obesity epidemic

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Study Finds More Pregnant US Diabetics

Weight gain triggers type-2 'epidemic,' raises health issues

(Newser) - Diabetes among pregnant women has skyrocketed, a study finds, raising concerns for both mothers and children. In 1999-2005, the number of diabetic women giving birth more than doubled, the study found, and the number of diabetic teenage pregnancies rose five-fold. “These are high-risk pregnancies,” one doctor told USA ...

Mexico May Overtake US as Fattest Country

Obesity expands south of the border

(Newser) - Mexico is the second-fattest nation after the US, and it could top the list within 10 years if waistlines continue to expand at the current rate. Nearly three-quarters of Mexican women and two-thirds of men are overweight, and diabetes is now the main cause of death. Health officials are launching...

Britain to Pay Citizens to Lose Flab
Britain to Pay Citizens to
Lose Flab
Jan 24, 2008 10:31 AM CST

Britain to Pay Citizens to Lose Flab

Experts say if trends continue, most Brits will be obese by 2050

(Newser) - With British waistlines bulging and no end in sight for the obesity crisis, the government has come up with a plan: offer cash incentives to workers who slim down. Employers will host competitions, with prizes going to those who shed the most, the Daily Telegraph reports. The Well@Work plan includes...

Why Am I Fat? One Word for You: Plastics

Chemicals in common items may play role in rising obesity rates

(Newser) - Early exposure to chemicals found in common plastics could predispose a person to obesity, scientists suggest. Studies have shown that animals fed the chemicals, called endocrine disrupters, are fatter later in life than those who were not, the Boston Globe reports. Diet, exercise, and genetics are key factors, but "...

Parents Blind to Their Fat Kids
Parents Blind to Their Fat Kids
Dec 25, 2007 3:20 PM CST

Parents Blind to Their Fat Kids

Only 13% recognize when their child is obese

(Newser) - Nearly half the parents of severely overweight children ages 6 to 11 said their child was “about the right weight,” and only 13% recognized that their child had a severe problem, says a University of Michigan study. The results indicate parents think children will “grow out” of...

More Schools Ban Cupcakes
More Schools
Ban Cupcakes
Dec 17, 2007 10:16 AM CST

More Schools Ban Cupcakes

Holiday parties to substitute fruit, other 'healthy' treats to replace banned sweets

(Newser) - Holiday parties in classrooms around Chicago won't be covered with red and green sprinkles this year, the Chicago Tribune reports. More and more schools are banning cupcakes in favor of "healthy" things like fruit skewers fashioned into reindeer antlers. It's part of a national trend to make special-occasion snacks...

New Guidelines Target Child Obesity

Strict measures aim to reduce number of overweight kids

(Newser) - The most stringent guidelines to date for combating childhood obesity recommend yearly weight checks and possibly even medication or surgery for kids who can't combat the condition on their own, USA Today reports. Doctors should also keep normal-weight kids apprised of the ins and outs of healthy living, a panel...

Kids Will Eat Healthier School Lunches

Study of Minn. schools shows they don't have to cost more, either

(Newser) - Low-fat turkey hot dogs, fruits, and veggies aren't the lunchtime turn-off many assume, a study of Minnesota school districts finds. Sure, students prefer fattier lunches, but demand doesn't drop and cost doesn't rise when they're dished up healthier meals. Although labor expenses typically increase, the savings from abandoning processed foods...

America's 10 Chubbiest Cities
America's 10 Chubbiest Cities
Nov 25, 2007 1:00 PM CST

America's 10 Chubbiest Cities

Sun Belt hogs the lion's share of pudgiest locales

(Newser) - The weather may be great and the lifestyle good, but Southern culinary hospitality might be landing the Sun Belt disproportionately on Forbes' list of America's most obese cities. The most rotund:
  1. Memphis
  2. Birmingham
  3. San Antonio

Sleep-Deprived Kids Pack on the Pounds

Lack of down time correlates with childhood obesity

(Newser) - Kids who get plenty of sleep could be lowering their chances of becoming obese. For each extra hour third-graders in a newly released study spent sleeping, they lowered their chance of becoming obese by sixth grade by 40%. The results could have to do with the effect of sleep on...

Britain to Fight Fat in 'Fit Towns'

Government would broaden eco-friendly schemes to address health concerns

(Newser) - In light of dire predictions about the cost of the obesity crisis, England wants 10 previously planned eco-friendly towns to also combat obesity by promoting healthy lifestyles, the Guardian reported today. Among the proposals: more bike lanes; safe walking routes to school and the downtown area; larger and more modern...

Brits Plotting Battle of Bulge on Plumpies

Europe's fattest nation could rack up millions in health care

(Newser) - Two sobering reports have frantic Brits casting about for ways to combat their obesity epidemic, reports the Christian Science Monitor. England is the fattest country in Europe and half of its population could be obese by 2050, the reports warn. Now the country is looking into everything from regulating junk...

Myth: Exercise Keeps You Lean
Myth: Exercise Keeps You Lean
Sep 27, 2007 6:19 PM CDT

Myth: Exercise Keeps You Lean

Studies don't support connection between working out and slimming down

(Newser) - The idea that exercise is the key to shedding pounds is relatively modern—and a whole lot of hogwash, Gary Taubes argues in New York magazine. Though the theory that working out makes us lose weight has been around since the 1960s, scientific research has consistently shown that the relationship...

Unhealthy Habits Could Hurt Your Pay Check

Employers are fining, firing based on lifestyle

(Newser) - Unhealthy living is getting more expensive, the Chicago Tribune reports, with employees facing fines or even firing for not satisfying company health requirements. Michigan's Weyco fines workers $50 per paycheck if they or their spouses smoke. Indianapolis' Clarian takes away $5 for each blood-pressure, body-mass, or other health-based benchmark you...

Obese Toddlers: Too Many Calories, Too Little Iron

Parents should wean children, feed them meat, eggs, study says

(Newser) - Overweight toddlers are more than twice as likely to have iron deficiencies as their skinnier counterparts, with Hispanics facing the highest risk, concludes a study in September’s Pediatrics, the first to link obesity with low iron levels. Researchers stressed the importance of weaning kids 1 to 3 years old...

We're Still Getting Fatter
We're Still Getting Fatter
Aug 27, 2007 6:07 PM CDT

We're Still Getting Fatter

Obesity epidemic continues to spread

(Newser) - Americans just keep getting fatter. Obesity rates were up in 31 states this year and declined in none, a new study by a health advocacy group finds. That brings the percentage of American adults who are either obese or overweight to 60%, Reuters reports, and the usual suspects are to...

Common Virus Linked to Obesity
Common Virus Linked
to Obesity
Aug 21, 2007 8:07 AM CDT

Common Virus Linked to Obesity

Fat cells exposed to virus grow in size and number

(Newser) - A virus that causes sore throats and eye infections may also contribute to obesity, new research suggests. leaving infected people with more and larger fat cells than uninfected people have. The discovery could lead to the development of anti-obesity vaccines and may help explain why some obese people have healthy...

Obesity Ups Odds of Beating Heart Attack

Fat have more attacks, but are more likely to survive

(Newser) - Chew on this: While obese people are at much higher risk for having heart attacks, they also more likely than their thinner counterparts to survive them, the AP reports. Three years after their heart attacks, as many as 10% of healthy-weight patients had died compared to 3.6% of obese...

Kellogg Will Ease Off Ads Aimed at Kids

Cereal giant plans voluntary nutrition, marketing changes

(Newser) - Averting a threatened lawsuit, Kellogg will reformulate its cereals and snack foods to make them more nutritious—or keep them as is and stop targeting advertising at children under 12. The plan affects about half of the company's offerings, meaning that fans of Pop-Tarts and Rice Krispies may be getting...

Americans Go Abroad, Online for New Diet Pill

Hung up in FDA approval process, pill's already scoring big

(Newser) - The weight loss drug Acomplia is stuck in FDA limbo, but that isn't stopping Americans from ordering it off the Internet or buying it in Europe, where it's legal. If the government rules that its lowering of weight and cholesterol balances out the possible side effects, including suicide and depression,...

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