Science now reveals that the foreign contents within your digestive tract play a dramatic role in your energy level, metabolic function, body weight, and cardiovascular health. While it is not the only causative factor involved in obesity and the metabolic syndrome, it is a significant contributing factor for virtually any overweight person – especially someone who has difficulty losing weight and keeping it off…

Levels of physical inactivity and obesity are very high in children, with fewer than 50% of primary school-aged boys and fewer than 28% of girls meeting the minimum levels of physical activity required to maintain health. Exergaming, using active console video games that track player movement to control the game (e…

By Dorene Internicola NEW YORK (Reuters) – Fitness experts are shining a new light on group classes from Zumba to yoga because they believe the right lighting can transform the four walls of a fitness studio from a dance party to a meditation space, and back again. "Because of the theatrical nature of group fitness classes, lighting is key to differentiate programming," said Donna Cyrus, senior vice president of programming at Crunch fitness centers…

An increasing number of U.S. children are experiencing gastrointestinal issues that require interventions to resolve, according to research presented at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW). In one study targeting obesity, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital found that obese children have a unique pattern of exhaled breath compared to their lean counterparts…

African-American adults living closer to a fast food restaurant had a higher body mass index (BMI) than those who lived further away from fast food, according to researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and this association was particularly strong among those with a lower income…

By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Boys who are diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in elementary school are more likely to grow up to be obese adults than those who don’t have the condition, a new study suggests. Researchers surveyed two groups of 41-year-old men and found those with a history of ADHD were 19 pounds heavier than their non-ADHD counterparts, on average…

With obesity reaching epidemic levels in some parts of the world, scientists have only begun to understand why it is such a persistent condition. A study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry adds substantially to the story by reporting the discovery of a molecular chain of events in the brains of obese rats that undermined their ability to suppress appetite and to increase calorie burning…

Statins, the most widely prescribed drugs worldwide, are often suggested to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease in individuals with obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of medical disorders including excess body fat and/or high levels of blood pressure, blood sugar and/or cholesterol…

LOS ANGELES (AP) — At the age of 3, Brianica Kirsch was diagnosed with brain cancer.

New research published at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) shows that abrupt cessation after long-term use of the anti-obesity drug phentermine does not induce amphetamine-like withdrawal symptoms. The research is by Dr Ed Hendricks, Center for Weight Management*, Sacramento & Roseville, California, USA, and was funded by the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP)…

New research presented as the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Liverpool, UK, shows that very young children appear to reject story book characters who are overweight, but not those who are disabled. The research is by Professor Andrew Hill, Dr Sarah Harrison, and Dr Maddie Rowlinson, University of Leeds, UK…

New research presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Liverpool, UK, shows that while the FTO genetic variation predicts weight gain over 10 years in men, a different variation on the MMP2 gene predicts weight gain in women…

LOS ANGELES (AP) — At the age of three, Brianica Kirsch was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Regulations brought in by the UK to reduce the volume of television advertising of unhealthy foods to children appear to have little impact on the advertising around programmes children actually watch, according to research presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Liverpool, UK. The research is by Dr Emma Boyland and Professor Jason Halford, University of Liverpool, UK, and colleagues…

In young people, blood vessels appear to be able to compensate for the effects of obesity. But after middle age, this adaptability is lost, and arteries become progressively stiffer as body fat rises – potentially increasing the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease…

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Two brothers with a history of drug arrests and suspected ties to a neighborhood gang each face 20 counts of attempted second-degree murder in a shooting spree that brought a sudden bloody end to a Mother's Day parade in a New Orleans neighborhood.

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – An older brother of the 19-year-old arrested in connection with a Mother’s Day shooting in New Orleans was arrested Thursday in connection with the shooting, police said. Akein Scott, 19, and Shawn Scott, 24, have both been charged with 20 counts of attempted second-degree murder, New Orleans police said…

By Mark Guarino NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – Police on Thursday arrested and charged the second of two street-gang-member brothers suspected of shooting into a New Orleans parade on Mother's Day and wounding 20 people. Shawn Scott, 24, was arrested on Thursday, a day after law enforcement captured his 19-year-old brother Akein…

By Mark Guarino NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – A 19-year-old New Orleans man was charged on Thursday with 20 counts of attempted second-degree murder in connection with a shooting at a Mother's Day parade. Officials now say 20 people were injured in the incident on Sunday, up from the 19 previously reported…

Legislation that attempts to prevent people from suing North Carolina food manufacturers, sellers and advertisers by claiming their products made them overweight has passed one General Assembly chamber. …

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — As the official tally of those wounded in a Mother's Day parade shooting ticked up to 20 on Thursday, the suspect made his first court appearance in the case, remaining silent as a judge set his bond at $10 million.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Police: 2nd suspect arrested in Mother’s Day parade shooting that wounded 20 in New Orleans.

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – An older brother of the 19-year-old arrested in connection with a Mother’s Day shooting in New Orleans was arrested Thursday in connection with the shooting, police said. Akein Scott, 19, and Shawn Scott, 24, have both been charged with 20 counts of attempted second-degree murder, New Orleans police said…

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – New Orleans police arrested a man identified in connection with a shooting at a Mother's Day parade in which 19 people were injured, authorities said late on Wednesday. Akein Scott, 19, was arrested in the Little Wood neighborhood of eastern New Orleans, police spokesman Garry Flot said, adding that no other details would be released until morning…