It's not simply the accrual of excess fat that leads to disease. It's a change in the actual function and the capacity of the energy center within the cell to work properly. The circadian rhythm is the body's own internal 24-hour clock that regulates the sleep-wake cycle, hormone levels and metabolism, among other systems throughout the body.
Being overweight doesn't just make people more susceptible to chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetesit might also increase their risk of severe influenza and other infections, a new study confirms. The study, published today in the Lancet, suggests that people with obesity may be more susceptible to death and hospitalization from a variety of infections caused by viruses, fungi, parasites and bacteria.
My name is Barry and I'm a runner. As a clinically obese 52-year-old Irishman who regularly binge drinks (the NHS's joyless definition, not my own), I would love to be able to say I took up running for health reasons but that would be a lie. Truth be told, I was railroaded into it by my Football Weekly associate Max Rushden, who publicly challenged me to run the London Landmarks Half-Marathon.
U.S. regulators on Monday gave the green light to a pill version of the blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy, the first daily oral medication to treat obesity. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval handed drugmaker Novo Nordisk an edge over rival Eli Lilly in the race to market an obesity pill. Lilly's oral drug, orforglipron, is still under review. Both pills are GLP-1 drugs that work like widely used injectables to mimic a natural hormone that controls appetite and feelings of fullness.
The United States lags behind many other wealthy, highly developed countries in key public health indicators. According to a report published by the World Obesity Federation , a London-based non-profit advocacy group, the adult obesity rate in the U.S. was nearly 43% in 2022, higher than in all but a handful of high-income countries, and more than double the obesity rate in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and across Scandinavia.
The rate of children and teenagers living with high blood pressure globally has nearly doubled because of a toxic combination of unhealthy diets, mass inactivity and soaring levels of obesity, according to the largest review of its kind. Experts said 114 million children who have developed hypertension even before reaching adulthood were facing potentially deadly and lifelong harm, including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and a myriad of serious health complications.
At a certain point, older folks occasionally develop a penchant for making verbal slurs, mental stumbles, rambling speeches, and confusing responses. They often claim that they have no memory of making those misstatements; they might not be lying. They may be experiencing the most common consequences of advanced age coupled with chronic obesity due to a poor diet. Mind-wandering, confusion, and a reduced ability to organize and focus thoughts are classic early symptoms of dementia.
Driving the news: Nineteen states have adult obesity rates at or above 35% as of 2024, per a new "State of Obesity" report from the nonprofit, nonpartisan Trust for America's Health (TFAH). That's a drop from 23 states the year before - and the first decrease since states began hitting the 35% mark in 2013, the group says. Yes, but: Back in 2014, only three states had obesity rates at or above 35%.
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have uncovered a new way that brown fat, a type of fat that burns energy, can boost the body's metabolism. This process allows cells to consume more fuel and generate heat, improving overall metabolic health. Conducted in mice, the research points to new possibilities for using brown fat to address metabolic conditions such as insulin resistance and obesity.
Green tea is an ancient beverage recognized for its medicinal and antioxidant properties. It has been widely studied for its beneficial effects on metabolic diseases, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Recent studies funded by FAPESP have deepened our understanding of the mechanisms of action of this infusion and revealed that green tea treatment reduced weight and significantly improved glucose sensitivity and insulin resistance in obese mice.
"Overeating is a major contributor to obesity, yet most treatments overlook the unconscious habits that drive it," said corresponding author Nabil Alshurafa, PhD, associate professor of Preventive Medicine in the Division of Behavioral Medicine and of computer engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering, who was the corresponding author of the new study published in npj Digital Medicine (part of the Nature portfolio of journals).
A daily pill for weight loss can help people reduce their body weight by as much as a fifth, according to a trial that could pave the way for millions more people to shed pounds. The drug, called orforglipron, is manufactured by Eli Lilly and targets the same GLP-1 receptors as weight loss injections such as Mounjaro and Wegovy. In a trial of 3,127 adults, one in five people who took the once-a-day tablet for 72 weeks lost 20% or more of their body weight.
RESEARCHERS in Barcelona may just give Ozempic a run for its money: a new study led by Dr Antonio Zorzano and Dr Manuela Sánchez-Feutrie at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Barcelona, or IRB Barcelona, has identified an essential protein that helps to reduce obesity without the necessity of lowering food intake. Neuritin 1, the protein previously linked to the nervous system and found in the body's brown adipose tissue, is postulated to help boost energy burning without affecting caloric intake.
