In California, approximately three in five adults, one in three teens and one in nine children are overweight or obese. That translates to obesity affecting a majority of all the adults and almost 1,000,000 children living in the state, a state full of sunshine, hiking paths, and city parks; a state with a robust agricultural industry producing a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables; a state that glorifies the thin and rich of Hollywood. read more

See original here:
California Obesity Epidemic on the Rise

According to CDC investigators, the prevalence of diabetes in the U.S. has risen by about 5 percent annually since 1990 and today about 24 million Americans have the disease

Continued here:
Controlling Diabetes Through Weight Loss Surgery

Just like death and taxes, one sure thing in [a woman’s] life is menopause. Typically occurring in their late 40s and early 50s, women can experience a whole host of physical symptoms, chief among them weight gain and hot flashes

Follow this link:
Symptoms of Menopause Can Be Relieved by Weight Loss

While the medical community has long relied on Body Mass Index to gauge body fat, they have acknowledged that this simple procedure has its shortcomings. Body mass index (BMI) is a calculation that uses a person’s height and weight to estimate how much body fat they have. A BMI less than 18.5 is categorized as underweight, 18.5 to 24.9 as normal or “healthy,” 25 to 29.9 as overweight and 30 or higher as obese

Continued here:
Obesity Indicators: BMI and Neck Circumference

Young children do not get fat all on their own, they have help from a variety of sources, including the lack of physical education in schools, lack of play time and play areas, and too many calories served at home. But many parents turn a blind eye to the fact that their children are overweight and becoming unhealthy adults. read more

Read this article:
Childhood Obesity: On the Rise and Parents in Denial

In vitro fertilization (IVF) and assisted reproductive technology (ART) are both difficult processes with the success rate dependent on several factors, including the mother’s health. One such health issue affecting those rates and carrying a subsequent fetus to term is body mass index (BMI).

Go here to see the original:
IVF Less Successful in Overweight Women

Belly fat, the bulge that peeks over the top of the pants, manifests itself into heavy midsection rolls or becomes lovingly referred to as a “beer belly,” becomes more difficult to battle as you age. It is estimated that 50 percent of adult Americans carry unhealthy supplies of fat around their middle.

Read the original:
Obese Seniors Face High Risk of Diabetes

It’s not news that this country is suffering from an epidemic of obesity in all age ranges from children to teens to adults. According to HealthNews columnist Dr

Read this article:
Link Between Depression and Abdominal Obesity

Last month an interagency task force convened at the White House to tackle the problem of childhood obesity, a project that First Lady Michelle Obama is making a priority during her husband’s administration. read more

Here is the original post:
White House Childhood Obesity Task Force Releases Final Report

It’s not just food and the lack of exercise that contribute to obesity.

Read the rest here:
Sleep Deprivation Tied to Obesity in Tweens and Teens

The nation’s first Physical Activity Plan was unveiled in Washington, D.C.

Read the original here:
Call to Action: National Physical Activity Plan Unveiled

Two recent studies are showing that people genetically predisposed to obesity have a higher risk of dementia-related disorders, such as Alzheimer’s. New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences seems to confirm and further identify the reasons for obesity aging the brain and reducing life span

Continued here:
Gene Linked to Obesity Increases Risk for Dementia

I think we have all long known what John Gray put down in words in his bestseller, Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus : There are differences between the sexes, not just physically, but psychologically. And a new study being published in the May issue of Personality Individual Differences reinforces that belief. read more

See the original post here:
Do Women Have a Hard-Wired Aversion to Obesity?

Approximately half of the pregnant women in the United States today are either overweight or obese, up from about 25 percent four decades ago, and making them at an increased risk for pre-eclampsia, hypertensive disorder and blood clots, not to mention complications from a C-section. In a study published today in the British Medical Journal , researchers found that these complications can be significantly reduced through bariatric surgery prior to conception. read more

Read more here:
Bariatric Surgery May Reduce Pregnancy Risks for Obese Women

First Lady Michelle Obama met with task force members on Friday at the White House to tackle the weighty issue of childhood obesity. The task force will be preparing a report that will “serve as a very important road map, with goals, benchmarks, [and] measurable outcomes…” she said. read more

Originally posted here:
White House Hosts Summit on Childhood Obesity

Women who put on too much weight during pregnancy risk not only keeping that weight after birth, but also have higher rates of complications, such as developing high blood pressure and gestational diabetes or requiring a Cesarean section. Those starting out obese are also at an increased risk for pre-eclampsia and blood clots, not to mention complications from a C-section. read more

Original post:
Excess Weight Gain During Pregnancy Unhealthy for Mom and Baby

Long gone are the days when pregnancy was considered a “delicate condition” and women were “confined.” The truth is, our bodies were designed with this very unique purpose in mind, and with a few exceptions, life can go on normally during pregnancy. You can even keep up an exercise regime, as long as it is in moderation. Doing so will not only benefit you before and after birth, but can also prevent a larger baby which could prove difficult to birth or necessitate a Cesarean section

Read the original:
Exercise in Pregnancy: Good for Mom, Good for Baby

I’ve been watching the war of words concerning the image of Ronald McDonald, the iconic face behind the McDonald’s fast food chain. Much like the Marlboro Man, he may very well fall by the wayside and become a small piece of America’s past

See the article here:
The Controversy Over Ronald McDonald

Last year Vogue editor Anna Wintour made the comment, “I’d just been on a trip to Minnesota, where I can only kindly describe most of the people I saw as ‘little houses.” Granted, Ms.

Read the original here:
Observations on Obesity

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has come under fire from a variety of sources as an unhealthy sweetener too frequently used in beverages and other food products. HFCS is low in cost and food manufacturers have found it easier to incorporate into their products, but it has been suggested that it is contributing to the obesity epidemic. read more

More:
High Fructose Corn Syrup: The Jury Is Still Out

The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) has published a position statement on the impact of the life style factors  obesity, smoking and alcohol consumption on natural and medically assisted reproduction.

In a literature study the ESHRE Task Force on Ethics and Law summarised the negative effects of obesity, smoking and drinking on the natural reproductive potential of patients, on IVF results, pregnancy complications and outcomes and finally on the health of the future child. The paper is published online today (19 January 2010) in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction (1). The group made five recommendations.

1. In view of the risks for the future child, fertility doctors should refuse treatment to women used to more than moderate drinking and who are not willing or able to minimize their alcohol consumption.
2. Treating women with severe or morbid obesity required special justification. The available data suggested that weight loss would incur in a positive reproductive effect, although more data was needed to establish whether assisted reproduction should be made conditional upon prior life-style changes for obese and smoking females.
3. Assisted reproduction should only be conditional upon life style changes, if there was strong evidence that without behavioural modifications there was a risk of serious harm to the child or that the treatment became disproportional in terms of cost-effectiveness or obstetric risks.
4. When making assisted reproduction conditional upon life style modifications, fertility doctors should help patients to achieve the necessary results.
5. More data on obesity, smoking and alcohol consumption as well as other life style factors were necessary to assess reproductive effects. Fertility doctors should continue research in this area.

ESHRE acknowledged that this was a complex issue due to personal, patient, professional and societal responsibilities and also in terms of what these responsibilities meant with regard to safety of mother and child and fair and equitable access to treatment. The respect for patient autonomy needed to be balanced with the moral weight of the interests of society and the future child.

Obesity

According to the group obesity negatively affected reproductive potential through interference with hormonal and metabolic mechanisms leading to lower ovulation frequency and reduced chances of conception. The risk of gestational  diabetes increased from twofold in overweight women to eightfold for morbidly obese women. The infants of obese mothers were at risk of perinatal death, congenital abnormalities such as neural tube defects (80% increase) and cardiovascular anomalies (30% increase).

Smoking

The risk of  infertility was thought to be twice as high in smokers compared to non-smokers. Female smokers needed more time to become pregnant, were less likely to do so spontaneously and had a higher risk of miscarriage. Having an accelerating effect on oocyte depletion, smoking was suggested to lead to an increase in 10 years with regards to IVF outcome. Lower birth weight, a higher risk of oral facial clefts and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome were associated with maternal smoking. Male smokers were at risk of producing sperm of reduced quality and concentration.

Alcohol Consumption

Reduced conception, lower pregnancy rates and higher miscarriage rates were suggested as adverse effects of alcohol consumption. The known effects of alcohol consumption were summarised under Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) such as physical anomalies and behavioural and cognitive deficits. Other risks associated with prenatal alcohol consumption were foetal death, preterm labour and compromised foetal growth.

(1) ESHRE Task Force on Ethics and Law 17: Life style related factors and access to medically-assisted reproduction. Human Reproduction Journal doi: 10.1093/humrep/dep458

Source: Hanna Hanssen
European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology