Obesity updates, November 20

The feasting season (Thanksgiving and Christmas) is just around the corner. Let’s take some time to update on weight gain and obesity.

Obesity causes 100,000 U.S. cancer cases
Obesity can cause cancer, according to researchers. As estimated 100,000 cases of cancer related to obesity are reported in the US each year and the numbers are expected to rise as the obesity problems worsen. The types of cancer caused by excessive fat include endometrial and esophageal cancer.

Some obese people perceive body size as OK, dismiss need to lose weight
Can we judge our weight properly? It seems that people who are overweight tend to perceive their body size wrongly – thus, leading to the belief that losing weight is not necessary. This was according to a research presented at the research presented at the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2009 in Orlando, Florida. I will discuss the report more in detail in an upcoming post.

At last, a chocolate that makes you LOSE weight (if you don’t mind the green tinge)
It looks like chocolate with a greenish tinge and it’s yummy like chocolate but it’s not fattening like chocolate. It is called Lola, manufactured by the Spanish food maker Cocoa Bio and it supposedly helps you lose weight. The manufacturers claim that they have specially added amino acids into the chocolates that stimulate production of hormones which suppresses appetites. By simply popping one or two of these goodies in your mouth about an hour meal mealtime, you will feel pleasantly full. Truly good news for chocoholics, except for the steep price – £5 for a box of 5. Oh, and the green tinge? It’s from the algae Spirulina added as dietary supplement.

Secondhand smoke exposure worse for toddlers, obese children
We know that secondhand smoke is bad for the health. The latest findings, however, indicate that some are more endangered than others. In this study presented at the AHA’s Scientific Sessions 2009, researchers report that exposure to secondhand smoke has the greatest impact on those who are young and those who are obese.

Relation between socioeconomic status and body mass index: evidence of an indirect path via television use
German researchers investigated how body mass index (BMI) is related to socioeconomic status and television (TV) and video game use. They conducted the investigations in German and American children. The results showed that low socioeconomic status is related to high BMI. This in turn is related to media, particular TV use. Children of low socioeconomic status tend to watch more TV and have higher BMI. The presence of TV in the children’s bedrooms is especially an important contributing factor whereas video game use is not.