Diet and Weight Loss - News

Parents may be setting their daughters up for weight problems simply by allowing them to drink two or more sweetened drinks daily while young, study findings hint. Higher sweetened beverage intake, such as sodas and fruit and sport drinks, at age 5 years was linked to more body fat during the following 10 years, Dr.

Do you have an unchallenging job with little control over what you do? You may be more likely to be a couch potato in your leisure time, a new study shows. "These characteristics of the job spill over into their non-working life," says Dr.

Obesity causes more than 100,000 cases of cancer in the United States each year -- and the number will likely rise as Americans get fatter, researchers said on Thursday. Having too much body fat causes nearly half the cases of endometrial cancer -- a type of cancer of the uterus -- and a third of esophageal cancer cases, the American Institute for Cancer Research said.

People suffering from creaky knees may want to give Tai Chi a try. In a study, researchers found that practicing the Chinese mind-body exercise led to improvements in pain, function and even mental health for people with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Men who eat a lot of red meat and processed meats may have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer than those who limit such foods, a large study of U.S. men suggests. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute found that among more than 175,000 men they followed for nine years, those who ate the most red and processed meats had heightened risks of developing any stage of prostate cancer, or advanced cancer in particular.

Golfers with the nighttime breathing disorder obstructive sleep apnea can improve their scores by treating their problem, according to study findings presented this week at the CHEST 2009 meeting in San Diego, California. After a few months of using a night-time device that provides nasal positive airway pressure (NPAP) -- a treatment that has been shown effective for curbing sleep apnea -- a dozen golfers saw their average handicap fall significantly from 12.

The number of Americans receiving food stamp assistance soared above 36 million for the first time in August, the eighth month in a row that enrollment set a record, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Wednesday. USDA said 36.

Women who get the recommended amount of fiber in their diets may have lower estrogen levels and ovulate less often than women who eat less fiber, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among 250 women ages 18 to 44, those who reported eating the recommended amounts of fiber had the lowest blood levels of estrogen and other reproductive hormones.

An outbreak of food-borne illness, linked to dangerous bacteria in ground beef, sickened 28 people and caused at least one death, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday. The CDC said a New York adult with underlying medical conditions had died and another possibly related death in New Hampshire was under investigation.

elated illnesses in the nation's 250,000 poultry processing workers.

A New Hampshire resident died and two others were hospitalized after consuming ground beef that may have been tainted by bacteria that can cause diarrhea, dehydration and kidney failure. The death was connected to the recall of 545,699 lbs (248,450 kg) of ground beef products by Fairbank Farms, of Ashville, New York.

Iodine supplements may improve mental function in children with even mild deficiencies in the nutrient, a small study suggests. Iodine is a chemical element necessary for normal growth and development of the brain and body.

Corticosteroid shots provide quick relief for people suffering from a common type of hip pain, but the benefits don't last, a new study in The American Journal of Sports Medicine shows. Known as greater trochanter pain syndrome (the trochanter is the upper part of the femur where it joins the pelvis), this condition is typically treated with physical therapy, training error correction, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, Dr.

Women dread a diagnosis of endometrial cancer, but those who drink at least two cups of caffeinated coffee a day may have a lower risk for this cancer of cells lining the uterus. Coffee drinking seemed to particularly protect overweight and obese women, study co-author Dr.

Anabolic steroids - the kind used by some athletes to build muscle mass - can cause lasting kidney damage, according to research presented today at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting in San Diego. Presenter Dr.

Eating just a little bit more fiber could have a big impact in trimming the waistlines of America's young people, new research shows. Latino adolescents and teens who increased their fiber intake over a two-year period had significant decreases in the amount of fat around their waists, while young people whose fiber intake fell saw their bellies expand, Dr.

Low vitamin D levels in the body may be deadly, according to a new study hinting that adults with lower, versus higher, blood levels of vitamin D may be more likely to die from heart disease or stroke. Vitamin D is an essential vitamin mostly obtained from direct sunlight exposure, but also found in foods and multivitamins.

ear study shows modest weight loss, exercise help * Diabetes drug metformin also cuts risk By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) - People on the brink of developing diabetes who get a lot of support and encouragement to diet and exercise can turn things around and avoid the disease, U.

Eight times grand slam winner Andre Agassi has admitted using the recreational drug crystal meth and lying to the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) to escape a ban. In his forthcoming book, which is being serialized in The Times, the American candidly describes being introduced to the drug in 1997 by his assistant and the moment later that year when he was informed he had failed a drug test.

High school swimmers heading off to compete in college may be ill prepared for grueling collegiate training regimens, study findings hint. Like many other sports, modern collegiate level swimming has evolved into essentially a year-round sport.

Contrary to findings from an earlier study, new research suggests that coffee lovers do not face an increased risk of heart failure. Researchers found that among more than 37,000 middle-aged and older Swedish men, those who regularly drank coffee were no more likely to develop heart failure than those who infrequently, if ever, drank the beverage.

In children and adolescents, treatment with "second-generation" antipsychotic drugs is associated with significant weight gain and increased cholesterol levels, researchers warn in the Journal of the American Medical Association this week.

Arena Pharmaceuticals said on Tuesday detailed results from a second pivotal trial of its experimental obesity drug, lorcaserin, show that it improves cardiovascular risk factors. The company reported in August that the 4,000-patient trial found that 47.

If you've lost a lot of weight and want to keep it off, banishing high-fat foods and getting rid of your TV sets might help, along with eating less and staying active, new research hints. Researchers found that people who had lost weight and had maintained a normal weight for 5 years were much more physically active than obese people who hadn't lost weight and were also being better able to control their food intake.

ffective policy * Developing world faces double burden of poor, rich risks * More people die of being overweight than underweight By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) - Tackling just five health factors could prevent millions of premature deaths and increase global life expectancy by almost 5 years, the United Nations World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday.

An alarming number of Canadian teenagers has high blood pressure, high cholesterol or other major risk factors for heart disease and stroke, a researcher warned Tuesday at a conference in Edmonton, Alberta. "This study is further evidence of an accelerating decline in the heart health of Canada's teens," Dr.

New York's mandate that fast-food restaurants post calorie information on their menus has changed consumer habits, the city said on Monday, contradicting a recent independent study showing no effect. The city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released preliminary data showing evidence that people bought food with fewer calories at nine of the 13 fast-food and coffee chains included in a study on the effects of menu-labeling laws that went into effect in 2008.

A few cups of coffee everyday may help slow the progression of liver disease associated with long-term infection with the hepatitis C virus, a new study hints. Researchers found that among 766 patients with hepatitis C-related liver damage, those who drank three or more cups of coffee per day were 53 percent less likely than non-drinkers to see their liver disease progress over four years.

Most obese women gain more weight than is recommended during pregnancy, and may find those pounds tough to shed in the long run, a new study suggests. In a study of 1,656 obese women who gave birth over five years, researchers found that about three-quarters gained more than 15 pounds during pregnancy -- which at the time was the recommended weight gain for obese women.

An industry-funded food labeling program was halted on Friday just days after U.S. officials warned they were investigating if nutrition claims on the front of packages were misleading. The Smart Choices Program said it would "voluntarily postpone active operations and not encourage wider use of the logo at this time by either new or currently enrolled companies.