More Americans take prescription medications than ever before – nearly 60% – and obesity could be to blame.
A new study published in JAMA shows that the number of people taking prescription drugs increased from 51% of the adult population in 1999 to 59% in 2011. Cholesterol and blood pressure drugs are the most-used medications in the U.S. [1]
Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years, and a new study finds that all of those fast-food commercials you see on TV that are clearly aimed at young children are working, and they are compounding the obesity problem.
According to Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth University researchers, kids who watched television channels that aired fast-food commercials were more likely to eat at fast-food restaurants with their families.
In the U.S., children often consume double or triple the amount the federal recommended guidelines for sugar intake, but cutting the amount of sweets that kids consume for as little as 9 days is all it takes for youngsters’ health to start improving, according to a new study from researchers at the University of California-San Francisco and Touro University.
We now know that the overuse of antibiotics has led to a rise in drug-resistant “superbugs,” but now there may be another reason to ease up on our use of the medications: they might be making us fatter.
A thick waistline can give you diabetes, heart disease, joint problems, and cause stroke, but now a new study says being overweight in midlife also raises the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and at an earlier age. [1]
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health announced that being overweight or obese at age 50 puts people at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease early.
It can be hard to control your food portion sizes. How could you just say ‘no’ to a second helping of your favorite food?
According to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control, 17% of children between the ages of 2 and 9 years old are obese. There are numerous reasons for this, with a new report put out by the agency shedding light on why so many kids are packing on pounds – the consumption of fast food. [1]
Vitamin C may mimic some of the effects of exercise in overweight and obese individuals. [1]
The protein endothelin-1 (ET-1) has a constricting action on small blood vessels. This activity is increased in overweight and obese individuals, making small blood vessels more prone to constrict and less able to handle blood flow demand, increasing the risk of vascular disease. At the start of the study, all of the participants had impaired vascular tone.
With GMO soy’s recent connections to a host of health issues, it would seem there could be no chart or graph, no tidbit of information that could make this single crop seem more undesirable – until you look at the changes in vegetable oil consumption starting around 1967. This is when soybean growers and food manufacturers lobbied heavily to grow a ‘cheap’ oil to sell to American consumers.
This won’t come as a surprise to most readers, but…sugar is bad for you. But if you think drinking diet soda will keep you from gaining weight and becoming diabetic, think again.
A new study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) shows that people don’t have to be overweight to develop Type 2 diabetes. Just chugging a single sugary drink ups the risk of the disease in even lean individuals. [1]
