weight – News Stories About weight - Page 5

Nov 9, 2007 9:31 PM CST

The Kilogram Is Losing Weight

19th-century reference object may be off by microscopic amounts

(Newser) - To a casual observer, the plum-sized chunk of metal that rests inside a sealed, underground vault near Paris is unremarkable. But to scientists, the cylinder of platinum and iridium is one of the constants upon which science is based. It weighs exactly 1 kilogram, or at least it used to,...

Study: Weight Lessens Some Causes of Death

Nov 7, 2007 1:40 PM CST

Study: Weight Lessens Some Causes of Death

Infections, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's less likely to kill overweight people

(Newser) - Overweight people are much less likely to die of a plethora of diseases, federal researchers announced today, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, infections, and lung disease. This gives them a lower mortality rate than people of normal weight, despite higher risk of heart disease and diabetes. “If we use...

Get Married, Pack On the Pounds

Oct 24, 2007 10:27 AM CDT

Get Married, Pack On the Pounds

Young newlyweds gain more weight than singles, research says

(Newser) - Young adults gain more weight if they're married, a new study shows. People in their late teens and early twenties gain a lot of weight anyway (an average of 15 to 30 pounds), but those who are married gain 6 to 9 pounds more. "The weight gain in this...

Freedom Fries Fattening French

Sep 20, 2007 5:15 PM CDT

Freedom Fries Fattening French

Celebrated food culture struggles to resist import of American obesity

(Newser) - Freedom Fries be danged, French waistlines are taking a decidedly American curve: As fast food and bigger portions invade, some 42% of the famously foodie nation's population is clocking in as either overweight or obese. But officials say don't let them eat cake, predicting US-level obesity if the trend isn't...

Big Americans Bust Weight Limits on Cars

Sep 15, 2007 5:15 PM CDT

Big Americans Bust Weight Limits on Cars

Drivers, passengers are often too heavy for tires, say manufacturer safety labels

(Newser) - Americans who supersize their meals may be putting an unsafe burden on their car tires, exceeding weight limits they're rated to carry. Many two-seat sports cars, for instance, can't safely accommodate two 200-pound passengers, USA Today reports. Family cars and minivans also frequently max out when carrying a load of...

American Kids' Blood Pressure Creeps Up

Sep 11, 2007 10:37 AM CDT

American Kids' Blood Pressure Creeps Up

Obesity epidemic fallout foreshadows serious health troubles

(Newser) - The ranks of US children with dangerously high blood pressure and hypertension have been growing for 20 years, reversing a decades-long trend, says a new study that tracks the effects of youth obesity. Hypertension, which usually doesn't develop until patients are in their 30s or 40s, is a leading cause...

Olympic Seats Too Small for UK Behinds

Sep 10, 2007 4:25 PM CDT

Olympic Seats Too Small for UK Behinds

Designers go back to the drawing board for bootylicious Brits

(Newser) - Seats at one of London's new Olympic venues are being widened to accommodate spectators' bulky backsides. Stadium designers warned that the 20,000 seats at the Aquatic Centre wouldn't be able to handle expanding British buttocks, so organizers widened the chairs by 4cm (1.5 inches), the Sun reports. The...

"Skinny Gene" Found in Mice

Sep 4, 2007 9:01 PM CDT

"Skinny Gene" Found in Mice

Scientists discover a "volume control" for fat production

(Newser) - A gene dubbed "adipose," identified more than 50 years ago in fruit flies, has now been found to regulate thinness, or its opposite, in worms and mice, according to a study in the journal Cell Metabolism. Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have determined...

Fattest States in America

Aug 27, 2007 8:36 PM CDT

Fattest States in America

(Newser) - The Trust for America's Health has come out with its fourth annual report on obesity. And the losers are:

Mississippi
West Virginia
Alabama

Go Easy on Pregnancy Weight Gain, Say Docs

Aug 15, 2007 12:03 PM CDT

Go Easy on Pregnancy Weight Gain, Say Docs

Review of current guidelines in the works

(Newser) - The current guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy may be contributing to the nation's obesity epidemic, some doctors say, and radical changes in the recommendations are under consideration. Docs say a revision is long overdue, the AP reports. "Most of us think overall the weight gain recommendations are too...

FTC Subpoenas Food Giants
on Marketing
to Kids

Aug 11, 2007 4:33 PM CDT

FTC Subpoenas Food Giants on Marketing to Kids

Congress wants data on childhood obesity

(Newser) - The FTC dealt out 44 subpoenas yesterday to food companies, including McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Kraft, seeking information on how much they spent on advertising to kids. The businesses have until November 1 to comply for a report the FTC is preparing for Congress on marketing practices and child obesity.

Roly-Poly
Polar Bear
Goes on a Diet

Aug 1, 2007 7:53 AM CDT

Roly-Poly Polar Bear Goes on a Diet

Keepers cut off celebrity cub Knut's supply of croissants

(Newser) - Superstar polar bear Knut has been put on a diet after growing too fat to be weighed on the Berlin Zoo's scales. Knut's Brando-style transformation came about from eating too many croissants and second helpings of meat and fish, leaving him a visibly stuffed bear. "Knut has become noticeably...

Weight a Minute! Stress Triggers Fat
in Study

Jul 2, 2007 4:49 AM CDT

Weight a Minute! Stress Triggers Fat in Study

A nervous mouse is a chubby mouse

(Newser) - A newly discovered chemical connection between chronic stress and fat could help curb obesity— or grow fat in places like breasts for cosmetic purposes, the Washington Post reports. Scientists found that stressed-out mice on a rodent junk-food diet grew the fattest, and that injecting or blocking a stress neurotransmitter can...