Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the Integrated Research and Treatment Centre (IFB) at the University Hospital of Leipzig, Germany, claim plasticisers (phthalates) can cause weight gain.
A link between obesity and the formation of blood clots in the veins of children and adolescents has been established by researchers for the first time.
Food and drink manufacturers should adopt ‘activity equivalent’ calorie labelling on their products which show how much activity is needed to burn off the calories in them, according to the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH).
The impact of obesity on cancer rates across the world – and how many cases could have been prevented – is made clear with an online data tool, launched by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) last month.
It makes simple economic sense to reduce levels of obesity and overweight because if current rates continue it will cause 700,000 new cases of cancer in the next twenty years, says a report by Cancer Research UK.
Reducing the amount of sugar in sugar-sweetened beverages by 40% over five years could prevent 300,000 cases of type 2 diabetes in the UK over the next two decades, according to a study in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
A newly published review in Nutrition Research Reviews details how adipose tissue (AT) dysfunction can contribute to diabetes and gives more strength to the view that AT is able to produce, store, and send out hormones that can regulate metabolism.
Exclusive interview with FAO’s director for nutrition
After years of battling undernutrition, Africa is now facing an emerging threat of obesity and the two must be considered simultaneously, according to the director of nutrition at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Low energy sweeteners commonly used in diet sodas may help with weight loss, says a University of Bristol study, adding that confusion among consumers between sweeteners and sugar needs to be addressed.
The UK's Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) has changed rules to allow firms to target obese adults for the first time with ‘responsible lifestyle weight loss programmes’.
Intake of the zero calorie sweetener saccharin could promote weight gain without increasing caloric intake or changing insulin resistance, according to new research in rats.
A low-fat diet does not lead to greater long term weight loss than higher-fat diets including low-carb and Mediterranean style diets, finds a large meta-analysis of more than 68,000 adults.
"No single action will be effective in reducing sugar intakes," concludes Public Health England's report which recommends cutting price promotions, junk food advertising and setting a sugar tax. We look at some reactions to the findings.
Disrupted insulin signalling in the brain along with a high-fat diet may result in overconsumption, while a normal diet has no effect, say researchers - who suggest that these altered brain functions can lead to us overconsuming fatty foods.
The British government has no plans to tax sugary drinks, despite an online petition receiving more than the 100,000 signatures required to spark a parliamentary debate on the issue.
Lowering the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) by at least one serving per week could help to improve markers of cholesterol, according to new research in school children.
There is a direct link between salt intake and obesity, says 1200-strong CASH study – but health experts say the findings should be taken with a pinch of salt.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says rising obesity rates among mothers and ready availability and attractiveness of formula has left Europe with the world’s lowest breastfeeding rates.
Sugary drinks may cause type 2 diabetes regardless of obesity – and artificially-sweetened drinks or fruit juice are not necessarily healthier alternatives, according to new research.
Lack of media differentiation between different study designs has helped warp public perception of low- and no-calorie sweeteners, according to registered dietitian and diabetes educator Hope Warshaw.
Increases in the food energy supply in many countries of the world, leading to a higher availability of cheap energy-dense foods, is more than enough to explain a concurrent increase in body weight and obesity epidemic, say researchers.
A 20% duty on sugary drinks in England could result in 2,400 fewer cases of type 2 diabetes and 1,700 fewer cases of stroke and coronary heart disease, according to a study from Food Active.
Any new regulation on total meal replacements should consider consumer expectations of taste and cost, not just science, says trade group Specialised Nutrition Europe (SNE).
Consumption of a sugar-sweetened drink on a daily basis may be associated with an increased risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), say researchers.
When compared to the same amount of glucose, consuming fructose could cause ‘significant’ weight gain, physical inactivity, and body fat deposition, say researchers.
While swapping out calorific sugars for a zero-calorie sweetener may seem like a common sense public health policy, some recent reports have suggested that the reverse may be true. We take a look at the evidence and arguments for both sides of the story.
People around the world significantly underestimate the health impact of obesity, but do support interventions to prevent it, according to two new surveys.
Drinking water or unsweetened tea or coffee in place of one sugary drink per day could slash the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to a quarter, say researchers.
Big differences in the calorie content for one food type distorts expectations of satiety and energy content leading to overeating - a feature of Western diets that is fuelling the obesity crisis, say researchers.
Public health messages intended to tackle obesity should focus on unhealthy eating rather than physical activity, which does not promote weight loss, according to an editorial published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Smaller plates may not encourage overweight teenage girls to reduce portion sizes because they may be less attentive to visual cues, according to a study.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for taxation and restricted marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks to children aged under 19 to help cut childhood obesity.
Greater energy from whey protein means greater loss of fat but retention of muscle while dieting, according to research that looked at different protein sources.
Attempting to tackle the obesity crisis through ‘negatively-focused’ tactics is ineffective, and may in fact worsen the situation, according to various researchers.
Market analyst Euromonitor International has debuted a tool that for the first time breaks down a country’s total nutritional inputs into eight categories from calories to proteins to fibres.
A slowdown in childhood obesity growth rates does not absolve the food and drink industry from blame, despite its efforts to reduce the fat, sugar and salt (FSS) content of its products, experts have said.
Consumption of oatmeal, rather than ready-to-eat-cereal, at breakfast may result in greater feelings of fullness and lower calorie intake at lunch, especially in overweight people, says research backed by PepsiCo owned Quaker Oats.
“This signals a new dawn for weight loss products.”
EFSA’s full low-calorie diet regime report – published this week – can help “tackle the societal challenge of obesity”, the EU’s specialist food trade group has said.
EFSA has very specifically refined what a low-calorie diet replacement regime should contain including a minimum of 600 calories and 30 g of carbohydrates per day. One observer said the opinion was more important than a health claim win for certain nutrients.
Recommending intense sweeteners as a way to reduce sugar intakes cannot be justified as a public health strategy, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) has concluded.
