Obesity, features and articles | Educational Science

Aug 11, 2014

Obese Preschoolers Already Show Signs of Health Problems

Some overweight and obese preschoolers may already have risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, a new study from Italy suggests. The study involved more than 5,700 healthy children ages 2 to 6 who visited pediatricians in Rome between 2011 and 2012. Of these children, about 600 (about 10 percent)...

Sep 4, 2014

Obesity Rates Increased in These 6 States

Adult obesity rates went up in six states between 2012 and 2013, according to a new report. During that period (the most recent years for which data is available), no states saw a decrease in obesity, but six states — Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, New Jersey, Tennessee and Wyoming — all...

Sep 10, 2014

'Fat Shaming' May Actually Lead to Weight Gain

Harassing obese people, a practice known as fat shaming, does not encourage them to lose weight and can actually result in weight gain, a new study from the United Kingdom suggests. In the study, nearly 3,000 adults were asked whether they had faced discrimination because of their weight, including whether...

Sep 16, 2014

US Waistlines Gained an Inch This Decade

The average waistline of people in the United States has expanded more than an inch in one decade, a new study finds. The researchers looked at nearly 33,000 adults and the circumference of their waists, which is a measure of abdominal fat. The results showed that in 2012, the average...

Jun 23, 2015

Mushroom Extract May Help Treat Obesity, But It's No Magic Cure

A mushroom used in traditional Chinese medicine may help treat obesity by altering the composition of bacteria in the gut, according to a new study done in mice. In the study, researchers found that mice that were fed a high-fat diet along with an extract made from the mushroom —...

Jun 28, 2015

Fight Childhood Obesity in the Home, New Guidelines Say

Parents and pediatricians should fight childhood obesity by improving diet and activity levels in the home, new guidelines propose. In a new paper, leading physicians' group the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is updating its guidelines, last issued more than a decade ago, about how to stem rising rates of...

Jul 1, 2015

Drug Helps Obese People Drop Weight and Keep It Off

The diabetes drug liraglutide can help obese people who don't have diabetes lose weight and keep it off, new findings confirm. Researchers found that 63 percent of study participants given liraglutide for 56 weeks lost at least 5 percent of their body weight — the amount experts agree is needed...

Aug 4, 2015

Weight-Loss Surgery Changes Gut Bacteria

Bariatric surgery may lead to long-term changes in people's gut bacteria that contribute to weight loss following the procedure, a new study from Sweden suggests. Researchers analyzed the gut bacteria of 14 women nearly a decade after they underwent bariatric surgery, also known as weight-loss surgery. Half of the women...

Aug 25, 2015

Nearly 1 in 5 Children and Teens Are Obese

More than one-third of American adults are obese, and now, a new report shows that children and teens aren't far behind. The report, released today (Aug. 25) by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shows that 17.5 percent of children and adolescents ages 3 to 19 are...

Aug 26, 2015

Birth Order Peril: Firstborn Women More Likely to Be Obese

Second-born siblings may argue that firstborns get all the glory, but there may be a health benefit to coming in second: Firstborn women may be more likely to be overweight or obese than their later-born sisters, according to a new study in Sweden. Firstborn women in the study were 29...

Sep 16, 2015

Common Brain Tumor More Likely in Obese People

Being obese may raise your risk of developing a type of brain tumor called a meningioma by more than 50 percent, according to a new study. The scientists said their study, a meta-analysis of 13 previous studies that included more than 6,000 people with brain tumors, does not prove that...

Nov 10, 2015

Fitness vs. Fatness: What's More Important?

ORLANDO, Fla. — A controversial idea called the obesity paradox holds that people who carry excess weight may actually live longer than their trimmer counterparts. But one researcher now says that this paradox may really boil down to the idea that — at any body weight — a longer life...

Nov 12, 2015

Here’s How Many Americans Are Now Obese

Nearly 38 percent of U.S. adults are obese, according to the latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 2013 and 2014, 37.7 percent of U.S. adults had a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, which is considered obese, according to a new CDC report....

Dec 3, 2015

Predisposition to Obesity May Be Carried in Sperm

A man's weight may affect the heritable information that is carried in his sperm, according to a small new study from Denmark. The results may provide a biological clue as to why children of obese fathers may be predisposed to being obese, the researchers said. The information in the sperm...

Jan 5, 2016

Even After Weight Loss, Obesity Can Reduce Life Span

People who have been overweight or obese at any time during their lives may be more likely to die early, even if they lose weight later, a new study suggests. Among the people in the study, those who had ever been overweight were 19 percent more likely to die during...