Associated With Lower PSA Levels in Men With Prostate Cancer
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Higher body mass index (BMI) is associated with higher plasma volume, which may be related to lower prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels among obese men, according to a study in the November 21 issue of JAMA.
Recent evidence has suggested that prostate cancer screening may be adversely affected by increased BMI. The ability to accurately detect prostate cancer can be compromised by any factor that decreases PSA concentration in the circulation, according to background information in the article. Several studies have found that obese men have lower PSA concentrations than non-obese men. “However, men with higher BMIs also have larger plasma volumes, which could decrease serum concentrations of soluble tumor markers—a phenomenon known as hemodilution,” the authors write.
Few overweight people trim down after heart attack
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Overweight people lose virtually no weight after suffering a heart attack, according to the first study to evaluate factors associated with post-heart attack weight changes.
“On average less than a half of a percent change in body weight occurred, and that’s really small,” Dr. John A. Spertus of the Mid America Heart Institute of Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, one of the study’s authors, told Reuters Health. People need to lose at least 5 percent of their body weight to significantly improve their heart health, he added.
Long-term pharmacotherapy for obesity and overweight: updated meta-analysis
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Patients taking anti-obesity drugs will only see “modest” weight loss and many will remain significantly obese or overweight, according to a study published on bmj.com today.
The study, which looked at the long-term effectiveness of anti-obesity medications, found that three drugs recommended for long-term use - orlistat, sibutramine and rimonabant, reduced weight by less than 5kg (11 pounds). This equated to a loss of less than 5% of total body weight. Guidelines from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommend stopping the use of anti-obesity drugs if 5% of total body weight is not lost after three months.
Weight gain may make asthma control more difficult
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Weight gain is associated with an increased risk of poorly controlled asthma, according to findings presented in Grapevine, Texas, at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.
In a 3-year study, the researchers observed 2,396 patients with severe or difficult-to-treat asthma. Those who gained 5 pounds or more between the beginning of the study and 1 year reported poorer asthma control and worse quality of life than patients who maintained their initial weight or lost 5 or more pounds during the same period, researchers reported.
Overweight and Obesity Cause 6,000 Cancers a Year in UK Women
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Following last week’s report by the World Cancer Research Fund, evidence of the relevance of obesity to the risk of a wide range of cancers in UK women is published online by the BMJ today.
The study shows that overweight and obese women in the UK are at a higher risk of developing and dying from cancer. In fact, the researchers estimate that 5% of all cancers (about 6,000 annually) are attributable to being overweight or obese.
Sleep-deprived kids show higher obesity risk
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Children who get relatively little sleep each night may be at increased risk of becoming overweight by early adolescence, a study published Monday suggests.
Researchers found that among 785 U.S. children followed since birth, the risk of becoming overweight by sixth grade was related to how much sleep the children got in third grade.
Obesity Common in Children with Heart Disease
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Obesity is common in children with heart disease, a population already at increased risk of a shortened life expectancy.
More than 25 percent of children with congenital and acquired heart disease are overweight or obese, say researchers from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Children’s Hospital Boston in a study released in the current issue of Pediatrics. While this 25 percent prevalence is similar to the rate found in the general population, the researchers stress that health risks from obesity are added to the children’s separate risks from their underlying heart disease.
Exercise, diet improve obese kids’ motor skills
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Obese children who lose weight through diet and exercise may become stronger and more agile in the process, a study shows.
German researchers found that a program that focused on physical activity and diet education was able to not just help obese children shed pounds, but to also improve their endurance, strength, balance and coordination.
Many obesity surgery candidates fail psych screen
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Pre-operative psychiatric evaluations can reliably spot patients who are not yet ready for obesity surgery, a new study suggests.
Researchers at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University in Providence found that of 500 candidates for so-called bariatric surgery at their center, nearly one-fifth did not pass their initial psychiatric evaluation.
Obesity estimated to cost U.S. billions
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A new study suggests that obesity among older Americans costs taxpayers billions of extra dollars in Medicare expenses—a financial burden that will only grow in years to come.
Using data from Medicare surveys conducted between 1992 and 2001, researchers found that men who were obese at age 65 had lifetime healthcare expenses that were up to13 percent higher than normal-weight men their age. Among women, that figure was as high as 17 percent.
Obese often return to full-time work after surgery
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After undergoing gastric bypass surgery to treat extreme obesity, also known as “morbid” obesity, roughly one third of patients who were medically disabled and on Medicaid can return to full-time work, according to a report in the Archives of Surgery. The likelihood appears to be greatest among patients with obesity-related conditions that resolve after treatment.
Gastric bypass surgery, also referred to as bariatric surgery, “is the only effective treatment for morbid obesity,” according to Dr. Richard C. Thirlby and associates at the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle.
