Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week articles from January 2002

Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week archives from January 2002

Prevalence Of Overweight Among Children Continues To Increase Rapidly.
January 5, 2002... 2001 DEC 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The prevalence of children being overweight has increased significantly, especially among African-Americans and Hispanics, between 1986-1998, according to an article in the December 12, 2001, issue of...

Single Enzyme May Be Linked To Obesity.
January 5, 2002... 2001 DEC 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The increased activity of a single enzyme in fat cells may be a common cause of obesity and obesity-linked diseases, including diabetes, according to an animal study conducted by researchers at Beth...

Study Suggests 'White-Coat Hypertension' Is Not Harmless.
January 5, 2002... 2001 DEC 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- White-coat hypertension - blood pressure that's high only in the doctor's office - is not just a harmless case of the nerves but may signal early heart damage that should not be ignored, new research...

Low-Fat, High-Carb Diet As Good As Mediterranean Diet For Glucose Control.
January 5, 2002... 2001 DEC 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Unexpectedly, a low fat, high carbohydrate diet can be just as effective as a Mediterranean diet, a diet enriched in monounsaturated fatty acids, for...

Neck Circumference Used To Screen Patients For Obesity.
January 5, 2002... 2001 DEC 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A rapid, new, qualitative method for identifying and supervising individuals suffering from overweight and obesity has been reported by a group of Israeli physicians, headed by a researcher at...

Study Suggests Some Patients May Not Benefit From High-Dose Supplementation.
January 5, 2002... 2001 DEC 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) adds to the growing body of information providing understanding of the role of vitamin E in health. Vitamin E is an essential nutrient...

Latin American Countries Face Sharply Higher Costs For Diabetes Care.
January 5, 2002... 2001 DEC 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In future years, Latin American countries could face sharply higher costs in caring for persons with diabetes, due to shortcomings in patient care and education and demographic changes such as aging...

Rapid Cholesterol Test Produces Results Comparable With Lab Method.
January 5, 2002... 2001 DEC 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cholestech Corporation announced that the results of a clinical evaluation of its liver function test, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were comparable with those obtained using a conventional laboratory...

Ohio State Scientists Claim To Bake Heart-Healthy Soy Bread.
January 5, 2002... 2001 DEC 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A team of scientists at The Ohio State University, Columbus, has something in the oven: the first soy bread that's both good for your heart and easy on the taste buds, too. "This is the first...

Myogen Broadens Rights To Cardiovascular Drug Candidate.
January 5, 2002... 2001 DEC 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Myogen, Inc., has reached agreement with Abbott Laboratories granting Myogen the exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize the endothelin receptor antagonist BSF 208075 for all human...

Study Shows Link Among Birth Weight, Obesity, Childhood Growth.
January 5, 2002... 2001 DEC 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The fact that boys who are light at birth but then grow rapidly during childhood are more likely to be obese as adults is just one of the findings from a large study in the December 6, 2001, issue of...

Doctors Who Discuss Nutrition With Their Patients Often Recommend Yogurt.
January 5, 2002... 2001 DEC 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A recent survey reveals that doctors who take the time to discuss nutrition with most of their patients recommend the consumption of yogurt with live active cultures. The "Live Active Culture...

Phase I Trial To Evaluate Genomically Derived Drug Target.
January 5, 2002... 2001 DEC 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (MLNM) and Abbott Laboratories (ABT) have initiated a Phase I clinical trial of MLN4760. This represents the first molecule directed against a genomically derived...

Preparation for Outdoor Winter Activities Prevents Injury.
January 5, 2002... 2001 DEC 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- When snow, ice, and frigid weather blast into town, watch out, says the American Chiropractic Association (ACA). Winter recreational activities and chores can pose problems for the outdoor enthusiast...

Substrates Improve Odds For Cultivating Transplantable Retinal Cells.
January 5, 2002... 2001 DEC 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Both synthetic and natural substrates could be used to culture retinal pigment epithelial cells destined for transplantation into patients suffering from...

Low-Tar, Low-Nicotine Cigarette Study Reignites Calls For Regulation.
January 5, 2002... 2001 DEC 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The American Heart Association has renewed a call for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority over tobacco products in the wake of a comprehensive new National Cancer Institute study that...

Whole Grain And Legume Powder Diet Benefits Diabetics And The Healthy.
January 12, 2002... 2002 JAN 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Replacing diets high in refined rice with whole grains and powder from legumes can be of benefit to healthy individuals as well as those with diabetes,...

Surgery Offers New Hope For The Severely Obese.
January 12, 2002... 2002 JAN 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Linda Kieran, who for most of her adult life has been close to 200 pounds overweight, has been on countless diets, weight loss medications and exercise programs, but none of them ever kept the weight...

Overweight And Obesity Threaten U.S. Health Gains.
January 12, 2002... 2002 JAN 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Health problems resulting from overweight and obesity could reverse many of the health gains achieved in the U.S. in recent decades, according to a Surgeon General's call to action issued December 13,...

Age Changes Cell Factor Response Levels During Hyperglycemia.
January 12, 2002... 2002 JAN 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-(alpha) levels, normally low, are not suppressed in the presence of hyperglycemia in older folks, possibly explaining why they...

Blood Test May Aid Heart Prediction.
January 12, 2002... 2002 JAN 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new blood test may allow more accurate predictions of a person's risk of a fatal heart attack, scientists say. A study published in The Lancet medical journal suggested the test, which measures...

Arixtra Approved, Cleared For Marketing In U.S.
January 12, 2002... 2002 JAN 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Arixtra (fondaparinux sodium) has been approved in the United States by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to Sanofi-Synthelabo and Organon. Arixtra is indicated for the...

High Blood Pressure Common, Undertreated In Diabetics.
January 12, 2002... 2002 JAN 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- High blood pressure affects 71% of people with diabetes but few of them receive adequate treatment to achieve recommended levels, according to a new study. Of those with diabetes and high blood...

AAMC Issues New Guidelines On Financial Conflicts Of Interest.
January 12, 2002... 2002 JAN 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has released the first report of its Task Force on Conflicts of Interest in Clinical Research "Protecting Subjects, Preserving Trust, Promoting...

Complication Affects 15% Of All Diabetic Patients.
January 12, 2002... 2002 JAN 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a leading diabetes expert with the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, some 2.4 million diabetes patients, representing 15% of the estimated 16 million Americans afflicted with...

Forest Laboratories To Copromote Olmesartan Medoxomil With Sankyo Pharma.
January 12, 2002... 2002 JAN 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Forest Laboratories, Inc., has entered into a long-term agreement with Sankyo Pharma, Inc., for the copromotion in the United States of olmesartan medoxomil, an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB)...

Nurses Have Better Touch When Taking Blood Pressure.
January 12, 2002... 2002 JAN 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nurses cause less anxiety than doctors when taking a patient's blood pressure and this helps reduce white coat hypertension, according to a study in the December 2001 American Journal of Hypertension....

Studies Say Creatine Is OK.
January 12, 2002... 2002 JAN 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Athletes who use the energy-building supplement creatine can train without raising their risk of injury, researchers say. "Now we are seeing trends; everybody is finding similar results," said...

American Dietetic Association Offers Insight On Santa's Waistline.
January 12, 2002... 2002 JAN 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), if Santa Claus had a glass of whole milk and ate two butter cookies at every American household he would have consumed more than 7 billion calories...

Insulin Pumps OKed For Pregnant Women With Gestational, Type 2 Diabetes.
January 12, 2002... 2002 JAN 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - The authors of an Australian study contend that the insulin pump is okay for treating some females who experience type 2 or gestational diabetes during...

High-Pressure Compression Saves Limbs When Surgery Not Advised.
January 12, 2002... 2002 JAN 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Using high-pressure intermittent compression, doctors have been able to save the limbs of patients suffering from peripheral vascular blockages who were unable...

DASH Diet And Reduced Sodium Lowers Blood Pressure For All.
January 19, 2002... 2002 JAN 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The DASH diet plus reduced dietary sodium lowers blood pressure for all persons, according to the first detailed subgroup analysis of the DASH study results. The Dietary Approaches to Stop...

Acarbose Ineffective For Maintaining Weight After Weight Loss In Obese.
January 19, 2002... 2002 JAN 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Citing data from a new weight loss study, researchers in Germany say the diabetes drug acarbose is ineffective for weight maintenance after significant weight...

Americans Are Eating More Fruits, Veggies But Not Enough.
January 19, 2002... 2002 JAN 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The percentage of men who consumed fruits and vegetables at least five times a day increased from 16.5% in 1990 to 19.1% in 1996. The percentage of women eating enough fruits and vegetables increased...

Modifying Activity Level Benefits Older Men In Population Study.
January 19, 2002... 2002 JAN 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Even moderate changes in activity levels can reduce the risk for heart disease and maintain glycemic control in older men, according to a new report produced...

American Obesity Association Says Surgeon General's Report Falls Short.
January 19, 2002... 2002 JAN 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The American Obesity Association (AOA) criticized the Surgeon General's National "Call to Action on Overweight and Obesity" issued December 13, 2001, saying the "Call to Action" does not go far enough...

Researchers Find Wine-Heart Link In Polyphenols.
January 19, 2002... 2002 JAN 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers say they have discovered the key component in red wine that explains the so-called French Paradox, or the way the French can eat lots of cheese, buttery sauces and other rich foods and...

Esperion Therapeutics Adds Member to Board of Directors.
January 19, 2002... 2002 JAN 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Esperion Therapeutics, Inc., (ESPR), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing HDL-targeted therapies, has appointed Ronald M. Cresswell, PhD, HonDSc, FRSE, to its board of...

CVD Remains No. 1 Killer In U.S., Associated Costs Rise.
January 19, 2002... 2002 JAN 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cardiovascular disease remains the major cause of death and leading drain on the nation's healthcare dollars, according to the American Heart Association's 2002 Heart and Stroke Statistical Update, an...

American Heart Releases Stroke, Heart Disease Statistics For 1999.
January 19, 2002... 2002 JAN 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The American Heart Association's 2002 Heart and Stroke Statistical Update compiles data for 1999, the most recent year for which statistics are available. Following are the relevant data for 1999:...

General Accounting Office Probes Tainted Medical Research.
January 19, 2002... 2002 JAN 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Universities and federal health officials must do more to prevent financial conflicts that could taint biomedical research and harm human subjects, a congressional review says. The study by the...

Researchers Identify Key Gene In Fat Development.
January 19, 2002... 2002 JAN 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Independent scientific research groups from Pfizer and Harvard Medical School have discovered a critical gene responsible for fat cell development. Obesity affects approximately one in four adults...

Colesevelam HCl, Atorvastatin Calcium Combo Cuts LDL Levels By 48%.
January 19, 2002... 2002 JAN 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- WelChol (colesevelam HCl) and Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium), taken in combination, can lower LDL cholesterol levels by 48% in patients with moderately high cholesterol - a reduction statistically...

Bristol-Myers Squibb Refiles Vanlev With FDA.
January 19, 2002... 2002 JAN 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY) has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Vanlev (omapatrilat), its novel vasopeptidase inhibitor for the treatment...

Not All Blood Pressure Medications Are Equal, Researchers Say.
January 19, 2002... 2002 JAN 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A blood pressure medicine's success at lowering pressure shouldn't be the only measure of its effectiveness, say researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues. "We...

Muscle Cell Lipid Deprivation Reverses Insulin Resistance In The Overweight.
January 19, 2002... 2002 JAN 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Doctors may have found a way to improve insulin sensitivity in people who are excessively overweight by ridding muscle cells of fat. The physicians, who...

Study Looks At Protective Pigments And Dietary Intake In U.S. Population.
January 19, 2002... 2002 JAN 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Members of a U.S. research team say several factors, including diet, can determine the concentration of protective pigments in the retina. "Information on...

Hormone Replacement Therapy Heightens Insulin Resistance After Menopause.
January 19, 2002... 2002 JAN 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Hormone replacement therapy can elevate the risk for insulin resistance in postmenopausal females. The finding holds true regardless of whether or not a...

Medwave Announces Collaboration With LDS Hospital.
January 19, 2002... 2002 JAN 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medwave, Inc., (MDWV) has agreed to participate in a clinical study titled "Sleep Apnea and Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in the Obese; Prevalence and Relationship." This cooperation will be with the...

Lax Health/Fitness Habits In Teens May Lead To Adult Chronic Illnesses.
January 26, 2002... 2002 JAN 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Are children leading healthy lifestyles? Not always, according to a CIGNA Be Healthy...Be Fit survey released in December 2001. Responses from 7500 school children show that two-thirds of...

Tumor Necrosis Factor Highly Expressed In Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis.
January 26, 2002... 2002 JAN 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - The gene for an important cytokine is highly expressed in the tissues of patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), suggesting the possibility of using...

Metformin Enhances Insulin's Effects In Obese People With Type 2 Diabetes.
January 26, 2002... 2002 JAN 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Metformin (Glucophage), an oral agent used for treating type 2 diabetes, can also improve long-term glycemic control in obese individuals who must take insulin...

Lipid-Lowering Drugs Important For African-Americans On Diabetes Management.
January 26, 2002... 2002 JAN 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Lipid-lowering drugs should be added to the diabetes management regimens of African-Americans, according to a study reported by members of a research...

Report Says Hawaii's People Healthier Than Those On The Mainland.
January 26, 2002... 2002 JAN 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hawaii's residents are generally healthier than people on the mainland, according to a new report. But the report, Health Trends in Hawaii, says the state is facing serious challenges, including...

Simple Blood Test Could Detect New Cases Of Diabetes.
January 26, 2002... 2002 JAN 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A simple blood test given in the doctor's office could identify millions of patients with previously undetected diabetes, new research reveals. The findings also suggest that three easily assessed...

New Study Supports Idea High Fiber Diet Protects Women's Hearts.
January 26, 2002... 2002 JAN 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new, large population-based study supports current dietary recommendations for women to increase their consumption of fiber-rich whole grains and fruits and vegetables to protect against heart...

Automated External Defibrillators Deployed In Airports.
January 26, 2002... 2002 JAN 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cardiac Science, Inc., announced that it has been selected to outfit a number of airports across the nation with its automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Cardiac Science AEDs have recently...

United Therapeutics Acquires Exclusive Rights to Diagnostic Test.
January 26, 2002... 2002 JAN 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- United Therapeutics Corp. (UTHR) has acquired exclusive worldwide rights to manufacture, sell and use diagnostic tests for asymmetric dimethlyarginine (ADMA), a marker of heart disease risk that some...

Merck/Schering-Plough Submits U.S. Application for Zetia.
January 26, 2002... 2002 JAN 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Merck/Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals submitted a New Drug Application December 27, 2001 to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval for Zetia (ezetimibe) tablets, an...

Statins Remain First-Line Cholesterol Treatment Despite Risks.
January 26, 2002... 2002 JAN 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Despite agitation from citizen's groups such as Public Citizen and the threat of litigation, the statins class of lipid-lowering drugs will remain the preferred treatment for hyperlipidemia and...

People With Diabetes Fear Disability More Than Death.
January 26, 2002... 2002 JAN 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- People with diabetes are four times as afraid of the disability associated with losing their sight and twice as afraid of losing a limb than of suffering a heart attack or stroke, according to a...

Could Diabetic Breast Milk Lead To Future Problems In Some Offspring?
January 26, 2002... 2002 JAN 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Doctors believe that the offspring of women who are diabetic while pregnant are at greater risk for becoming overweight and developing diabetes later in life....

Tracleer Now Available in U.S.
January 26, 2002... 2002 JAN 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Actelion, Ltd., (ATLN) has announced the commercial availability in the United States of Tracleer (bosentan), an orally active endothelin receptor antagonist for the treatment of pulmonary arterial...

New Technology Helps Dieters Succeed.
January 26, 2002... 2002 JAN 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Just in time for New Year's resolutions to lose weight, get fit and live healthier, HealtheTech offers BalanceLog, a software for Windows PC and Palm OS devices that allows users to balance both sides...