The fight against childhood obesity seems to be gaining momentum lately. Last month, HHS Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, talked about making it a priority to reverse the trend at The Weight of the Nation conference. This week, a new report from the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council recommends steps local governments can take to [...]

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Just a few months after a report showed obesity may speed up dementia, a new study finds obese people have eight percent less brain tissue and their brains look 16 years older than those of people who are lean. Researchers say those who are classified as overweight have four percent less brain tissue [...]

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Just a couple of weeks after we get some encouraging news about obesity rates in preschool kids, a new report shows the rate of severe obesity among children and teenagers has more than tripled over the past three decades. The study finds as of 2004, nearly four percent of 2- to 19-year-olds in the U.S. [...]

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Childhood obesity was front and center on Day 2 of the CDC’s conference on obesity prevention and control, The Weight of the Nation. HHS Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, spoke at today’s meeting and said a national focus on childhood obesity is overdue.

Tags: childhood obesity, healthy food, obesity, Sebelius

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As a longtime health journalist, I was invited to go to the CDC’s conference on obesity prevention and control, The Weight of the Nation, this week in DC. I couldn’t make it, but will, of course, bring you some of the highlights.

Tags: CDC, cost, diseases, obesity, Obesity Epidemic, weight

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Some encouraging news about obesity rates in children. A new government report finds obesity has stabilized in the past five years at about one in seven preschool-age children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 14.6 percent of 2- to 4-year-olds were obese in 2008, about the same as in 2003 – that’s compared [...]

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If you’re hoping to get pregnant, you might want to watch what you eat early on. A new report shows a mother’s health and diet before conception may take its toll on the child’s health in the long run. Researchers say the effects of nutrition, like a high-fat diet or not getting enough vitamin B [...]

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An experimental drug for weight loss looks promising so far. Orexigen Therapeutics Inc. says research shows its obesity drug, Contrave, helps patients lose weight, lowers the fat around the waist, and improves levels of “good” HDL cholesterol. Orexigen says Contrave also reduces food cravings and lets patients have better control of their eating. The company [...]

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As more bistros, brasseries, and cafes go out of business because of a down economy in France, new research finds one restaurant is doing quite well there. France is now the second most profitable market in the world for McDonald’s. The chain has more than 1,000 restaurants in the country, serving more than a million [...]

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Obesity rates are still going up, up, up! A new report looks at obesity per state and finds the number of obese adults has increased in 23 states and did not go down in any states in the past year. In other words, we are fatter now than we were a year ago. [...]

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