the binge-eating files » Weight & weight-loss

Weight and weight-loss issues related to binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction, obesity, diet and your physical, emotional and mental health

 

What happens if you take too much Ozempic or Wegovy?   Medical News Today (Dec 21, 2023) by Paul Ian Cross, PhD  —  Poison control centers across the United States are witnessing a concerning increase in inquiries related to semaglutide, an injectable medication used for diabetes management and weight loss. Reports of inadvertent overdoses have led to hospitalizations in some cases, with symptoms including intense nausea, vomiting and abdominal discomfort. … more

We Know How to Put People on Ozempic. Do We Know How to Get Them Off It?   New York Times (Dec 20, 2023) by Jessica Grose — Weight loss drugs like Ozempic were already extremely buzzy before Oprah Winfrey announced last week that she’s taking an unspecified weight-loss drug as a “maintenance tool.” Ozempic, which has the active ingredient semaglutide and was originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2017 to treat diabetes, is often described as a weight-reduction miracle. … Even without enough knowledge about the ramifications of long-term use, it seems people may have to stay on semaglutide drugs indefinitely to keep weight off and their blood sugar regulated. There are potentially serious side effects to being on the drug for even brief periods, and there are side effects to coming off it. … more

Rear-Ended: I’ve lost 40 pounds since January. Unfortunately, my ass has also gone MIA.   Slate (Dec 17, 2023) by Anna Holmes  — I have a complicated relationship with my ass. When I was a Black girl growing up in a majority-white, middle-class milieu in Northern California in the 1970s and 1980s, there were standards of beauty that did not include a butt that rode high on the legs and protruded outward … As I got older and “big” butts—read: “ethnic”—became not just more acceptable but downright desirable, my consternation about the size and shape of my rear abated somewhat, though not entirely. … more

Tirzepatide enhances weight loss with sustained treatment but discontinuation leads to weight regain   ScienceDaily (Dec 11, 2023) – The current class of anti-obesity drugs is proving remarkably effective at removing excess pounds. However, a phase 3 randomized clinical trial found that people who stopped taking the medication regained much of that weight within a year. … more

The weight-loss drug gold rush is getting larger   Axios (Dec 5, 2023) by Tina Reed — More drug companies are racing to join what’s been a two-horse race to make blockbuster obesity drugs, snapping up smaller biotechs and vying for a market that could be worth tens of billions in less than a decade. … more

What to know about Zepbound, the newest weight-loss drug   Washington Post (Nov 8, 2023) by Teddy Amenabar and Lindsey Bever — Millions of Americans struggling with obesity now have access to a newly approved weight-loss drug — Zepbound — an injectable medication with the same ingredient as the diabetes drug Mounjaro, which has been shown to curb hunger cravings and help shed pounds. … more

Don’t cheer the scale: Doctors and dieticians untangling body size from health  The Guardian (Oct 11, 2023) by Lydia Hales — Healthcare professionals, from advanced sports dieticians to general practitioners, are increasingly trading a focus on weight for other, more robust health measures … more

Researchers identify the link between memory and appetite in the human brain to explain obesity   ScienceDaily (Aug 30, 2023) – Disrupted connections between memory and appetite regulating brain circuits are directly proportional to body mass index (BMI), notably in patients who suffer from disordered or overeating that can lead to obesity, such as binge eating disorder (BED), according to new research. The research notes that individuals who are obese have impaired connections between the dorsolateral hippocampus (dlHPC) and the lateral hypothalamus (LH), which may impact their ability to control or regulate emotional responses when anticipating rewarding meals or treats. … more

Maintaining stable weight increases longevity among older women   ScienceDaily (Aug 29, 2023) – Researchers investigated the associations of weight changes later in life with exceptional longevity and found that women who maintained their body weight after age 60 were more likely to reach exceptional longevity. … more

Weight stigma infiltrates work   Axios (July 29, 2023) by Erica Pandey — Discrimination based on body size is common and persistent in American workplaces — but it’s largely left out of diversity and inclusion training, and overlooked in employment law.  Why it matters: There’s an economic cost to not being thin … more

What if we let our kids eat what they want? A radical new take on the weight debate    The Guardian (July 23, 2023) by Rebecca Seal — Modern parenting is preoccupied by the idea of perfection, and that includes weight. Virginia Sole-Smith, author of a brave and radical new book, talks to Rebecca Seal about why our worth shouldn’t be measured by size … more

Are most diets doomed to fail? Here’s what experts say actually works for weight loss  Toronto Star (June 30, 2023) by Kevin Jiang — Despite the hype around so-called “yo-yo diets,” experts tell the Star only the rare exception will see long-term results … Here’s what you need to know about these so-called “yo-yo diets” and what experts say will work when it comes to losing weight. … more

Diet tracking: How much is enough to lose weight?  ScienceDaily (June 8, 2023) — ‘You don’t need to have perfect tracking every day to lose a clinically significant amount of weight. Keeping track of everything you eat and drink in a day is a tedious task that is tough to keep up with over time. Unfortunately, dutiful tracking is a vital component for successful weight loss, however, a new study finds that perfect tracking is not needed to achieve significant weight loss. … more

Sabotage and collusion could be derailing your weight loss journey, finds study  ScienceDaily (June 8, 2023) — Family and loved ones may be conspiring to sabotage your weight loss journey, according to a new study. The study is part of a growing body of evidence which suggests that not all social support results in positive health outcomes. … more

The weight bias against women in the workforce is real — and it’s only getting worse   NPR (Apr 29, 2023) by Pallavi Gogoi … study after study over decades has shown that the workplace can impose an unfair weight penalty on women who are seen as overweight or obese. … more

‘You’ve lost weight!’ Well-intentioned compliments can glorify the dark reasons people become thin    Globe and Mail (Apr 8, 2023) by Michelle Doyle — I started drinking weight-loss shakes when I was 12 years old. Shortly after, I got my first girdle, and every new outfit had some fat-destroying adjective attached to it, whether it featured a “slimming” top or “elongating” pants. The word “diet” was introduced to my vocabulary early, since Mom always seemed to be on one. I couldn’t understand why. … more

Weight Watchers wins when our diets fail – it won’t change society’s broken thinking around food   The Guardian (Mar 16, 2023) by Susie Orbach — The diet industry benefits if you become a customer for life: its profits soar with our failures. It’s no surprise that shares in Weight Watchers International surged more than 70% earlier this month after its acquisition of Sequence, a US telehealth service linking patients with doctors who can prescribe semaglutide medications, which suppress appetite and are being used for weight loss. … Repeat customers and subscription customers fuel business. Studies have shown that 97% of dieters regain everything they have lost within three years … more

I Had Weight-Loss Surgery at 17, and It Worked—but It Didn’t Address My Real Problem    Slate (Feb 1, 2023) by Amy Scheiner — The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends bariatric surgery for kids as young as 13. I was 17 when I lay on the operating table, wincing in pain as the anesthesia needle pierced the taut skin on the back of my hand. It was 2007, and the obesity epidemic was omnipresent, marking me a dangerous statistic. The size of my body, I was told, would eventually lead me into severe illness, such as heart disease and diabetes, unless something were done about it. I thought that this procedure would save my life. … more

The growing market for weight loss drugs   Axios.com (Dec 12, 2022) by Tina Reed — A new generation of FDA-approved diabetes drugs that can also help patients lose weight is prompting demand so strong that it’s led to shortages … W“We now have a breakthrough class of drugs that can achieve profound weight loss equivalent to bariatric surgery” … more

I lost count of the times I was told to lose weight as a model. In the end, I quit.   The Guardian (Nov 17, 2022) by Zoë Huxford — I had a decision to make: either go to the weight loss camp my agent was trying to make me attend, or leave the industry … more

‘I miss eating’: the truth behind the weight loss drug that makes food repulsive   The Guardian (Nov 9, 2022) by John Semley — In Beverly Hills’ doctors offices, celebrities are clamoring for Ozempic prescriptions – but what are the costs of the supposed wonder drug? … more

Brain networks can play role in weight-loss success   ScienceDaily (May 3, 2022) — When it comes to weight loss, the old adage it’s all in your head may be true. Scientists have shown that two specific networks in the brain can strongly influence how successful a person will be when trying to lose weight. … more

The Problem With “Overweight” And “Obese”   Buzzfeed News (Mar 26, 2022) by Sarah Schweppe — “Fat” is a neutral description. The words people often use to try to replace it perpetuate stigmas. For BuzzFeed News’ Body Week, the copy desk is looking at the language we use when we write about bodies, particularly fat bodies. It’s always been at the core of our style guide to avoid any sort of body-shaming, and we’re always learning when it comes to what words people want to use to talk about their bodies — when it’s relevant to talk about them at all. … more

Patients to doctors: ‘Please Don’t Weigh Me Unless It’s (Really) Medically Necessary.’  Washington Post (Feb 20, 2022) by Dawn Fallik – When Dani Donovan stepped into her doctor’s waiting room in Omaha, she was surprised and pleased to see a stack of cards with bold black letters stating: “Please Don’t Weigh Me Unless It’s (Really) Medically Necessary.” Underneath were smaller red letters saying, “If you really need my weight, please tell me why so I can give you my informed consent.” … more

How Exercise Affects Metabolism and Weight Loss: A new analysis of data from “The Biggest Loser” highlights the complex ways the body compensates when we drop pounds.  New York Times (Dec 15, 2021) by Gretchen Reynolds — Many of us remember “The Biggest Loser,” the somewhat notorious reality television show that ran for more than a decade starting in 2004, in which contestants competed feverishly to drop massive amounts of weight over a short period of time … Media coverage of the contestants years later, though, seemed to tell a different story, of weight regain and slowed metabolisms … more

Gut microbiota influences the ability to lose weight   ScienceDaily (Sept 14, 2021) — Gut microbiota influences the ability to lose weight in humans, according to new research. “Your gut microbiome can help or cause resistance to weight loss and this opens up the possibility to try to alter the gut microbiome to impact weight loss,” said lead study author Christian Diener, Ph.D., a research scientist at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, Washington. … more

The Van Tulleken Twins Know Weight Is a Family Affair.  The Atlantic   (Aug 7, 2021) by Helen Lewis — A doctor nagged his twin brother to lose weight—but family arguments about food can be destructive. Genetically, Xand and Chris van Tulleken are clones. Yet the 42-year-old twins do not look identical, because Xand is more than 30 pounds heavier than Chris. … The van Tullekens live in London. They argue about food—specifically, how much Xand eats—all the time. They are also both medical doctors, and they present British television shows on health and diet. In a new podcast, A Thorough Examination: Addicted to Food, they talk with psychologists, nutritionists, behavioral scientists—and their mom and younger brother—to find out how two people with the same genes and upbringing can have such different approaches to food. … more

Pinterest Bans All Weight Loss Ads   NPR (July 1, 2021) by Savannah Sicurella – The Pinterest is saying goodbye to weight loss ads. It’s banning them altogether, becoming the first major social platform to do so. The National Eating Disorders Association guided Pinterest in updating its policy as searches for healthy eating, healthy lifestyle and fitness tips grew within the past year. “A lot of people are facing challenges related to body image and mental health, particularly as we’re emerging from COVID restrictions,” says Sarah Bromma, the company’s head of policy. “People are now feeling added pressure to rejoin their social circles in person for the first time in a year.”  … more

This weight-loss device locks your jaw nearly shut. Experts say that’s dangerous and barbaric.  Washington Post (June 29, 2021) by Caroline Anders — Researchers in New Zealand and the United Kingdom said they were fighting the “obesity epidemic” — by locking people’s jaws 2 millimeters from shut via a magnetic contraption installed in the mouth. The goal is to restrict wearers to a liquid-only diet. The device has an emergency key to unlock it — just in case users have a panic attack or choke.“It is a non-invasive, reversible, economical and attractive alternative to surgical procedures,” the study’s lead researcher said in a news release Monday. “The fact is, there are no adverse consequences with this device.” Experts who study nutrition and eating disorders disagree. Deanne Jade, founder and principal of the U.K.’s National Centre for Eating Disorders, said the device is like “a return to the Dark Ages.” … more

Weight loss changes people’s responsiveness to food marketing   ScienceDaily (Apr 1, 2021) – A new study reveals that people with obesity tend to be more responsive to food marketing — but when their weight drops significantly, so does their responsiveness to marketing. … more

Age is no barrier to successful weight loss   ScienceDaily (Nov 20, 2020) – Obese patients over the age of 60 can lose an equivalent amount of weight as younger people using only lifestyle changes, according to a new study that demonstrates that age is no barrier to losing weight. … more

Calories by the clock? Squeezing most of your calories in early doesn’t impact weight loss   ScienceDaily (Nov 9, 2020) – Time-restricted eating, which restricts eating to specific hours of the day, did not impact weight among overweight adults with prediabetes or diabetes. Adults in the 12-week study ate the same healthy, pre-prepared foods, however, one group ate the bulk of their calories before 1 p.m. each day, versus the other group that ate 50% of their calories after 5 p.m. … more

Can Artificial Sweeteners Keep Us From Gaining Weight?   New York Times (Aug 20, 2020) by Anahad O’Connor – Sugar substitutes may help stave off weight gain, but they have metabolic effects that some experts find concerning. Artificial sweeteners hold the promise of satisfying your sweet tooth without the downside of excess calories, and they are increasingly used in products ranging from diet sodas and powdered drink mixes to yogurt and baked goods. But whether using them can prevent weight gain — a problem many people are struggling with during the coronavirus lockdowns — has long been an open question. Now some studies are providing answers. … more

Long-term exposure to traffic noise may impact weight gain in the UK population   ScienceDaily (Aug 17, 2020) – A new study has found a connection between traffic noise and obesity. Long-term exposure to road traffic noise, such as living near a motorway or on a busy road, was associated with an increase in body mass index and waist circumference, which are key markers of obesity. … more

Obesity not defined by weight, says new Canada guideline   BBC News (Aug 4, 2020) – Obesity should be defined by a person’s health – not just their weight, says a new Canadian clinical guideline. It also advises doctors to go beyond simply recommending diet and exercise. Instead, they should focus on the root causes of weight gain and take a holistic approach to health. The guideline, which was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on Tuesday, specifically admonished weight-related stigma against patients in the health system.  … more

Fighting Fat Discrimination, but Still Wanting to Lose Weight   New York Times (May 7, 2020) by Abby Ellin – Is it OK to be “body positive” while striving to be thinner? Anne Coleman considers herself to be “body positive,” part of a social movement that accepts different body shapes and sizes. She takes pride in her appearance and has attended size acceptance events like the Curvy Con, an annual convention celebrating plus-size brands and individuals, and an early screening of “Fattitude,” a film about weight stigma. And yet Ms. Coleman, who weighs more than 200 pounds, would like to weigh less. She doesn’t want to be “skinny.” Just able to move around more easily. … more

Letting Go of Your Obsession with Weight   Eating Disorder Hope (Apr 6, 2020) – No matter your shape, size, or weight, it’s virtually impossible to get through a day without someone (or something) trying to convince you that you’re too big, too small, too heavy, or otherwise too far away from what a supposedly “perfect” body should be. So, how does one avoid weight obsession? … more

A Doctor Stopped COVID-19 Treatment Because She Was Afraid I Could Gain Weight    Huffpost (Apr 3, 2020) by Lauren Rowello – People with higher weights get a lower quality of care from providers — including delays in access to treatments — due to cognitive bias. …  During this pandemic, when health care providers are deciding whose symptoms are most urgent and severe, lack of access and decreased quality of care will cost lives. … The comments in the doctor’s defense point to the internalized belief that being fat is bad, that being fat leads to other bad things. They point to subconscious patterns of thinking that guide flawed decisions, such as placing too much concern on some future weight rather than recovering from a tangible virus.… more

Diet soda by itself may not cause weight gain, study says, but combining with carbs can  CNN (Mar 3, 2020) by Sandee LaMotte –  In the black hole of bad news for diet soda lovers, there’s a tiny glimmer of light. The gloom set in when science showed drinking diet soda could lead to metabolic syndrome, a nasty mix of higher blood pressure and blood sugars that leads to weight gain and increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke. But a new study has found that it’s when you pair the common artificial sweetener sucralose with a carbohydrate — not the sweetener alone — that the body’s metabolism changes in a way that can lead to metabolic syndrome. … more

Nine Truths about Weight and Eating Disorders   AED Academy for Eating Disorders (2020) – Weight is influenced by multiple factors, including biological, psychological, behavioral, social, and economic factors. … more

Why people gain weight as they get older   ScienceDaily (Sept 9, 2019) — Many people struggle to keep their weight in check as they get older. Now new research has uncovered why that is: lipid turnover in the fat tissue decreases during aging and makes it easier to gain weight, even if we don’t eat more or exercise less than before. … more

New hormone injection aids weight loss in obese patients   ScienceDaily (Aug 6, 2019) – An injection has helped reduce body weight and glucose levels in patients with diabetes and obesity in four weeks. The findings came from a small study in which patients lost on average 4.4kg and the treatment led to substantial improvements to their blood glucose, with some patients’ reducing to near-normal levels…. more

Let’s Talk about Scale SMASHing  Gurze-Salucore (June 2, 2019) by McCall Manning Dempsey — Step on. Step off.

Back on again. Bend down, adjust the dial. Step back on. Step off again. This was my daily routine. Stepping on and off the scale over and over and over again. I spent countless years weighing myself twenty, thirty, forty times a day – waiting for that scale to tell me that I was beautiful, smart, kind, caring and worthy. … more

Heavily processed foods cause overeating and weight gain, study finds   ScienceDaily (May 16, 2019) – People eating ultra-processed foods ate more calories and gained more weight than when they ate a minimally processed diet, according to results from a new study. The difference occurred even though meals provided to the volunteers in both the ultra-processed and minimally processed diets had the same number of calories and macronutrients. … more

Comfort food leads to more weight gain during stress   ScienceDaily (Apr 25, 2019) – Australian researchers have discovered a new molecular pathway in the brain that triggers more weight gain in times of stress. It’s no secret that overindulging on high-calorie foods can be detrimental to health, but it turns out that under stress, watching what you eat may be even more important. A team led by Professor Herbert Herzog, Head of the Eating Disorders laboratory at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, discovered in an animal model that a high-calorie diet when combined with stress resulted in more weight gain than the same diet caused in a stress-free environment. The researchers revealed a molecular pathway in the brain, controlled by insulin, which drives the additional weight gain. … more

Weight cycling is associated with a higher risk of death   ScienceDaily (Nov 29, 2018) – Weight loss from weight cycling can reduce diabetes risk in people with obesity. Weight cycling is associated with a higher risk of death, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. … more

Intermittent fasting: No advantage over conventional weight loss diets  ScienceDaily (Nov 26, 2018) – Intermittent fasting helps lose weight and promotes health. However, it is not superior to conventional calorie restriction diets, scientists have found out in the largest investigation on intermittent fasting to date. The scientists conclude that there are many paths leading to a healthier weight. Everybody must find a diet plan that fits them best and then just do it! … more

Does depression cause obesity or does obesity cause depression? MNT Medical News Today (Nov 13, 2018)  by Tim Newman – Although depression and obesity often come hand in hand, the relationship between the two is difficult to tease apart. A new, large-scale genomic study adds new evidence. … more

Diet and weight may affect response to bipolar disorder treatment   ScienceDaily (Oct 7, 2018) – Data from a clinical trial has shown that how people respond to treatment for Bipolar Disorder may be influenced by their weight and the overall quality of their diet, including whether they are eating a diet high in foods thought to contribute to general inflammation. These are early results, but if replicated may mean that treatment of some mental health problems could benefit from the inclusion of dietary advice. … more

Weight Stigma and Health: Does Self-blame Play a Role?  Medscape (Jun 28, 2018) by Rebecca M. Puhl, PhD – … As we learn more about the harmful effects of weight stigma, emerging research indicates that it’s not only the stigmatizing encounter itself that distresses and harms the individual but also the individual’s personal interpretation of that experience. In particular, when people direct stigmatizing experiences inward and blame themselves for the stigma, their health can be compromised … more

Why Exercise Alone May Not Be the Key to Weight Loss   New York Times (Apr 11, 2018) by Gretchen Reynolds –  If you give a mouse a running wheel, it will run. But it may not burn many additional calories, because it will also start to move differently when it is not on the wheel, according to an interesting new study of the behaviors and metabolisms of exercising mice. The study, published in Diabetes, involved animals, but it could have cautionary implications for people who start exercising in the hopes of losing weight. In recent years, study after study examining exercise and weight loss among people and animals has concluded that, by itself, exercise is not an effective way to drop pounds. … more

Hunger may increase as the pounds decrease. Here are tactics to tame it. Washington Post (Apr 2, 2018) by Jae Berman – When you’re trying to lose weight, it’s easy to assume that as the number on the scale goes down, other issues associated with weight will be resolved. For example, if weight gain was due to overeating, as it often is, it’s understandable to expect that hunger and cravings would decrease along with pounds. A small but interesting study tells a different story. … more

Why you should stop trying to lose weight   Washington Post (Feb 27, 2018) by Ellie Krieger – As someone who has suffered from and eventually escaped the diet roller coaster, and who has professionally been on a mission to help others get off it, too, it’s no surprise that I follow anti-diet voices on social media – many of whom are nutrition experts. I am usually all nods when scrolling through their posts, but a recent trend of messages unsettled me. At first glance, they seemed to go beyond anti-diet and verge on anti-healthy…. more

The Key to Weight Loss Is Diet Quality, Not Quantity, a New Study Finds   New York Times (Feb 10, 2018) by Anahad O’Oconnor – Anyone who has ever been on a diet knows that the standard prescription for weight loss is to reduce the amount of calories you consume. But a new study, published Tuesday in JAMA, may turn that advice on its head. It found that people who cut back on added sugar, refined grains and highly processed foods while concentrating on eating plenty of vegetables and whole foods — without worrying about counting calories or limiting portion sizes — lost significant amounts of weight over the course of a year. … more

Scientists identify weight loss ripple effect   ScienceDaily (Feb 1, 2018) – Researchers have found that when one member of a couple commits to losing weight, the chances are good their partner will lose some weight too, even if they are not actively participating in a weight loss intervention. … more

What gaining and shedding weight does to our body   MNT Medical News Today (Jan 17, 2018) by Catharine Paddock – Gaining or shedding weight, even for a short time, can drastically change an individual’s personal molecular profile, according to a new study conducted by Stanford University School of Medicine in California. … more

Trouble losing weight? This might be why   MNT: Medical News Today (Jan 15, 2018) by Honor Whiteman – Some people find it harder to lose weight than others, but why is this? A new study has identified a molecule in fat cells that could be to blame. … more

Overweight children and adults get significantly healthier and quickly with less sugar  MNT Medical News Today (Aug 9, 2017) – Osteopathic physicians suggest shifting the conversation from weight to health for overweight children and adults, asking patients to reduce their sugar intake to see measurable improvements in metabolic function. Improved measures of health can be seen in less than two weeks of sugar reduction, according to a review published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association (JAOA). … more

We Finally Know Why Artificial Sweeteners Can Make You Put on Weight   ScienceAlert ( Aug 5, 2017) by Chris Pash – It’s  got nothing to do with the sugar. If you think using an artificial sweetener helps keep your weight down, think again. Artificial sweeteners combined with a low-carbohydrate diet may increase overall food consumed, according to a study published in the journal Cell Metabolism. The finding expands on previous research that explained why artificial sweeteners increase feelings of hunger when consumed chronically. … more

Society Says Weight ‘Reset’ Is Major Obesity Driver, Needs Study   Medscape (July 4, 2017) by Marlene Busko – “Growing evidence suggests that obesity is a disorder of the energy homeostasis system, [and scientists] need to elucidate the mechanisms underlying this ‘upward setting’ or ‘resetting’ of the defended level of body-fat mass,” according to a new scientific statement published… June 26 in Endocrine Reviews. Moreover, given that “recovery of lost weight…is the largest single obstacle to effective long-term weight loss, we cannot overstate the importance of a coherent understanding of obesity-associated alterations of the energy homeostasis system” … more

Weighing Words When Talking to Teens About Body Weight   Medscape (May 11, 2017) by Rebecca M. Puhl, PhD – Body shaming and weight stigma have become commonplace in our society. Decades of research evidence and high-profile examples highlighted in the media clearly demonstrate the presence of societal stereotypes and stigma against people who have a higher body weight. Unfortunately, youth who have a higher body weight are particularly vulnerable to weight stigma, most often in the form of teasing, victimization, and bullying. In fact, weight-based bullying has been documented as one of the most prevalent forms of bullying in youth and adolescents. … In our efforts to reduce societal weight stigma, the words that we use when talking about body weight are important. For example, adults report feeling stigmatized, negatively judged, and blamed when certain words, such as “obese,” “fat,” or “large” are used to describe their excess body weight. … more

Bullies and their victims obsessed with weight-loss  ScienceDaily (Mar 29, 2017) – School bullies and their victims are more obsessed with weight-loss than anyone else, according to new research … teenagers who are involved in bullying in any way — from bullies, to their victims, to those who both bully and get bullied — are more likely to develop concerns about their eating and exercise behaviours, and become preoccupied with losing weight. … more.

Brain thinks yo-yo dieting is a famine, causing weight gain  MNT Medical News Today  (Dec 5, 2016) by Marie Ellis – We are in the height of holiday season, when chocolate, cakes, and calorie-laden foods are in abundance. But after the feast has commenced, you may want to think twice before going on a low-calorie diet. According to new research, the brain interprets repeated dieting as short famines, prompting the body to store more fat for future food shortages – resulting in weight gain. … more

Weight loss yo-yo: How the gut reverses effects of dieting  CBC.ca (Nov 25, 2016) – Dieting seems to change the microorganisms in the gut so that people gain back weight quickly. Scientists studying yo-yo dieting in mice say the tendency for people to regain excess weight rapidly after successfully slimming may well be due to their microbiome — the trillions of microorganisms in the gut. The researchers found that changes in the gut microbiome that occur when an obese mouse loses weight can persist for many months, and that this contributes to accelerated weight regain later if the diet lapses. … more

Health Professional: Do You Have Hidden Weight Bias? Medscape (Nov 22, 2016) by Rebecca M. Puhl, PhD — Health professionals may harbor hidden weight bias. Test yourself for weight bias that exists outside of your conscious awareness and control. What are your implicit attitudes about body weight? Do you have hidden weight bias? To find out, take the free Implicit Associations Test online at Harvard’s Project Implicit website and then read our article to learn more about the harm caused by “fat shaming” in the healthcare system…. more

Weight Loss Bumps Up Appetite More Than Threefold  Medscape Medical News (Nov 4, 2016) by Marlene Busko — For every kg of weight they lost, patients in a new study consumed an extra 100 calories a day — more than three times what they would need to maintain the lower weight. This out-of-proportion increase in appetite when patients lost a small amount of weight “may explain why long-term maintenance of reduced body weight is so difficult,” said lead research David Polidori, MD, of Janssen Research & Development, in San Diego, California, and colleagues. … more

Want to lose weight? Train the brain, not the body. No more stress eating. ScienceAlert (May 28, 2016) by Laurel Mellin, The Conversation – Despite massive government, medical and individual efforts to win the war on obesity, 71 percent of Americans are overweight. The average adult is 24 pounds (10.9 kilograms) heavier today than in 1960. Our growing girth adds some $200 billion per year to our health care expenditure, amounting to a severe health crisis….If there is ever to be a ‘pill’ – a solution to weight – it will be changing the brain, particularly the primitive areas of the brain, the ’emotional brain’ or mammalian and reptilian brain. … more

Overweight, obesity linked to poorer memory for young adults   MNT Medical News Today (Feb 29, 2016) by Honor Whiteman – It is well established that being overweight can raise the risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke. But according to a new study, it may also have consequences for cognitive health; researchers found that young adults who were overweight or obese had poorer episodic memory than their healthy-weight peers. … more

Brain wiring explains why weight loss is more challenging for women  MNT Medical News Today (Feb 3, 2016) by Honor Whiteman – Trying to lose weight can be a challenge at the best of times, but this challenge may be even harder if you’re female. According to a new study, women’s brains may be wired in a way that makes them less likely than men to shed the pounds. … more

Hormones make weight loss harder for women than men, study finds. WHO data shows that there are more obese women than men worldwide. Toronto Metro (Feb 3, 2016) – A new study has found that men and women might not be on equal ground when it comes to losing weight. Researchers at the Universities of Aberdeen and Cambridge in the UK, and Michigan in the USA have pinpointed the behavior of certain hormones, produced in the brain, which could make weight loss more difficult for women. … more

Heightened ability to imagine odors linked to higher body weight   ScienceDaily (Jan 18, 2016) – The ability to vividly imagine the smell of popcorn, freshly baked cookies and even non-food odors is greater in obese adults, new research suggests. Vivid mental imagery is a key factor in stimulating and maintaining food cravings, which can be induced by the thought, smell and sight of food, say authors of a new report on the work. … more

Weight-loss programs tailored to a person’s genome may be coming soon   ScienceDaily (Dec 23, 2015) – Some health experts predict that the next big advance in helping overweight people achieve a healthier weight will be to use an individual’s genetic data to customize diets and physical activity plans, an approach known as ‘precision weight loss.” … more

Mothers should be cautious when discussing weight with daughters   ScienceDaily (Dec 22. 2015) – How should a concerned mother discuss issues of diet and weight with her daughter? Very carefully, according to Erin Hillard, a developmental psychology doctoral student at the University of Notre Dame. … more

Kids Who Are Better at Tasting Sugar Are More Likely to Be Overweight, Study Finds   Time/Living (Dec 15, 2015) by Belinda Luscombe –Being more sensitive to sugar might not be a good thing. Some kids can taste as little as 0.005 teaspoons of sugar in a fluid ounce of water. Others need three teaspoons until they register it. Logic would suggest that the less sugar-sensitive—those who need to add more sugar to get the hit of sweetness—would be more likely to be obese, right? Not according to new research. … more

Why weight loss is harder when we carry more fat   MNT Medical News Today (Nov 25, 2015) – New research reveals why overweight people find it very hard to shed their excess pounds. An international team has identified a protein that blocks the body’s ability to burn off fat and discovered that the heavier we are, the more of this protein we produce. … more

Self-weighing may be a hazardous behavior among young women. Researchers found an association between frequent self-weighing and psychological state  ScienceDaily (Nov 9, 2015) – Self-weighing can be a useful tool to help adults control their weight, but for adolescents and young adults this behavior may have negative psychological outcomes. Researchers tracked the self-weighing behaviors of more than 1,900 young adults and found increases in self-weighing to be significantly related to increases in weight concern and depression and decreases in body satisfaction and self-esteem among females. … more

Lean times: why was it easier to lose weight in the 80s? The Guardian.com (Oct 6, 2015) by Nic Fleming – A new study has found that those consuming the same calories and doing the same exercise were heavier in 2006 than in 1988 – another reason for millennials to resent their parents   more

Firstborn women more likely to be overweight, obese MNT-Medical News Today (Aug 27, 2015) by Honor Whiteman – While past studies have suggested firstborn children are smarter, new research brings some bad news for firstborn women with a younger sister: they are more likely to be overweight or obese. … more

Eating on the move may trigger weight gain in dieters MNT–Medical News Today (Aug 20, 2015) – While it may be a convenient way to fit lunch into a hectic work schedule, new research published in the Journal of Health Psychology suggests that eating while “on the go” could lead to weight gain and obesity in people who are dieting. The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Surrey in the UK, found that eating while walking could make dieters overeat later on in the day, triggering more overeating than other forms of distraction such as watching TV or chatting with a friend. “This may be because walking is a powerful form of distraction which disrupts our ability to process the impact eating has on our hunger …” more

Exercise alone does not help in losing weight ScienceDaily (Aug 17, 2015) – Physical activity has many health benefits, ranging from reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer to improving mental health and mood. But contrary to common belief, exercise does not help you lose weight, public health scientists report. …more

Benefits of weight loss surgery diminished after five years Reuters (Aug 5, 2015) by Lisa Rapaport – Five years after weight loss surgery, obese patients may regain many of the pounds they initially shed, a new study from Israel suggests. While surgery remains more effective for lasting weight loss than alternatives such as dieting and exercising, said lead study author Dr. Andrei Keidar, the study findings suggest that doctors still have more to learn about which patients will get the most benefit from operations and what strategies can make the initial results stick. more …

Odds of losing weight are stacked against obese people, study says  Medical News Today (July 17, 2015) – New research published in the American Journal of Public Health finds that the chance of an obese person attaining normal body weight is very low. In the study, conducted by researchers at King’s College London in the UK, just 1 in 210 obese men and 1 in 124 obese women were able to achieve normal weights. more …

Online computer game can help shed weight, reduce food intake  ScienceDaily (June 26, 2015) – A simple new computerized game could help people control their snacking impulses and lose weight. Psychologists report that participants lost an average of 0.7kg and consumed around 220 fewer calories a day whilst undergoing the week of training. more …

Weight-loss surgery could lead to alcohol abuse, suicidal thinking, researchers say   National Post (May 11, 2015) by Sharon Kirkey – Weight-loss surgery may have an unintended effect on the brain, possibly increasing the risk of suicidal thinking, alcohol abuse or other “impulse control” disorders, some researchers now believe. One theory is that surgery may set the stage for a controversial phenomenon known as cross addiction, psychologists say. more …

Teen brain scans reveal a key to weight loss   ScienceDaily (Feb 18, 2015) — MRI scans of teenagers who had successfully lost weight and kept it off show that they have higher levels of executive function — the ability to process and prioritize competing interests. Executive function is a trait that can be improved, scientists say. more…

How losing weight can be hard on a marriage   Toronto Star (Sept 20, 2014) by Nancy J. White —  When someone loses massive weight, it’s ‘life-changing,’ often causing friction with their partner. There’s even a word for the phenomenon: bariatric divorce.   more …

Artificial sweeteners linked to obesity epidemic, scientists say: Drinking diet soda could cause weight gain, research suggests   CBC News (Sept 17, 2014) — Artificial sweeteners may exacerbate, rather than prevent, metabolic disorders such as Type 2 diabetes, a study suggests. Calorie-free artificial sweeteners are often chosen by dieters in part because they are thought not to raise blood sugar levels. In Wednesday’s issue of the journal Nature, researchers report that artificial sweeteners increase the blood sugar levels in both mice and humans by interfering with microbes in the gut. Increased blood sugar levels are an early indicator of Type 2 diabetes and metabolic disease.   more …

Anorexia fueled by pride about weight loss   ScienceDaily (Aug 4, 2014)) — Those in a new study being treated for anorexia not only suffered with negative emotions but also felt emotionally positive, having a sense of pride over being able to maintain and exceed their weight-loss goals. “Being in control is important for many of these women,” one author said. “What we need to do is find a way to reconnect the positive emotions they feel in losing weight to other aspects of their lives that will lead to a more balanced sense of happiness.” more …

A Fresh Cry Of Pain: Fat-Shaming In Science   NPR (June 19, 2014) by Barbara J. King — One year ago here at 13.7, I wrote about fat-shaming carried out by a college professor of evolutionary psychology. Ever since, I’ve been more attuned than before to blatant discrimination based on weight and have spotted evidence of fat-shaming in multiple contexts. Recent examples range from the world of opera to popular TV shows (Fargo) and sports, in this case tennis. When people — women, often — are seen and judged primarily by their weight instead of by their talents and actions in the world, the result is often incredibly hurtful. None of us wants to be seen and judged so superficially. Now there’s a fresh cry of pain and it comes again from the world of science and higher education. more …

What Causes Weight Gain   New York Times (June 10, 2014) by Mark Bittman – If I ask you what constitutes “bad” eating, the kind that leads to obesity and a variety of connected diseases, you’re likely to answer, “Salt, fat and sugar.” This trilogy of evil has been drilled into us for decades, yet that’s not an adequate answer. We don’t know everything about the dietary links to chronic disease, but the best-qualified people argue that real food is more likely to promote health and less likely to cause disease than hyperprocessed food. And we can further refine that message: Minimally processed plants should dominate our diets. (This isn’t just me saying this; the Institute of Medicine and the Department of Agriculture agree.)   more …

Always Hungry? Here’s Why     New York Times (May 16, 2014) by David S. Ludwig and Mark I. Friedman – For most of the last century, our understanding of the cause of obesity has been based on immutable physical law. Specifically, it’s the first law of thermodynamics, which dictates that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. When it comes to body weight, this means that calorie intake minus calorie expenditure equals calories stored … The simple solution is to exert willpower and eat less. The problem is that this advice doesn’t work, at least not for most people over the long term … But what if we’ve confused cause and effect? What if it’s not overeating that causes us to get fat, but the process of getting fatter that causes us to overeat? more …

A number that may not add up     NYTimes/Well (Apr 14, 2014) by Jane E. Brody – In July 1998, the National Institutes of Health changed what it means to be overweight, defining it as a body mass index of 25 or greater for adults. The cutoff had been 28 for men and 27 for women, so suddenly about 29 million Americans who had been considered normal became overweight even though they hadn’t gained an ounce.   more …

Childhood abuse may impair weight-regulating hormones.  ScienceDaily  (Mar 20, 2014) – Childhood abuse or neglect can lead to long-term hormone impairment that raises the risk of developing obesity, diabetes or other metabolic disorders in adulthood, according to a new study. The study examined levels of the weight-regulating hormones leptin, adiponectin and irisin in the blood of adults who endured physical, emotional or sexual abuse or neglect as children. The study found dysregulation of certain hormones in people who had been abused or neglected as children.  More …

Excess weight linked to brain changes that may relate to memory, emotions, and appetite   ScienceDaily (Feb 11, 2014) – Being overweight appears related to reduced levels of a molecule that reflects brain cell health in the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in memory, learning, and emotions, and likely also involved in appetite control, according to a new study.  More …

Two in three 13-year-old girls afraid of gaining weight   ScienceDaily (Dec 16, 2013) – Six in ten 13-year-old girls, compared to four in 10 boys the same age, are afraid of gaining weight or getting fat according to new research on eating disorders from the UCL Institute of Child Health (UK) in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (UK).   Link

Social media fuel dangerous weight-loss goal   AP (Oct 4, 2013) by Jim Salter – Experts in eating disorders are concerned about an Internet-fueled trend in which teenage girls and young women pursue an elusive and possibly dangerous weight-loss goal: to become so slender that their thighs don’t touch even when their feet are together.  Specialists say achieving a so-called thigh gap is risky and virtually impossible   Link

Eating disorder specialists not immune to weight bias   Reuters  (Oct 3, 2013) by Kathryn Doyle – Even some mental health professionals that treat eating disorders harbor prejudice against the obese, a new study suggests.  “Weight bias has been documented among different groups of health providers like doctors, nurses and medical students, so there is no reason to expect that professionals who treat eating disorders would be immune to the same bias,” lead researcher Rebecca Puhl of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, said.   Link

So-called ‘healthy’ toppings and side dishes sabotage weight loss efforts: Ontario study   National Post (July 25, 2013) by Misty Harris, Postmedia News –  You’ve just been served a large slice of chocolate cake — the kind so unapologetically decadent, you feel your thighs expand just looking at it. Thankfully, though, this particular cake is topped with fresh fruit, which reduces the calorie content and makes it a more healthful choice.  Absurd, right? A new Canadian study, however, shows that’s exactly how we’re approaching eating: thinking that a bad food choice can be cancelled by a good one. In fact, researchers find that people reduce their calorie estimation of an unhealthy indulgence by 16% to 25% when it’s topped with something healthy.  Link

‘Weightism’ increases risk for becoming, staying obese   ScienceDaily (July 24, 2013) — Weight discrimination may increase risk for obesity rather than motivating individuals to lose weight, according to research published July 24 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Angelina Sutin and Antonio Terracciano from the Florida State University College of Medicine.   The researchers compared the height and weight of over 6000 participants, measured in 2006 and 2010. They found that participants who experienced weight discrimination earlier were 2.5 times more likely to become obese by the follow-up assessment in 2010. Link

Are happy gut bacteria key to weight loss?    Mother Jones (Apr. 22, 2013) by Moises Velasquez-Manoff – Imbalances in the microbial community in your intestines may lead to metabolic syndrome, obesity, and diabetes. What does science say about how to reset our bodies?  … Dr. Paresh Dandona, a diabetes specialist in Buffalo, New York, set out to measure the body’s response to McDonald’s—specifically breakfast. Over several mornings, he fed nine normal-weight volunteers an egg sandwich with cheese and ham, a sausage muffin sandwich, and two hash brown patties … what he observed has informed his research ever since. Levels of a C-reactive protein, an indicator of systemic inflammation, shot up “within literally minutes.” “I was shocked,” he recalls, that “a simple McDonald’s meal that seems harmless enough”—the sort of high-fat, high-carbohydrate meal that 1 in 4 Americans eats regularly—would have such a dramatic effect. And it lasted for hours.   Link

Obese patients trust diet advice from overweight physicians more than normal weight physicians   ScienceDaily (June 4, 2013) — When it comes to taking diet advice from a physician — size matters. This is according to a new study led by a team of researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who examined the impact of primary care physician BMI (body mass index) on their patients’ trust and perceptions of weight-related stigma. They found that overweight and obese patients trust weight-related counseling from overweight physicians more than normal weight physicians and patients seeing an obese primary care physician were more likely to perceive weight-related stigma.   Link

Sexually harassed men undergo extreme measures to control weight   Medical News Today (May 14, 2013) – Surprisingly, researchers at Michigan State University found that men who suffer from sexual harassment are more likely to try and control their weight with extreme measures like taking laxatives or vomiting, compared to women.  As one of the first studies of its kind to examine what kind of effect sexual harassment has on body image and eating behaviors in men and women, the study revealed some very interesting information.   Link

People eat more, gain weight with less sleep   Medical News Today (Mar. 12, 2014) by Catharine Paddock, PhD – When people don’t get enough sleep they tend to eat more, causing them to gain weight. This was the conclusion of a new study led by University of Colorado Boulder in the US that was published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.   Link

Sticking with smaller goals keeps weight loss on track   ScienceDaily (Jan. 17, 2013) — Losing weight — especially when the goal is to lose double-digit amounts — can seem like a daunting task, but a health and wellness expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) said the key is to take it one step at a time.  “If we set lofty weight loss goals, like 10, 20 or 30-plus pounds, and we don’t make progress quickly enough, it’s too easy to get distracted and have our emotions convince us that the goal is not achievable,” … breaking down goals into smaller, more manageable short-term targets, like losing one to two pounds per week, can lead to better chances of success.      Link

Poll of psychologists cites emotions as top obstacle to successful weight loss     ScienceDaily (Jan. 9, 2013) — When it comes to losing weight, a popular New Year’s resolution for many, people often focus on eating less and exercising more. But results of a new survey of psychologists suggest dieters should pay attention to the role emotions play in weight gain and loss if they hope to succeed.   Link

Mastering weight-maintenance skills before embarking on diet helps women avoid backsliding   ScienceDaily (Oct. 30, 2012) — Would you take part in a weight-loss program in which you were explicitly asked not to lose any weight for the first eight weeks?  Although the approach sounds counterintuitive, a study from researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine found that women who spent eight weeks mastering weight-maintenance skills before embarking on a weight-loss program shed the same number of pounds as women who started a weight-loss program immediately. More importantly, the study showed that the “maintenance-first” women had regained only 3 pounds on average a year later, compared to the average 7-pound gain for the immediate dieters.   Link

Is obesity irreversible? Timing is key in weight loss   ScienceDaily (Oct. 24, 2012) — Joint research between the University of Michigan and the Argentina-based National Council of Science and Technology (CONICET) has shed light on one of the most frustrating mysteries of weight loss — why the weight inevitably comes back.  A novel animal model showed that the longer mice remained overweight, the more “irreversible” obesity became, according to the new study that appeared online ahead of print Oct.24 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.   Link

Obese brain may thwart weight loss: diets high in saturated fat, refined sugar may cause brain changes that fuel overconsumption   ScienceDaily (Oct. 1, 2012) — “Betcha can’t eat just one!” For obese people trying to lose weight, advertising slogans such as this one hit a bit too close to home as it describes the daily battle to resist high calorie foods.  But new research by Terry Davidson, director of American University’s Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, indicates that diets that lead to obesity — diets high in saturated fat and refined sugar — may cause changes to the brains of obese people that in turn may fuel overconsumption of those same foods and make weight loss more challenging.   Link

Do less exercise, lose more weight: Is it really that easy?    The Globe and Mail (Sep. 19 2012) by Carly Weeks – In  the world of weight loss and exercise, the age-old adage states that if you don’t feel pain, you won’t see a gain. In other words, losing weight means work. Hard work.  However, a new study is questioning that truism and highlighting the fact many of us may be unwittingly sabotaging our efforts.  The study, by researchers at the University of Copenhagen, found that moderate amounts of exercise may actually lead to greater weight loss.    Link

Adequate sleep helps weight loss   ScienceDaily (Sep. 17, 2012) — Adequate sleep is an important part of a weight loss plan and should be added to the recommended mix of diet and exercise, states a commentary in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).  Although calorie restriction and increased physical activity are recommended for weight loss, there is significant evidence that inadequate sleep is contributing to obesity. Lack of sleep increases the stimulus to consume more food and increases appetite-regulating hormones.  Link

When psychology trumps anti-obesity drugs   ScienceDaily (Sep. 5, 2012) — Patients who fail to lose weight while taking anti-obesity drugs do so because of their beliefs about themselves and about the difficulty of losing weight.  Link

Is long-term weight loss possible after menopause?   ScienceDaily(Aug. 28, 2012) — Many people can drop pounds quickly in the early phases of a diet, but studies have found that it is difficult to keep the weight off in the long term. For post-menopausal women, natural declines in energy expenditure could make long-term weight loss even more challenging. A new study finds that in post-menopausal women, some behaviors that are related to weight loss in the short term are not effective or sustainable for the long term. Interventions targeting these behaviors could improve long-term obesity treatment outcomes.   Link

Manipulating the microbiome could help manage weight    ScienceDaily (Aug. 26, 2012) — Vaccines and antibiotics may someday join caloric restriction or bariatric surgery as a way to regulate weight gain, according to a new study focused on the interactions between diet, the bacteria that live in the bowel, and the immune system.   Link

30 minutes of daily exercise as good as 60 for weight loss    Medical News Today (Aug 23, 2012) – A new study from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark found that sedentary, slightly overweight healthy young men who worked up a sweat exercising 30 minutes daily for three months lost a similar amount of weight and body fat as those who did 60 minutes of daily exercise.   Link

Antibiotic use in infants before six months associated with being overweight in childhood  ScienceDaily (Aug. 21, 2012) — Treating very young infants with antibiotics may predispose them to being overweight in childhood, according to a study of more than 10,000 children by researchers at the NYU School of Medicine and the NYU Wagner School of Public Service and published in the online August 21, 2012, issue of the International Journal of Obesity. Link

New drug could help maintain long-term weight loss   ScienceDaily (July 26, 2012) — A new drug could aid in losing weight and keeping it off. The drug, described in the journal Cell Metabolism on July 26, increases sensitivity to the hormone leptin, a natural appetite suppressant found in the body. Although so far the new drug has only been tested on mice, the findings have implications for the development of new treatments for obesity in humans.   Link

Keep a journal, don’t skip meals to shed weight: study   Reuters (July 13, 2012) by Patricia Reaney – Want to drop those extra pounds without starving yourself? Keeping a food journal, not skipping meals and eating out less often, particularly for lunch, will help, according to new research released on Friday.  Link

Above-normal weight alone does not necessarily increase short-term risk of death, U.S. data suggest   ScienceDaily (July 6, 2012) — An evaluation of national data by UC Davis researchers has found that extra weight is not necessarily linked with a higher risk of death.  When compared to those with normal weight, people who were overweight or obese had no increased risk of death during a follow-up period of six years. People who were severely obese did have a higher risk, but only if they also had diabetes or hypertension.   Link

Group program helps teens keep weight down    Reuters Health (July 3, 2012) by Kerry Grens – Four  months of weekly group discussions and physical activity sessions helped overweight teens lose weight and keep some of it from coming back, in a new study.  The changes – seven or eight pounds, on average – were “modest,” but the study program represents one of the few weight-loss strategies shown to be successful among adolescents, researchers said.  Link

Low-fat, low-carb, or low-glycemic?  Study shows which is best to keep weight off    today.com (June 29, 2012) by Joy Bauer – Cutting-edge research from Boston Children’s Hospital suggests that the type of diet you eat may affect your metabolism, a finding that has important implications for weight maintenance. Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association this week, the study looked at three popular diets (low-carb, low-glycemic, and low-fat) to see which combination of fat, carbs, and protein was the best for people trying to maintain a previous weight loss.  Because decreases in metabolism can contribute to weight regain, the researchers aimed to see which eating plan worked best with the body’s internal mechanisms to rev up dieters’ calorie burn and help them keep the weight off.   Link

Eating disorders, weight worries still stalk women after 50, study finds    today.com (Jun. 21, 2012) by JoNel Aleccia – Women’s worries about weight and shape and the frustration of gaining five — or more — pounds don’t disappear in middle age, according to a new study that finds that body image problems and eating disorders persist at age 50 and well beyond.  Link

Alcohol abuse up after weight loss surgery: study    Reuters Health (Jun. 18, 2012) by Frederik Joelving – For some obese people, drinking problems may become a new burden following weight loss surgery, according to a new study out Monday.   Although the rate of alcohol abuse climbed only two percent after the procedures, researchers say this translates into more than 2,000 new cases of abuse every year in the U.S.  Two years following their surgery, patients described more symptoms of dependence — such as needing a drink in the morning or failing to meet normal expectations — and more alcohol-related harms, such as black-outs, feelings of guilt or injuring someone.   Link

Complex world of gut microbes fine-tune body weight    ScienceDaily (June 6, 2012) — Microorganisms in the human gastrointestinal tract form an intricate, living fabric made up of some 500 to 1000 distinct bacterial species, (in addition to other microbes). Recently, researchers have begun to untangle the subtle role these diverse life forms play in maintaining health and regulating weight.  In a new study appearing in the journal Nutrition in Clinical Practice, researcher[s]… review the role of gut microbes in nutrient absorption and energy regulation…”Malnutrition may manifest as either obesity or undernutrition, problems of epidemic proportion worldwide. Microorganisms have been shown to play an important role in nutrient and energy extraction and energy regulation although the specific roles that individual and groups/teams of gut microbes play remain uncertain.” Link

Fewer food choices don’t help weight loss: study    Reuters (May 31, 2012) – Reducing people’s options for junk foods helps them to cut back on the amount of calories they take in, but it doesn’t reduce their overall calorie load or help them lose weight, according to a U.S. study.  Link

Why exercise may not lead to weight loss   The Globe and Mail (May 13, 2012) by Alex Hutchinson — There’s no doubt that exercise burns calories. So why has study after study found such modest average weight loss even after subjects follow relatively vigorous, well-designed exercise programs? … Break down the study results, and you find that exercise is highly effective at melting off pounds for some people, and ineffective for others. Scientists are now teasing out the factors that explain these different responses – and poking holes in weight-loss plans that promise one-size-fits-all success.  Link

Treating childhood obesity: A family affair   ScienceDaily (May 1, 2012) — With nearly one-third of American children being overweight or obese, doctors agree that there is an acute need for more effective treatments. In many weight management programs, the dropout rate can be as high as 73 percent, and even in successful programs, the benefits are usually short term. Although family-based approaches to pediatric obesity are considered the gold standard of treatment, theories of the family and how it functions have not been incorporated into effective interventions…  Link

Obesity affects job prospects for women, study finds   ScienceDaily (Apr. 30, 2012) — Obese women are more likely to be discriminated against when applying for jobs and receive lower starting salaries than their non-overweight colleagues, a new study has found.  Link

Familiarity with television fast-food ads linked to obesity    ScienceDaily (Apr. 29, 2012) — There is a long-held concern that youths who eat a lot of fast food are at risk for becoming overweight. New research presented April 29, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Boston shows that greater familiarity with fast-food restaurant advertising on television is associated with obesity in young people.  Link

Big girls don’t cry: Overweight teens who are satisfied with their bodies are less depressed, less prone to unhealthy behaviors  ScienceDaily (Apr. 28, 2012) — A study to be published in the June 2012 issue of Journal of Adolescent Health looking at the relationships between body satisfaction and healthy psychological functioning in overweight adolescents has found that young women who are happy with the size and shape of their bodies report higher levels of self-esteem. They may also be protected against the negative behavioral and psychological factors sometimes associated with being overweight.    Link

Brain scans show why some can’t resist temptation    nbcnews.com (Apr. 23, 2012) by Brian Alexander – Jill, Ann, and Kimberly go off to college with warnings from their parents about sex and the “Freshman 15” ringing in their ears. Months later, Jill has gained 15 pounds and Ann has become a sexual adventurer. Kimberly, on the other hand, has not only maintained her weight, she’s been too busy studying in the library stacks to hook up. What accounts for the differences?  Link

Ryerson study finds preschoolers think overweight kids are ‘mean’  Toronto Star (Apr. 5, 2012) by Katie Daubs – The world is a judgmental place, and it starts at preschool. A Ryerson University study published in the latest edition of the Journal of Early Childhood Research showed that Toronto preschoolers are likely to assume overweight children are mean.   Link

For many girls, slimming down doesn’t help self-esteem:  Teens who were formerly obese often still view themselves as fat, study finds    US News & World Report: Healthday News (Apr. 3, 2012) – Weight loss doesn’t necessarily lead to a boost in obese teenage girls’ self-esteem, according to a new study.  “We found that obese black and white teenage girls who transitioned out of obesity continued to see themselves as fat, despite changes in their relative body mass,” study author Sarah Mustillo, an associate professor of sociology at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., said in a university news release.  Link

Sleep more, weigh less over the long term:  The wrong amount of sleep could cause weight gain     Psychology Today (Apr. 2012) by Michael J. Breus  (fromSleep Newzzz, Aug. 2011) – The link between sleep and weight loss recently received a big boost: a long-term, large-scale study has confirmed that both too little sleep and too much sleep leads to weight gain…Adults who slept fewer than 6 hours per night or more than 8 hours per night gained more weight than those whose nightly sleep fell within the recommended 6-8 hour range.   Link

Dieting companies now targeting men    cnn.com (Mar 23, 2012) by Emma Lacey-Bordeaux & Gavin Godfrey – Jeff Romig kept putting it off.  He knew the doctor would give him bad news. He’d known it for years; he needed to lose weight.  But as he sat in the doctor’s office a few weeks ago and listened to his numbers — cholesterol and blood pressure, both too high — he resolved to change. This time, he decided to do something different, something drastic.  After 10 years of talking about losing weight without much success, Romig decided to put his health and family first by leaving his high-pressure politics job.   Link

Israel bans use of ultra-skinny models.  Doctors must sign off on model’s weight:  Advertisers obliged to come clean on “photoshopping”    Reuters (Mar 20, 2012) – Israeli lawmakers have banned underweight models from catwalks and commercials, a measure they hope will reduce eating disorders and promote a healthy body image.  The law, passed late on Monday, says women and men cannot be hired for modeling jobs unless a doctor stipulates they are not underweight, with a body mass index (BMI) — a measure expressing a ratio of weight to height — of no less than 18.5.   Link

Calories are everywhere, yet hard to track    New York Times: Health (Mar. 19, 2012) by Jane E. Brody – Americans are having a passionate love affair with something they cannot see, hear, feel, touch or taste. That something is calories, billions upon billions of which are consumed every day, often unwittingly, at and between meals. .. two experts… have written a new book, Why Calories Count: From Science to Politics, to be published April 1, which explains what calories are, where they come from, how different sources affect the body, and why it is so easy to consume more of them than most people need to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.   Link

A daily walk can reduce the power of weight-gaining genes:  Why walking works: it not only burns calories, but it also counteracts the effects of your fattening genes    Time.com: Healthland (Mar. 15, 2012) by Alice Park – Body weight, like so many of our individual characteristics, is the combined result of the genes we’re born with and the way we live our lives — how much and what we eat, and whether we exercise. The question is, how much does one influence the other?  In a new study … researchers offer evidence that lifestyle can actually change the effect our genes have on the number on the scale.    Link

Most weight loss supplements are not effective     ScienceDaily (Mar. 6, 2012) — An Oregon State University researcher has reviewed the body of evidence around weight loss supplements and has bad news for those trying to find a magic pill to lose weight and keep it off — it doesn’t exist.  Melinda Manore reviewed the evidence surrounding hundreds of weight loss supplements, a $2.4 billion industry in the United States, and said no research evidence exists that any single product results in significant weight loss — and many have detrimental health benefits.  Link

The majority of women with bulimia reach highest-ever weight after developing the disorder     MNT: Medical News Today (Mar 1, 2012) – Researchers at Drexel University have found that a majority of women with bulimia nervosa reach their highest-ever body weight after developing their eating disorder, despite the fact that the development of the illness is characterized by significant weight loss. Their new study, published online last month in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, adds to a body of recent work that casts new light on the importance of weight history in understanding and treating bulimia.  Link

Is fructose being blamed unfairly for obesity epidemic?      ScienceDaily (Feb. 21, 2012) — Is fructose being unfairly blamed for the obesity epidemic? Or do we just eat and drink too many calories?  Researchers from St. Michael’s Hospital reviewed more than 40 published studies on whether the fructose molecule itself causes weight gain…”Fructose may not be to blame for obesity…It may just be calories from any food source. Over consumption is the issue.”   Link

Study: Doctors over-estimate patients’ ability to lose weight     nbcnews.com (Feb 21, 2012) by Karen Rowan – If you want to know whether you’ll lose weight or not, don’t ask a doctor.  In a new study, physicians predicted about 55 percent of patients would be “likely” or “very likely” to follow their recommendations for losing weight, eating healthier or getting more exercise. But three months later, only 28 percent of patients had lost at least two pounds, 34 percent were eating less fat and more fiber, and 6 percent were getting in one more hour of brisk walking each week.  Link

The new weight-loss math    The Globe and Mail (Feb. 21, 2012) by Leslie Beck – If you’ve ever followed a weight-loss diet, you might be familiar with the 3,500-calorie rule.  It’s pretty simple: Since there are 3,500 calories in a pound of body fat, eating 500 fewer calories each day – or burning them off exercising – will lead to a slow and steady weight loss of a pound a week. (The math: 500 x 7 days = 3,500).  According to U.S. researchers, this ubiquitous weight-loss rule is overly simple and overly optimistic. And it can lead to unrealistic expectations about how quickly you can achieve a weight-loss goal.  Link

Heavy doctors avoid heavy discussions about weight    NPR’s Health Blog: Shots (Jan. 27, 2012) by Judith Graham – Research already demonstrates that physicians are sometimes uncomfortable talking about weight with their obese patients. Now, a new study shows that the doctors’ weight makes a difference too. Physicians who pack on the pounds discuss weight loss less frequently with obese patients than doctors who have normal body mass indexes.    Link

The naked truth: I let my weight limit my pleasure     Huffpost Women (Jan. 4, 2012) by Rebecca Jane Weinstein – “No man will ever love you,” proclaimed my grandmother in what she considered her infinite wisdom. I was nine or ten — old enough to know exactly what she was talking about, and young enough that I believed her. Thirty-five years later, undergoing the kind of therapy usually prescribed for veterans of war, I understood that she wasn’t entirely right… Growing up overweight, forced to diet early and listen to forecasts of my own spinsterhood, it took me years — years — to say the word “fat.” So you can imagine the complete shift in perspective it took for me to say the words “fat sex.”  Link

A simple weight loss strategy. Really. Maybe.     Huffpost Healthy Living (Jan. 2, 2012) by Wray Herbert – Dieting and weight control are really pretty simple. We gain weight and have trouble losing it because we eat too much and move too little. If we can switch that around, most of us should be able to maintain a sensible weight without resorting to unhealthy gimmicks.  But that’s just the biology of weight control. What about the psychology?    Link

The fat trap    New York Times: Well (Dec. 28, 2011) by Tara Parker-Pope – For 15 years, Joseph Proietto has been helping people lose weight. When these obese patients arrive at his weight-loss clinic in Australia, they are determined to slim down. And most of the time, he says, they do just that, sticking to the clinic’s program and dropping excess pounds. But then, almost without exception, the weight begins to creep back. In a matter of months or years, the entire effort has come undone, and the patient is fat again.  Link

Could obesity change the brain? NPR’s Health Blog: Shots (Dec.28, 2011) by Nancy Shute – The standard advice for losing weight often comes up short for people who are obese. If they switch to a healthful diet and exercise more, they might lose a bit. But the pounds have a way of creeping back on. Now some provocative research suggests that a part of the problem might be that obesity could change the area of the brain that helps control appetite and body weight. Link

Overweight people eat less often. True or false?    Reuters (Nov. 21, 2011) – Overweight adults eat less often than people in the normal body weight range, but still take in more calories and are less active over the course of the day, according to a U.S. study.   Link

Can’t keep the pounds off? It’s your hormones    nbcnews.com: Associated Press (Oct. 26, 2011) by Malcolm Ritter – Any dieter knows that it’s hard to keep off weight you’ve lost. Now a study finds that even a year after dieters shed a good chunk of weight quickly, their hormones were still insisting, “Eat! Eat! Eat!”  The findings suggest that dieters who have regained weight are not just slipping back into old habits, but are struggling against a persistent biological urge.  “People who regain weight should not be harsh on themselves, as eating is our most basic instinct,” Joseph Proietto of the University of Melbourne in Australia, an author of the study, said in an email.  Link

Get the skinny on shut-eye:  Lack of sleep actually increases appetite and drives people to binge on unhealthy foods    Macleans.ca (Sept. 15, 2011) by Kate Lunau – Over 13 million Canadians are overweight or obese, but for those trying to shed pounds, giving up on a full night’s sleep for a 5 a.m. gym session might do more harm than good. Lack of sleep actually increases appetite and drives people to binge on unhealthy “comfort foods,” according to Dr. Charles Samuels, medical director of the Calgary-based Centre for Sleep and Human Performance.  Link

‘Gene overdose’ causes extreme thinness    ScienceDaily (Aug. 31, 2011) — Scientists have discovered a genetic cause of extreme thinness for the first time, in a study published August 30 in the journal Nature. The research shows that people with extra copies of certain genes are much more likely to be very skinny. In one in 2000 people, part of chromosome 16 is duplicated, making men 23 times and women five times more likely to be underweight.  Link

Why some obese people are healthier than skinny people    Healthzone.ca (Aug. 15, 2011) by Debra Black – Being fat doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re in poor health.  Or so suggests a study done by Jennifer Kuk, a York University assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science in the Faculty of Health.  “Not all obese individuals have poor health,” Kuk told the Star. “Conversely not all normal weight individuals have good health. You can have normal weight individuals who have high blood pressure, diabetes and poor lifestyle.”  Kuk and her team looked at 6,000 obese Americans comparing them to 23,000 healthy individuals.   Link

The thins versus the fats: Is obesity really a health, and a health care, issue?   New York Times: Opinionator (July 30, 2011) by Eric Etheridge – Though the now-twinned issues of race and beer have dominated the week’s storyline, Paul Campos wants you to think about another form of discrimination — fatism. It’s time we “stop harassing people about their weight,” says Campos, author of the “Obesity Myth,” in an interview with Megan McArdle for her Atlantic blog.  It appears that focusing on the idea that being fat actually makes people fatter. At least there’s an extremely strong correlation there. I bet if we stopped demonizing fatness people would actually be a bit thinner. They’d certainly be happier and healthier.  Link

Obese people can suffer from social anxiety disorder due to weight alone    ScienceDaily (July 1, 2011) — A new study from Rhode Island Hospital researchers shows that obese individuals with social anxiety related only to their weight may experience anxiety as severe as individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD). The findings directly conflict with the criteria for SAD in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV). The study is now published online in advance of print in the journal Depression and Anxiety.  Link

Belly fat in men: Why weight loss matters    Mayo Clinic (June 9, 2011) by Mayo Clinic staff – Belly fat is nothing to joke about. Find out what causes belly fat, the health risks it poses for men and what you can do to lose the extra pounds.  If you’re carrying a few extra pounds, you’re not alone. But this is one case where following the crowd isn’t a good idea. Carrying extra weight — especially belly fat — can be risky.  Michael Jensen, M.D., an endocrinology specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., answers common questions about belly fat in men.   Link

Surgery-related weight loss in men reverses testosterone deficiency, study finds ScienceDaily (June 4, 2011) — Low testosterone levels and symptoms of male sexual dysfunction due to obesity may be reversible with weight loss after bariatric surgery, a new study finds.  The results were presented at The Endocrine Society’s 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.  “Morbidly obese men have a high prevalence of hypotestosteronenemia, or low testosterone, and of sexual dysfunction,” said study co-author Jean-Paul Thissen, MD, PhD, a professor at the University of Louvain in Brussels. “It is reassuring that these problems are potentially curable by weight loss.”   Link

Food addiction works like drug addiction in the brain     Huffington Post (Apr. 5, 2011) – Seeing a milkshake can activate the same areas of the brain that light up when an addict sees cocaine, U.S. researchers said on Monday. The study helps explain why it can be so hard for some people to maintain a healthy weight, and why it has been so difficult for drug makers and health experts to find obesity treatments that work.  Link

Women with eating disorders draw a different picture of themselves than women without, study suggests    ScienceDaily (Feb. 15, 2011) — Women suffering from anorexia or bulimia draw themselves with prominently different characteristics than women who do not have eating disorders and who are considered of normal weight. This has been revealed in a new joint study from the University of Haifa, Soroka University Medical Center and Achva Academic College, Israel, published in The Arts in Psychotherapy.   Link

Drop that cookie! Even briefly overeating has lasting effects    nbcnews.com (Aug. 24, 2010) by Jeanna Bryner – The effects of a sedentary, gluttonous lifestyle are hard to shake, even after the person has become an upstanding, healthy individual, a new Swedish study suggests.   Researchers found that even a short period of overeating and a lack of exercise can have lasting effects on a person’s physiology and make it harder to lose weight and keep it off.   Link

Drink water to curb weight gain? Clinical trial confirms effectiveness of simple appetite control method    ScienceDaily (Aug. 23, 2010) — Has the long-sought magic potion in society’s “battle with the bulge” finally arrived? An appetite-control agent that requires no prescription, has no common side effects, and costs almost nothing? Scientists report results of a new clinical trial confirming that just two 8-ounce glasses of the stuff, taken before meals, enables people to shed pounds. The weight-loss elixir, they told the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), is ordinary water.  Link

4 surprising reasons women can’t lose weight    cnn.com: Health (Aug. 11, 2010) by Jennifer Benjamin – Most of us already know that eating less and moving more are the keys to dropping extra pounds. But if you’re already doing everything “right” and can’t seem to lose weight — or are even gaining it — you may have a hidden health condition that’s sabotaging your efforts. And the symptoms may be so subtle that even your doctor can miss them. Here, some possible weight-loss blockers — and how to get the help you need  Link

Obesity gene, carried by more than a third of the us population, leads to brain tissue loss  ScienceDaily (Apr. 20, 2010) — Three years ago, geneticists reported the startling discovery that nearly half of all people in the U.S. with European ancestry carry a variant of the fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene, which causes them to gain weight — from three to seven pounds, on average — but worse, puts them at risk for obesity.   Link

Fat epidemic linked to chemicals run amok   nbcnews.com  (Mar. 8, 2010) – by Stephen Perrine with Heather Hurlock.   It’s not just about calories in versus calories out.  If that were all it took to lose weight — eating a little less and exercising a little more — then weight loss would be as simple as grade-school math: Subtract Y from Z and end up with X.  But if you’ve ever followed a diet program and achieved less than your desired result, you probably came away feeling frustrated, depressed, and maybe a bit guilty. What did I do wrong?    Link

High-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain, researchers find   ScienceDaily (Mar. 22, 2010) — A Princeton University research team has demonstrated that all sweeteners are not equal when it comes to weight gain: Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even when their overall caloric intake was the same.  Link

Discovery of ‘fat’ taste could hold the key to reducing obesity   ScienceDaily (Mar. 10, 2010) — A newly discovered ability for people to taste fat could hold the key to reducing obesity, Deakin University health researchers believe.  Deakin researchers…have found that humans can detect a sixth taste — fat. They also found that people with a high sensitivity to the taste of fat tended to eat less fatty foods and were less likely to be overweight. The results of their research are published in the latest issue of the British Journal of Nutrition.  Link

Heavy kids, heavy emotions:  Shame, stress and depression often spur further weight gain   msnbc.com (Feb. 14, 2010) by Jeanna Bryner  – The ballooning waistlines of children hit the spotlight when Michelle Obama admitted publicly her daughters had an unhealthy body mass index. And while many urge kids to slim down to avoid heart disease and other physical ailments, the emotional consequences from teasing and low self-esteem could be just as debilitating, scientists say.  Link

Some morbidly obese people are missing genes, shows new research   ScienceDaily (Feb. 4, 2010) — A small but significant proportion of morbidly obese people are missing a section of their DNA, according to research published February 3 in Nature. The authors of the study, from Imperial College London and ten other European Centres, say that missing DNA such as that identified in this research may be having a dramatic effect on some people’s weight.  Link

When parents try to control every little bite:  Being too restrictive about your child’s diet can backfire, experts say    msnbc.com: Health (Sept . 3, 2009) by Bridget Murray Law — Driven by concern about childhood obesity or other food anxieties, more nutrition-focused parents are turning into food cops, monitoring every morsel their children eat…In fact, a recent study found that being too restrictive about the foods children eat can cause more weight gain. Researchers from the Center for Childhood Obesity Research at Pennsylvania State University, University Park, found the highest weight gain among girls who considered their parents most restrictive about eating certain foods. The study tracked 200 girls for 10 years from age 5.   Link

Psychological link between ‘weight’ and ‘importance’    ScienceDaily (Aug. 31, 2009)  —  Weighty.  Heavy. What do these words have to do with seriousness and importance? Why do we weigh our options, and why does your opinion carry more weight than mine?  New research suggests that we can blame this on gravity. Heavy objects require more energy to move, and they can hurt us more if we move them clumsily. So we learn early on in life to think more and plan more when we’re dealing with heftier things. They require more cognitive effort as well as muscular effort.  This leads to the intriguing possibility that the abstract concept of importance is grounded in our very real experience of weight.  Link

The fat wars: America’s weight rage—America’s war on the overweight   Newsweek (August 26, 2009) by Kate Dailey and Abby Ellin — Anti-fat rhetoric is getting nastier than ever. Why our overweight nation hates overweight people.  Link

Get fat, live longer: What the obesity industry doesn’t want you to know    The Globe and Mail: Opinion (July 25, 2009) by Margaret Wente  — A new study based on Statistics Canada population data reaches an exceedingly awkward conclusion: People who are overweight live longer than people who are classified as “normal” weight. Not only that, people who are classified as significantly overweight also live longer.  Link

8 ways the food industry hijacks your brain:  Overeating doesn’t only affect people who are overweight    msnbc.com (July 10, 2009) — In the 21st century the food industry is creating and marketing unhealthy food in much the same way that tobacco companies manufactured and sold cigarettes in the 20th century… more than 70 million Americans have become conditioned to overeat, and it affects people of all different weights. Dr. David A. Kessler, the dynamic and controversial former head of the Food and Drug Administration who took on big tobacco in the 1990s, now takes on the food industry …[and] pulls back the curtain to reveal how the food industry and its scientists really operate.   Link

When eating disorders strike in midlife    New York Times: Health (July 13, 2009) by Randi Hutter Epstein — No one has precise statistics on who is affected by eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia, often marked by severe weight loss, or binge eating, which can lead to obesity. But experts say that in the past 10 years they are treating an increasing number of women over 30 who are starving themselves, abusing laxatives, exercising to dangerous extremes and engaging in all of the self-destructive activities that had, for so long, been considered teenage behaviors.    Link

Study offers clues to why people overeat      New York Times: Health (June 10, 2009) by Roni Caryn Rabin – People usually gain weight because they overeat, but what makes them overeat? A new study suggests that obese people have a different physiological response to food: they continue to salivate longer in response to a new taste than do people of normal weight.   Link

Molecular link between sleep and weight gain     ScienceDaily (May 23, 2009) — There appears to be a link between sleep and weight control, with some studies indicating that sleep disruption can increase weight gain and others that diet affects sleep. Victor Uebele and colleagues, at Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, have now provided further evidence to support this association by showing that T-type calcium channels regulate body weight maintenance and sleep in mice.  Link

Teens who think they’re overweight more likely to try suicide     ScienceDaily (May 21, 2009) — Being overweight — or simply believing they are overweight — might predispose some U.S. teens to suicide attempts, according to a new study.  The study looked at more than 14,000 high school students to determine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and suicide attempts, as well as the relationship between believing one is overweight — whether true or not —and suicide attempts.  Link

Does mom know when enough is enough? Missed satiety cues from infants linked to obesity     ScienceDaily (May 12, 2009) — As the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States continues, researchers are examining whether early parent and child behaviors contribute to the problem. A study from the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Rutgers University, published in the May/June 2009 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior reports that mothers who miss signs of satiety in their infants tend to overfeed them, leading to excess weight gains during the 6 month to 1 year period.  Link

Poll: Women value weight over physical health:  Half dislike their weight, a third unhappy about body condition, survey finds     Associated Press (May 11, 2009) — Scan the breathless headlines at any magazine rack — Fight Flab in Minutes! Get Beach Ready! Add the skinny yet buxom model, and it should be no surprise that the average woman feels insecure if not downright unhappy with her real-world figure.  Link

Think 30 minutes of exercise cuts it? Try 50      msnbc.com (Feb. 10, 2009) — Greater amounts of physical activity than currently recommended may be necessary to prevent people from gaining weight, according to updated guidelines.  Link

Another reason to avoid high-fat diet: it can disrupt our biological clock, say researchers     ScienceDaily (Dec. 31, 2008) — Indulgence in a high-fat diet can not only lead to overweight because of excessive calorie intake, but also can affect the balance of circadian rhythms – everyone’s 24-hour biological clock, Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers have shown.   Link

Brain enzyme may play key role in controlling appetite and weight gain     ScienceDaily (Dec. 16, 2008) — Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that overactivity of a brain enzyme may play a role in preventing weight gain and obesity. The findings were reported in Cell Metabolism.   Link

Keeping the weight off: which obesity treatment is most successful?     ScienceDaily (Dec. 12, 2008) — Severely obese patients who have lost significant amounts of weight by changing their diet and exercise habits may be as successful in keeping the weight off long-term as those individuals who lost weight after bariatric surgery, according to a new study published online by the International Journal of Obesity.   Link

Gene may explain why some go for fatty foods      msnbc.com (Dec 10, 2008) – A study of children found those with a common gene variation tends to overeat high-calorie foods. They ate 100 extra calories per meal, which over the long term can put on weight.  Link

Eating quickly and until full triples risk of being overweight ScienceDaily (Oct. 22, 2008) — The combination of eating quickly and eating until full trebles the risk of being overweight, according to a study published on the British Medical Journal website.  Until the last decade or so most adults did not have the opportunity to consume enough energy to enable fat to be stored. However, with the increased availability of inexpensive food in larger portions, fast food, and fewer families eating together and eating while distracted (e.g. while watching TV), eating behaviours are changing, and this may be contributing to the obesity epidemic.  Link

Losing the weight stigma   New York Times: Magazine (Oct. 05, 2008) by Robin Marantz Henig — A social movement argues that you can be healthy no matter how fat you are.    Link

For the overweight, bad advice by the spoonful     New York Times: Health Guide (Aug. 30, 2007) by Gina Kolata —Two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. For most, research shows, neither diets nor moderate exercise brings significant long-term weight loss.  In brief:  weight control is not simply a matter of willpower; genes help determine the body’s “set point,” which is defended by the brain; dieting alone is rarely successful, and relapse rates are high; moderate exercise, too, rarely results in substantive long-term weight loss, which requires intensive exercise.     Link

Is it ok to be pudgy?    Time (May 2, 2005) by Christine Gorman — Millions of pleasantly plump Americans were stepping a little lighter. A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had just concluded that folks who are overweight but not obese are at no greater risk of dying prematurely than people of normal weight.   Link