Obesity + Original Articles

It Is Not Possible to Be Obese and Healthy, Study Shows

Although they may feel healthy in the present, obese individuals are not exempt from the long-term consequences of carrying extra pounds. Being severely overweight can increase your risk of dying early by as much as 24 percent. And this fact remains true even if you don't have any other identified health problems. This finding, which comes from researchers affiliated with Mount Sinai Hospital's Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute in Toronto, Canada, disputes an earlier premise that it's possible to be both obese and healthy.

Why Do Schools Send Home "Fat" Letters?

Reading, writing, and arithmetic are core subjects in schools. But in some districts, students' weights are being studied as well. Learn more about this heated topic. Some states have a legislative mandate for schools to weigh and measure students' body mass index (BMI). The results are then mailed to parents, like report cards, though they don't provide much guidance about how to understand the results. These letters, which have been commonly referred to as "Fat Letters," have experts quite worried.

Someone's Gained Weight: What to Say (and Not Say)

If someone near to you has recently gained weight, you may feel it's your duty to say something, but consider this expert insight first. Someone you care about has gained a noticeable amount of weight and you're wondering if you should say something about it. The answer is "no," according to Claire Mysko of the National Eating Disorders Association. She says that your words can end up making the situation worse.

The Facts About High Fructose Corn Syrup

Are the health effects of high fructose corn syrup as bad as some research suggests? Here are both sides of the controversy. Look at the ingredients on your bottle of ketchup, your favorite soft drink, or your cup of yogurt. Unless your product is "organic," high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) will most likely be listed among the ingredients. For a time, ubiquity of this product got many American health organizations questioning if HFCS is, in part, responsible for our increasing obesity epidemic.

Obese Drivers at Higher Risk for Fatal Car Accidents

Obese drivers are more likely to die in car crash, research reveals. Here's why. If you're obese, and you drive a car, here's a sobering bit of news: You're more likely to die in an auto accident than drivers who are a normal weight, according to a new study reported in The New York Times. The study, published online in the Emergency Medical Journal, focused on accident data recorded in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

The Dried Fruit Question: To Eat or Not to Eat?

Fruit is good for you, no doubt. But there are particular factors to consider when it comes to choosing dried fruit. Everyone knows that eating fruit is an important part of a balanced diet. Current research shows it does more than add fiber and keep you regular. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) says consuming a variety of fresh fruit is associated with having fewer chronic diseases.

Top 5 Diet Mistakes

Have you changed your eating habits to shed some pounds but find the numbers on the scale are going up? See if you're guilty of any of the following behaviors, and learn how to easily correct them: Mistake 1: You go too long without eating. Perhaps you wake up and you aren't hungry, so you skip breakfast and go straight to lunch. What happens is that your metabolism slows down to compensate for the lack of fuel (food) put into your body.

5 Foods That Deserve More Love

Add these too-often-overlooked nutrition powerhouses to your daily diet. You hear a lot about the benefits of super foods like dark chocolate, red peppers, blueberries, and other superstars of the nutrition world. You don't hear so much about these five edible beauties, but you should. They're nutrition-packed, easy to prepare, and don't get as much attention as they deserve.

Bounce Back From a Bad Eating Day

If you slip up and eat every diet no-no in sight, don't beat yourself up. Get back on track with these tips. If your commitment to healthful eating is derailed for a day (or two or three), don't give up. Eating well is not an all-or-nothing proposition, and you can bounce back from some less than optimal indulgences with a little forethought and resolve. Remember that it isn't one day of bad eating that will harm you, but rather habitual bad eating.

5 Ways to Dress Up a Glass of Water

Skip the artificially flavored bottled water, and add your own natural twist. While there's no evidence that drinking eight glasses of water every day is the perfect prescription for good health, it's a reasonable guideline for most people. Flavored waters can help you reach that goal. A wedge of lemon in your water is classic, but there are more creative ways to add fun and flavor to your drink.

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