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Precursor Fat Cells May Shed Light on Diseases
To understand more about the mystery of obesity, it's important to understand how fat cells are born, nurtured and matured. And the enlightenment that will flow from understanding obesity may sweep away mysteries relating to the generation of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, which seem to be so much more prevalent among people who are obese.
So it was with delight that scientists greeted a recent study identifying precursor cells that develop into full-blown fat tissue. The research, performed on "skinny" mice genetically modified to have no fat deposits, showed that injecting one particular type of cell into the mice caused them to form fat.
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Weight-Loss Surgery 'Controls Diabetes'
Surgery to constrict the gastrointestinal tract is a safe and effective procedure to control type 2 diabetes in those who are morbidly obese, according to an authority in the field.
"Bariatric surgery controls obesity, which in turn controls diabetes," assistant professor of surgery Gregory F. Dakin told the International Conference on Childhood Diabetes and Obesity, which met recently in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
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Weight Loss Surgery can be a Life Saver
Just how effective is weight loss surgery in improving health? Two studies published last year in the New England Journal of show that weight loss surgery weight loss produces as much as a 40% reduction in deaths in the 10 years after the operation. As a growing number of Americans become obese the demand for bariatric surgery has risen. Obesity has several co-morbidities, including: diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, heart disease, and infertility.
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Beth Israel Medical Center - Dr. Elliot Goodman a Bariartic Surgeon
Video interview Dr. Elliot Goodman who discusses bariatric surgery, procedure options, risk factors, important things for patients to know, and frequently asked questions.
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No Kidding, Let's Get Active
Childhood obesity has become a major health problem in America. About 16% of children ages 11-17 are overweight, which can have a lifelong effect on health and self-image. The focus on childhood obesity tends to point to school activities and school lunches, but a recent study at Ohio State University found that the time when kids can gain the most weight is over the summer break.
One of the best ways to keep kids healthy is to keep them active, but it isn't always easy to come up with new ways to get them moving - here are some starters:
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Childhood Obesity Linked to Elevated Sugar Levels During Pregnancy
 Each year, it is estimated that 8% of pregnant women in the US develop gestational diabetes, where hyperglycemia and insulin resistance develop as a result of pregnancy. The childhood obesity rate has doubled in the last two decades and it is estimated that 7 million overweight or obese children will grow into overweight or obese adults.
A study in the September issue of Diabetes Care has found the risk of childhood obesity increases in line with the pregnant mother's blood sugar levels. The research team of Kaiser Permanent Center for Health Research analyzed records of nearly 9,500 mother-child pairs who were members of the organizations health plan through the years of 1995 and 2000. The evidence found that diabetes in pregnant women resulted in an 89 percent higher risk of the child becoming overweight and an 82 percent higher risk of the child becoming obese between the ages of 5 and 7 years.
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Bariatric Surgery Found to Lower Risk of Death
Obesity is on the rise, and so are associated health risks like diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and sleep apnea. Although once believed to be a risky and rare procedure, bariatric surgery is becoming a prevalent option for people who suffer from morbid obesity. Over 175,000 patients underwent bariatric surgery last year and the number is expected to grow this year. Although there are risks in undergoing these procedures, the surgery death rate has fallen over the years as the technique becomes more sophisticated and less invasive.
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Obesity May Be Contagious
According to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, if someone in a social network becomes obese, those closely connected to them have a greater propensity for becoming obese as well. The strongest demonstration of this effect occurs among friends, not within a family or among those sharing a household. There was no apparent consideration of groups of otherwise strangers who come together in organized settings for the purpose of weight loss. With some diet programs, social support has been shown to be beneficial.
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Major Weight Shifts Up or Down Place Pregnancies at Risk
Major shifts in a woman's weight between pregnancies can lead to serious health implications for an unborn child, according to two studies from the British Medical Journal. While weight and obesity concern women in regard to lifestyle and body image, many are unaware that weight fluctuations between pregnancies can cause complications for both the child and the expectant mother.
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Obesity Rates Expected to Soar in the US
Obesity is still on the rise. A new study released by the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health finds that by 2015, 75% of adults will be overweight, 41% will be obese. The study was a meta-analysis (comprehensive overview) of 20 different journal papers, reports, online data sets, and 4 different national surveys from 1960-2004. The study found that the obesity rate between those years had risen from 13% to 32%.
The lead author of the study, Youfa Wang MD, PhD called obesity a public health crisis, and said, "The obesity rate in the United States has increased at an alarming rate over the past three decades. We set out to estimate the average annual increase in prevalence as well as the variation between population groups to predict the future situation regarding obesity and overweight among U.S. adults and children."
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