Weight Loss News

As usual, the new year brings promises to lose weight and eat healthy. That’s on the minds of many local residents as they begin 2011 with the age-old tradition, New Year’s resolutions.

“It’s a fresh start,” said Doralee Billings, 53, of Baltimore. She was among scores of area residents working out Sunday at Lynne Brick’s Women’s Health and Fitness in Baltimore’s Belvedere Square. Some at the expansive fitness center had made resolutions to become more fit, while others were reaffirming earlier health-related commitments.

“I just want to get healthy,” said Billings. “I’m tired of being tired.”

The Atkins Diet Plan gained popularity in 1972 with the publication of the book, Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution. Dr. Atkins, the founder and former Executive Medical Director of The Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine, was one of the first vocal proponents of a low-carbohydrate diet. Long a voice for nutritional medicine, that first book has spawned newly revised versions as well as diet variations such as the South Beach Diet.

FRIDAY, Dec. 31 (HealthDay News) — American kids are becoming obese, or nearly so, at an increasingly young age, with about one-third of them falling into that category by the time they’re 9 months old, researchers have found.

There are some caveats about the research, however. The infants were not studied recently: They were born about a decade ago. And it’s not clear how excess weight in babies may affect their health later in their lives. The study found no guarantee that a baby who’s overweight at 9 months will stay flabby when his or her second birthday rolls around.

SUNDAY, June 5 (HealthDay News) — While the finding isn’t conclusive, a new study suggests that weight-loss surgery in obese diabetics could lower their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers found that gastric bypass patients, when tested six months after their weight-loss surgeries, had less expression of genes that are thought to be precursors of the debris that clogs the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Our study shows for the first time that weight loss resulting from bariatric surgery leads to a reduction in the expression of genes related to Alzheimer’s disease,” study author Dr. Paresh Dandona, a professor at State University of New York at Buffalo, said in a news release from the Endocrine Society.

SATURDAY, June 4 (HealthDay News) — The risk of fractures after weight-loss surgery may be even higher than previously thought, a new study suggests.

Prior research has shown that people who undergo surgery to lose weight, such as gastric bypass, have an increased risk for bone fractures. One study, for example, showed a 1.8-fold increased risk of fracture compared to the general population.

But further analysis showed the risk was actually closer to 2.3 times greater, according to the study to be presented Saturday at the Endocrine’s Society’s annual meeting in Boston.

SUNDAY, June 5 (HealthDay News) — The human body has two kinds of fat: the “bad” white kind that stores calories and the “good” brown kind that burns them. Now, researchers say that it is actually possible to make more brown fat to help people lose weight.

“We are now even more optimistic that brown fat could be used for treating obesity and diabetes,” study lead author Dr. Aaron Cypess, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, said in a news release from the Endocrine Society.

LONDON (Reuters) – Life expectancy in Europe is continuing to increase despite an obesity epidemic, with people in Britain reaching an older age than those living in the United States, according to study of trends over the last 40 years.

In a report in International Journal of Epidemiology, population health expert David Leon of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said the findings counteract concerns that the rising life expectancy trend in wealthy nations may be coming to an end in the face of health problems caused by widespread levels of obesity.

This is the time of year when many people vow to make a change in their lives, committing to exercise more and eat better.

But before you rush out to join a gym or sign a long-term contract with a weight loss center, consider these health club tips from the Maryland Attorney General’s office to ensure that your rights as a consumer are protected.

As a word of warning, the AG’s office recently filed administrative charges against two Maryland martial arts schools and their owner for selling memberships without registering with the state as required.

People with a family history of alcoholism, especially women, have an elevated risk of also becoming obese, according to a new study. And the link between the two appears to be strengthening – the risk of becoming obese, for people with alcoholics in their family, is higher now than in the past, the researchers said.

The researchers said a possible explanation for obesity in those with a family history of alcoholism is that some individuals may substitute one addiction for another.