Community Programs Can Help Mothers Control Weight: Study

July 17th, 2010

, July 14 (HealthDay News) — Community-based lifestyle programs help prevent weight gain and encourage physical activity in women with young children, a new study from Australia has found.

The randomized, controlled trial included 250 Australian women, with an average age of 40, who were divided into two groups. Those in the intervention group were assigned to a program called HeLP-her, which included four one-hour group sessions in which the women were taught about food intake, physical activity, behavioral strategies such as problem solving, relapse prevention, self-monitoring, and personal goals.

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Tags: Programs Help, Study

FDA Panel Says ‘No’ to Weight Loss Drug Qnexa

July 12th, 2010

July 15, 2010 — Don’t approve Qnexa for weight loss, an FDA expert advisory panel today said in a 10-6 vote.

The panel of medical experts found Qnexa effective but worried about millions taking it before safety concerns are answered.

The FDA usually follows the recommendation of its advisory panel, but the split vote, and some of the comments by panelists, may leave the FDA room to approve the drug.

“I hope my ‘no’ vote will allow more discussion. I would not be upset if it were approved with more indications [limiting its use],” said panel chair Kenneth Burman, MD, of Georgetown University.

With the rest of the panel, Burman agreed that Qnexa works better than any approved weight loss drug.

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Tags: Qnexa, Weight Loss

Kids With Coordination Disorder More Likely to Be Overweight

July 10th, 2010

The Canadian study included 1,979 children from 75 schools in the province of Ontario who were followed from grade 4 through grade 7. The researchers screened the children for DCD and measured their body-mass index (BMI) and waist circumference.

Compared to other children, those diagnosed with possible DCD were three times more likely than typical children to be overweight and at increased risk for obesity.

The study appears in the current issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

“Although DCD has in the past been considered part of the normal continuum of motor proficiency or regarded as merely a ‘playground disorder’ that can be relegated to a secondary position in the universe of children’s health concerns, these results, along with other recent research, suggest that this is no longer acceptable,” Dr.

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Benefits Of Walking For Weight Loss

July 5th, 2010

You read about it in the papers and hear about it on the news. Federal health agencies say it could bust the Medicare trust fund well before Social Security gets into trouble. Your doctor may have even had a few words to say about your personal contribution to it. We’re talking about the nation’s obesity epidemic, of course.

There’s a constant drumbeat telling us that Americans are over-weight and getting heavier. Inevitably, fast food, lousy vending machine offerings, and ballooning portion sizes are part of the discussion. But that’s only half of the story. An impo

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