We are Burning Fewer Calories While Working
Decreased energy expenditure is a major contributing factor to the obesity epidemic. Although leisure time physical activity has increased, recent data indicates our jobs are less physically demanding. Researchers analyzed occupational physical activity over the past 5 decades and found daily energy expenditure dropped more than 100 calories per day. This decrease accounts for a significant portion of the…
Read MoreProstate Cancer Linked to Being Overweight
New evidence suggests there is strong evidence that being overweight or obese elevates the risk of advanced prostate cancer. This finding is from the World Cancer Research Fund's Continuous Update Project that analyzes global research on how diet, exercise, physical activity and weight influence cancer risk. PositiveTip: Avoid being overweight or obese to lower your risk…
Read MoreFamily Meals May Reduce Obesity
Researchers followed 2,117 teens over 10 years and compared teen obesity outcomes in families that ate 0, 1-2, 3-4 or 5+ meals together each week. Compared to kids who never ate family meals, ANY number of family meals helped reduce risk of obesity, even 1 day a week. Researchers suggest that family meals provide opportunities…
Read MoreDiabetes Rates Decline
Analysis of the National Health Interview Survey in the U.S. now suggests a potential slowing in the diabetes epidemic. Diabetes (type 1 and 2) rose sharply each year between 1990 and 2008, but has leveled off between 2008 and 2012. The researchers suggest this new trend may be related to a recent slowing in obesity…
Read MoreSleep and Weight Gain in Teens
Teens are 20% more likely to be obese at 21 if they get less than 6 hours of sleep per night rather than 8+ hours of sleep. Using data for 10,000 teens over 6 years, researchers found 1 in 5 teens were sleep-deprived. The link between sleep and obesity may be attributed to resulting inactivity…
Read MoreExercise, Not Calories To Blame for Obesity Epidemic?
Stanford researchers believe their research shows that decreased leisure exercise is the primary culprit for for our obesity epidemic. Over the past 20 years the average daily caloric intake has remained steady, but physically inactive leisure time has jumped from 19% to 52% in adult women and 11% to 44% in men. PositiveTip: You need…
Read MoreObesity and Knee Replacements
In the last 15 years, knee replacement surgeries have tripled. Curious researchers found that obesity contributed to 95% of the increase of knee surgeries, compared to hip surgeries. Even more troubling, these increases in knee troubles are found largely in younger populations. Excess weight damages knee joints more than hip joints and researchers expect the…
Read MoreA Very Weighty Matter
From 1980 through 2013 the prevalence of overweight and obesity rose by 28% for adults. For children it is even more frightening--a rise of 47%. This scary picture of the global obesity pandemic is found in research done for The Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. There are now 2.1 billion people who are overweight or obese on…
Read MoreNormal Weight Not Just for Looks
A large global meta-analysis found nearly 25% increase in fetal death and stillbirths per five-unit increase in maternal BMI. Being overweight or obese before becoming pregnant increased the risk of poor outcomes compared to normal-weight women. The greatest risk was for the heaviest women, and this dose-response relationship suggests underlying biological mechanisms. The optimal pre-pregnancy BMI and…
Read MoreFat Teens Have Shorter Lives
Adults who were overweight or obese during their adolescence were significantly more likely to die before reaching 50 years old than their normal-weight peers. While life-expectancy gains of the last 50 years have been very encouraging, this analysis of more than 2 million Israelis from ages 17 to 50 suggests this progress may be wiped out…
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