Journal Of The American Dietetic Association Highlights - July 2007
The July 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association contains articles and research studies you may find of interest. Below is a summary of some of this month's articles. Children Prefer Large Portions -- of Some Foods Given the choice, Canadian fifth-graders prefer larger portions of snacks and fast foods and smaller portions of vegetables than the recommended amounts, according to researchers at Dalhousie University in Canada. [click link for full article]

Obesity Rates Continue To Climb In The United States
The U.S. obesity prevalence increased from 13 percent to 32 percent between the 1960s and 2004, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Human Nutrition. The prevalence of obesity and overweight has increased at an average rate of 0.3-0.8 percentage points across different sociodemographic groups over the past three decades. [click link for full article]

New Blood Test To Detect Deep Belly Fat Could Pave Way To Potential Treatment For Metabolic Syndrome
Measuring levels of a chemical found in blood offers the best indicator yet of the amount of fat surrounding abdominal organs, according to a new study of lean and obese individuals reported in the July issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press. The buildup of such "visceral fat" is of particular health concern as it has been linked to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease risk. [click link for full article]

Weight Bias Threatens Obese Children's Health And Quality Of Life
Overweight children who are stigmatized by peers and their parents and teachers sustain profound and potentially lasting harm, according to a paper by scientists from Yale and the University of Hawaii at Manatoa. "Weight-based discrimination is as important a problem as racial discrimination or discrimination against children with physical disabilities," the authors write in the July issue of Psychological Bulletin. [click link for full article]

Obesity Drug Aiding Scientists In Development Of New Cancer Treatments
Based on their surprising discovery that an obesity drug can kill cancer cells, scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have made a new finding about the drug's effects and are working to design more potent cancer treatments.Published online in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, the study is the first to report how the drug orlistat (Xenical® or Alli®) binds and interacts with a protein found in tumor cells. [click link for full article]

Advocate South Suburban Hospital Doctor Offers Tips For Summer Exercise
Whether it's jogging in the neighborhood, biking on one of the local trails or inline skating on Chicago's lakefront, this is the time of year when thousands of area residents take their exercise programs outdoors. According to family practitioner/sports medicine physician Michael Ward, M.D., of Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest, exercising in warm weather can be enjoyable, as long as summer athletes take a few important precautions. [click link for full article]

Research Has Important Implications For Both Equine And Human Health
America's growing obesity problem has alarmed physicians and public health officials, and veterinarians have recently focused their attention on fat dogs and cats. Now, a team of researchers in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM) and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Virginia Tech has determined that horses are also facing serious health risks because of obesity. [click link for full article]

Manhattan Pharmaceuticals Announces Results Of Phase 2a Studies For Oral Oleoyl-estrone
Manhattan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Amex: MHA) today announced results of the company's two Phase 2a clinical trials of oral Oleoyl-estrone (OE). The results of both randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, one in common obesity and the other in morbid obesity, demonstrated no statistically or clinically meaningful placebo adjusted weight loss for any of the treatment arms evaluated. [click link for full article]

Inhibition Of A Chemical In The Brain Could Result In A Novel Therapeutic Strategy For Obesity
A fat-derived protein known for its effects on the liver and skeletal muscle might also serve as an energy-conserving signal to the brain during periods of starvation, suggests a new study in the July issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press. The substance, known as adiponectin, acts on the brain to boost appetite and slow energy expenditure in an effort to maintain adequate fat stores during lean times, the researchers report. [click link for full article]

Future Weight-Loss Strategies May Use Protein's Lipid Absorption
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that a protein absorbs lipids in the upper part of the intestine, and they believe its key role in this process may provide a novel approach for obesity treatment in the future.Principal investigator Nada A. Abumrad, Ph.D., the Dr. Robert C. [click link for full article]

Preventing Obesity And Raising Fit Children Is A Family Affair
The numbers of overweight children are increasing, and many parents are rightly concerned about their children's weight and how it affects them. The good news is that parents can help their children live healthy, active lives. "Sometimes it's best to change your vocabulary." That's what pediatrician Peggy Supple, M.D., of Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove often has to remind the parents of children struggling with obesity. [click link for full article]