Half of normal-weight adults may still be too fat? |
||
A new study from the Mayo Clinic warns that men and women with BMIs that fall into the normal range should still be concerned with obesity. Researchers found that people with normal BMIs but excess body fat were more likely to have high cholesterol and other characteristics of metabolic syndrome, a set of symptoms that puts people at greater risk of heart disease and diabetes. A sedentary lifestyle causes fat to accumulate, so the best antidote is regular exercise. Source: |
|
|
New study shows physical activity |
||
Source: |
Over the past few years, studies have shown that a gene variant may help to regulate the amount of fat in the body. The gene is known as FTO. A person with two copies of the FTO variant is likely to weigh 6.6 pounds more than a person without the variant. A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that high levels of physical activity can help counteract the FTO gene that normally causes people to gain weight. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine found that the FTO gene had no effect on men and women who were the most physically active. In the study, the more active people did three to four hours of moderately intense activity per week, such as brisk walking, housecleaning or gardening. “This provides evidence that the negative effects of the FTO variants on increasing body weight can be moderated by physical activity,” says the lead author of the study. |
|
Obesity numbs a sweet tooth? |
||
Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine found that obesity gradually numbs the taste sensation of rats to sweet foods and drives them to consume larger and ever-sweeter meals. Researchers compared two rat strains. “We found that compared to the LETO (lean and healthy) rats, the OLETF (obese) rats had about 50% fewer neurons firing when their tongues were exposed to sucrose, suggesting that obese rats are overall less sensitive to sucrose,” said the head researcher in the Journal of Neurophysiology. |
In turn, obese rats seek out stronger concentrations of sucrose.
|
|
Source: |
||
More money, higher risk of obesity? |
||
|
A poverty-alleviation program launched by the Mexican government, which is being modeled in the US and the world, has led to improved health outcomes in children. However, adults are not faring as well according to a new study by University of California, Berkeley and appearing in the Journal of Nutrition. Researchers found that adults in households that received more cash from the program were more likely to be overweight, obese and have higher blood pressure than those who had received less money over time. “Our paper is in line with something that other economic studies have found: as people come out of poverty, they spend money on foods that can lead to obesity,” explains the study co-author. |
|
