Obesity

Bullying may keep overweight children on the sidelines, making it more difficult for them to shed pounds.

Hot fudge sundaes and french fries aside, new research suggests obesity is due at least in part to an attraction between leptin, the hormone that signals the brain when to stop eating, and a protein more recently associated with heart disease.

Researchers have discovered how the protein Hap1, which is abundant in the brain's hypothalamus, serves as the link between circulating insulin in the blood and the neural circuitry that controls feeding behavior.

Adolescents who diet and use unhealthy weight-control behaviors are more likely to be overweight and put themselves at risk for eating disorders in the future.

A team has discovered a process by which a small protein acts directly within muscles to increase the body's metabolism to burn fat while simultaneously suppressing appetite.

Insulin levels in African American children worsen as they progress through puberty while those same levels don't change in their Caucasian counterparts, says new University of Alberta research that shows puberty is a key developmental period affecting diabetes risk.

Researchers report that a novel intervention to limit consumption of sugary drinks – home deliveries of noncaloric beverages – had a beneficial effect on weight loss.

A new study has found that a child's fatness at age five is not related to being breastfed or the age in infancy when other foods are introduced.

A new study reveals an attractive new target for therapies aimed at the treatment of obesity and related metabolic disorders.

A team at the Injury Research Center of the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee has found that being obese increases male drivers' risk of dying in a car crash, as does being very slim. However, being moderately overweight might help cushion the blow.

New research is reinforcing the longstanding belief that a connection exists between periodontal disease, or severe gum inflammation, and cardiovascular disease.

Teens who consider themselves overweight may have a greater risk for depression and school-related stress.

Researchers from University at Buffalo found that obesity is a significant predictor for periodontal disease, independent of age, gender, race, ethnicity, and smoking.

Use of the weight-loss medication rimonabant produced modest yet sustained weight loss after 2 years, and improved HDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Compared to normal-weight women, overweight and obese women suffer more pregnancy complications and their babies have more medical problems at birth.

Doctors suggest a new approach to weight loss based on a recent study showing that a low-fat vegan diet is an effective way to shed unwanted pounds.