A judge has ordered the state Board of Medicine to stop disciplinary proceedings against a doctor accused of telling a patient she was so obese she might only be attractive to black men and advising another to shoot herself following brain surgery. Complete Story
Fat people are not more jolly, according to a study that instead found obesity is strongly linked with depression and other mood disorders.
Why are so many people fat? Scientists have come up with some novel excuses, including air conditioning, lack of sleep, fewer smokers, and more sex among obese people, which can produce chubby kids.
The microorganisms that live in your gut could explain one of the sources of obesity, says a new study from researchers at Washington University.
Those heaping portions at restaurants — and doggie bags for the leftovers — may be a thing of the past, if health officials get their way.
Vietnam veteran Abdul Baseer-El survived a rocket attack in Da Nang in the '60s. Today he is fighting a new enemy: obesity. The 57-year-old former Marine has worked hard to lose 100 pounds with the help of doctors at a Veterans Affairs hospital. He's one of millions of veterans struggling with weight problems and the health complications that come with it.
A national campaign by the states' governors is using everything from bike rides with the South Carolina governor to anti-smoking statutes to try and get Americans to eat and smoke less and exercise more.
From the cradle to the grave and most points between, obesity has found its niche in American marketing. Make that a wide berth. Baby seats, doorways and caskets are but a few examples from a long list of life's accouterments that are getting much bigger to accommodate much bigger people. There are also vacation resorts for those embarrassed to be seen in a bathing suit.
From the cradle to the grave and most points between, obesity has found its niche in American marketing. Make that a wide berth.
Obese people have a blind spot when it comes to their own weight problem, according to a study that showed only 15 percent of people in that category view themselves as obese.
Trying to shrink the growing waistlines of children, lawmakers want to expel soda, candy bars, chips and other junk food from the nation's schools.
Many young children are too heavy for standard car-safety seats, and manufacturers are starting to make heftier models to accommodate them, according to research on the obesity epidemic's widening impact.
Going to the hospital is rarely fun. If you weigh over 300 pounds like Beth Henk, it can be embarrassing. "I've flipped an exam table — I sat on the end of it and it just flipped up," said Henk, whose weight peaked at 745.
Some key dates in the industrialization of food:
It's tempting to blame big food companies for America's big obesity problem. After all, they're the folks who Supersized our fries, family-portioned our potato chips and Big Gulped our sodas. There's also the billions they've spent keeping their products ever on our minds and in our mouths.
Volunteers 100 or more pounds overweight will test various combinations of diet, exercise and medication in search of a non-surgical "gold standard" of treatment for the severely obese.
The number of overweight children worldwide will increase significantly by the end of the decade, and scientists expect profound impacts on everything from public health care to economies, a study published Monday said.
America's obesity epidemic will dwarf the threat of terrorism if the nation does not reduce the number of people who are severely overweight, the surgeon general said Wednesday.
Some of the statistics driving action on preventive health programs among governors and health experts:
Greasy food. Sugary drinks. And exercise? The tolls from today's temptations, from sweet soft drinks popular with school kids to drive-through lunches eaten behind the wheel, are well-known: obesity, diabetes, heart attacks. Governors say states can guide people to healthier choices — and that they must to cut rising health care costs.
Health care officials applauded new federal regulations announced Tuesday that provide national standards for Medicare coverage of obesity surgery.
Former President Clinton and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced an $8 million initiative Monday to fight childhood obesity by promoting healthier food and more exercise in schools.