Obesity, features and articles | Educational Science

Jan 19, 2016

'Water Jets' May Stem Tide of Student Obesity

Inexpensive dispensers that bring cold, filtered water into New York City public schools may be putting a dent in the childhood obesity epidemic there. More than 40 percent of children in elementary or middle school in New York City are overweight or obese. But now, researchers have found that the...

Feb 4, 2016

Why the BMI May Be a Flawed Measure of Health

The body mass index, or BMI, may not be an accurate indicator of a person's risk of heart disease or diabetes, according to a new study. The results suggest that about 75 million adults in the United States may be misclassified — they have a true risk of heart disease...

Mar 3, 2016

Obesity's Toll: 11 Million Doctor's Visits Yearly

American adults may make 11 million visits to the doctor in a single year because of obesity, according to a new government report. Researchers analyzed information about doctor's office visits in the United States in 2012, focusing on visits in which the doctor listed obesity among the conditions that were...

Apr 1, 2016

Obesity Numbers Overtake Underweight Population

Across the globe, people have long been tipping the scales toward excessive increasing heaviness. Now, new research finds that more of the world's population is obese than underweight. Over the past 40 years, we have changed from a world in which underweight prevalence was more than double that of obesity...

Apr 26, 2016

Obesity Rates in US Kids Still Rising, Study Says

Despite reports that childhood obesity may be declining in some parts of the United States, a new study suggests that childhood obesity is still on the rise nationwide. In particular, there has been an increase in the percentage of children with severe obesity, the study found. From 2013 to 2014,...

May 24, 2016

New Obesity Treatment: Gas-Filled Balloons

SAN DIEGO – A new obesity treatment that involves swallowing a capsule that contains a balloon may help people lose more weight than they would by just dieting, a new study suggests. For the treatment, people swallow a small capsule that contains a balloon, which a doctor then inflates with...

Jun 7, 2016

Obesity Rate in US Women Climbs to 40%

The obesity rate among U.S. women continues to tick upward, with the latest study showing that about 40 percent of American women are obese. However, the obesity rate in U.S. men has stayed about the same over the past decade, the study found. In the study, researchers gathered new data...

Sep 20, 2016

Fat Flora? Gut Bacteria Differ in Obese Kids

Obese children have a different population of microorganisms living in their intestinal tracts, compared with lean children, researchers have found. These microorganisms appear to accelerate the conversion of carbohydrates into fat, which then accumulates throughout the body, the researchers said. The study is the first to find a connection between...

Oct 17, 2016

Mothers' Obesity Linked with Biologically 'Older' Newborns

Babies whose mothers are obese may be biologically older than babies whose mothers are a normal weight, a new study from Belgium suggests. Researchers analyzed information from 743 mothers ages 17 to 44, and their newborn babies, using samples of umbilical cord blood obtained from each newborn immediately after delivery....

Mar 9, 2017

Medical Mystery: Why Are Some Obese People 'Metabolically Healthy'?

Obesity often brings with it a host of health problems, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and risky cholesterol levels. But a lucky few appear to buck the trend: They are obese, and yet don't have any of these typical risk factors for heart disease or diabetes, a new study...

Mar 27, 2017

There Are at Least 79 Obesity 'Syndromes'

When it comes to obesity, there's more than meets the eye: A new review of studies from Canada suggests that obesity comes in at least 79 different forms that are linked to people's genes, and many are very rare. Although lifestyle factors, such as diet and physical activity, play major...

Mar 27, 2017

Obese or Not? It's Time to Rethink BMI, Researchers Argue

Do you know what obesity looks like? Medical professionals and the public alike currently judge whether someone is obese based on his or her size, but a change quietly gathering steam among doctors would ensure that no one is gauged as obese by just one metric. Doctors, researchers and policymakers...

Apr 3, 2017

About-Face on 'Obesity Paradox': Extra Fat Does Raise Risk of Death

Being overweight or obese at some point in adulthood may increase the risk of early death, a new study finds. The findings contradict the so-called obesity paradox, a phenomenon seen in previous studies in which overweight people seemed to have a reduced risk of early death compared to those who...

Apr 18, 2017

Could Brain Stimulation Fight Obesity?

People with obesity could benefit from magnetic or electric stimulation of the brain that helps them to eat less, a new review of studies finds. In the review, researchers looked at the latest work on two noninvasive brain-stimulation techniques, and found that for people with obesity, both electrical and magnetic...

Jun 7, 2017

Overweight Kids More Likely to Be Ostracized

For middle schoolers, obesity can lead to unreciprocated friendships and even cause peers to actively dislike a child, new research finds. The study, published today (June 7) in the journal PLOS ONE, adds to a body of research detailing how being overweight as a child can lead to social and...