The report presents a mixed picture. Over the past 25 years, there have been notable improvements in child well-being in the group of countries examined in this report: steady decline in child mortality, overall reduction in adolescent suicide and increase in school completion rates. But the last five years have …
To achieve the post-2015 global tuberculosis target of 90% reduction in tuberculosis incidence by 2035, the present rate of decline must accelerate. Among factors that hinder tuberculosis control, malnutrition and diabetes are key challenges. The researchers reviewed available data to describe the complex relationship between tuberculosis, diabetes, and nutritional status.
Between 1980 and 2008, two Pacific island nations – Nauru and the Cook Islands – experienced the fastest rates of increasing BMI in the world. Rates were over four times higher than the mean global BMI increase. The aim of the present paper is to examine why these populations have …
A ban on advertising sugary drinks to children has been called for by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland’s (RCPI) policy group on obesity. The group highlights Coca Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign and said under-12s were particularly vulnerable to such targeted marketing. Coca Cola puts names on its …
A range of animal and human data demonstrates that excessive consumption of palatable food leads to neuroadaptive responses in brain circuits underlying reward. Unrestrained consumption of palatable food has been shown to increase the reinforcing value of food and weaken inhibitory control; however, whether it impacts upon the sensory representations …
High body-mass index (BMI) predisposes to several site-specific cancers, but a large-scale systematic and detailed characterisation of patterns of risk across all common cancers adjusted for potential confounders has not previously been undertaken. The researchers aimed to investigate the links between BMI and the most common site-specific cancers.
Researchers suggest obesity's effects on cancers vary depending on the type of tumour Being overweight and obese puts people at greater risk of developing 10 of the most common cancers, according to research in the Lancet medical journal. Scientists calculated individuals carrying this extra weight could contribute to more than …
Physical activity is essential for every facet of children's health. However, physical activity levels in British children are low. The school environment is a promising setting to increase children's physical activity but limited empirical evidence exists on how a change in the outdoor physical school environment influences physical activity behaviour. …
Metabolic disorders, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, are widespread in Westernized nations. Gut microbiota composition is a contributing factor to the susceptibility of an individual to the development of these disorders; therefore, altering a person’s microbiota may ameliorate disease. One potential microbiome-altering strategy is the incorporation of modified bacteria …
Activation of central PPARγ promotes food intake and body weight gain; however, the identity of the neurons that express PPARγ and mediate the effect of this nuclear receptor on energy homeostasis is unknown. Here, we determined that selective ablation of PPARγ in murine proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons decreases peroxisome density, elevates …
Current guidelines recommend children accumulate 60 min of daily physical activity; however, highly publicized sudden-death events among young athletes raise questions regarding activity safety. An expert group convened (June 2012) to consider the safety of promoting increased physical activity for children, and recommended the publication of an evidence-based statement of …
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) has been used extensively to control malaria, typhus, body lice and bubonic plague worldwide, until countries began restricting its use in the 1970s. Its use in malaria control continues in some countries according to recommendation by the World Health Organization. Individuals exposed to elevated levels of DDT and …
Australia’s position as one of the best places in the world to live was reaffirmed last week with the release of the 2014 United Nations Human Development Report, which saw Australia ranked second only to Norway among all nations in the world. The report, conducted by the UN Development Report …
AFTER rising steadily for more than 10 years, the proportion of U.S. kids defined as obese due to a large waist circumference held steady between 2003 and 2012, according to a new analysis of national data. The new results echo recent studies that found the increase in U.S. obesity rates …
Mexico is restricting television advertising for high-calorie food and soft drinks, as part of its campaign against obesity, the government says. Such ads will be banned with immediate effect on terrestrial and cable TV between 14:30 and 19:30 on weekdays and between 07:30 and 19:30 at weekends. Restrictions will also …
The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in Chennai, India, using national and international age- and sex- specific body mass index (BMI) cut-off points. Original Source
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan’s anti-tobacco activism has paid off. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Thursday announced a 11-72% hike in excise duty on cigarettes, cigars, cheroots and cigarillos in his Budget speech. Excise duty has also been hiked by 4% on pan masala, by 5% on unmanufactured tobacco and by …
A study done in four Caribbean countries has found that 30 per cent of children aged 11 to 13 were overweight or obese, a senior official of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) has said. Dr Audrey Morris, the advisor on Food and Nutrition at PAHO, told a workshop to …
Observational studies have reported associations between body mass index (BMI) and asthma, but confounding and reverse causality remain plausible explanations. We aim to investigate evidence for a causal effect of BMI on asthma using a Mendelian randomization approach.
The prevalence of class III obesity (body mass index [BMI]≥40 kg/m2) has increased dramatically in several countries and currently affects 6% of adults in the US, with uncertain impact on the risks of illness and death. Using data from a large pooled study, we evaluated the risk of death, overall …
Recent studies in India indicate rising trends of diabetes even in rural areas. Continuous monitoring of the diabetes situation is required by repeated cross sectional studies in different parts of the country both urban rural to plan control measures. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of …
