Researchers are now reporting that they have identified a protease (protein) responsible for weight gain and the one that can inhibit fat generation, reports The Latin Times. The researchers from Mexico and Spain — who hail from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the Autonomous Metropolitan University (UAM), the National Institute of Genomic Medicine (IMEGEN) and Landsteiner Scientific Laboratory with the Spanish subsidiary Neopharm Obesity — have disclosed that the new information will help them create an effective drug to fight obesity in target populations. "Obesity is one of the major problems that we will 'attack' with the use of genomic medicine," said Francisco Kuri Brena, director of new developments from the laboratory. "There are already companies ...
Two new studies provide compelling evidence that obesity increases the risk of the most common type of postmenopausal breast cancer among both black and Hispanic women, EMaxHealth reports. The studies, which are being unveiled at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) annual conference Oct. 29-31, 2014, in Washington, show that associations between body weight and breast cancer risk seen among white women also hold true for black and Hispanic women. In the first study, researchers at Cancer Prevention Institute of California found that "healthy-weight Hispanic women who gain pounds through adulthood have increased risk for estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) positive tumors after menopause." In the second study, researchers at the Rutgers Cancer ...
Obese Latinos struggle more than four times as much with binge eating disorder than the overall population, according to a post by The Bella Vita Eating Disorder Program. Why is binge eating a problem for Latinos? Dr. Patricia Pitts, founder and CEO of The Bella Vita, mentions three reasons: Acculturation (the adjustment to a new culture). "The negative effects of acculturation to American culture on diet and substance use are emerging in the research. Acculturation also carries health risks for both obesity, type two diabetes, and cardiovascular disease."
Income. "Low-income individuals must deal with barriers to affordable, quality fruits and vegetables, walking or exercising in unsafe neighborhoods, and finding the time to engage in healthy eating habits while struggling ...
More than half of the estimated U.S. cancer deaths projected to occur this year are related to preventable causes, according to the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) reports. The top preventable cancer causes are: Tobacco use (33%)
Obesity or overweight (20%)
Cancer-causing pathogens (16%)
Insufficient physical activity (5%)
Poor dietary habits (5%)
Exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun or tanning devices (2%) The report indicates that more than 50% "of the 585,720 cancer deaths expected to occur in the United States in 2014 will be related to preventable causes." But changes with changes to diet, activity habits and weight, approximately 1 in 3 cancer cases are preventable, according to the AICR. "More ...
Seven in every 10 obese adults underestimate how much someone weighs, according to a new study, Health Canal reports. The study, which analyzed the body image perceptions of 253 mothers and their children (82.2% of them Hispanic), found that mothers of overweight/obese children also underestimated their children’s size. Overweight and obese children also often misjudged their own body size, and their obese mothers’ size. The study found that:
71.4% of obese adults and 35.1% of overweight adults underestimated size, compared with 8.6 percent of people of normal weight. Among overweight and obese children, 86.3 percent and 62.3 percent, respectively, thought they weigh less than they do vs. 14.9 percent of children of normal weight. About 80% of mothers of overweight ...
Promoting work across sectors to solve obesity is a key priority for the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Roundtable on Obesity Solutions, a group that engages leadership from multiple sectors (public health, health care, government, the food industry, education, philanthropy, the nonprofit sector, and academia) to address the obesity crisis. The Roundtable's new video addresses the promise of innovative new collaborations to reverse the obesity epidemic in the United States. Roundtable members discuss the importance of cross-sector work that engages sectors traditionally responsible for health promotion—such as health care providers and public health agencies—and nontraditional partners—such as city planners, members of the media, and business leaders—to work together to improve ...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 48% of obese boys and 36% of obese girls think their weight is “about right.” Among kids and teens who were merely overweight, 81% of boys and 71% of girls also judged their weight to be “about right.” This information comes from the CDC's recently released, "Perception of Weight Status in U.S. Children and Adolescents Aged 8–15 Years, 2005–2012," which survey'd youth about how they perceive their own weight. Some of their key finding include: About one-third of Mexican-American (34.0%) and non-Hispanic black (34.4%) children and adolescents misperceive their weight status compared with non-Hispanic white children and adolescents (27.7%).
Approximately 81% of overweight boys and 71% of overweight girls ...
The national childhood obesity rate has leveled off, but rates are still far too high – and racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities persist with more than 39% of Latino kids overweight or obese. What needs to happen to show bigger results, faster? Join leaders from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, American Heart Association, City of Philadelphia Government, UCSF School of Medicine, & AcademyHealth for a TEDMED Great Challenges Hangout about childhood obesity, and how we can all make sure ALL children can grow up at a healthy weight. How do we make sure all children can grow up at a healthy weight? What are some of the underlying environmental and societal causes that must be addressed? What could corporate, community and policy leaders do to further address this critical ...
Dr. Cynthia Mojica, a researcher at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, is among five new appointees to the Advisory Committee on Minority Health for the Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The 10-member committee advises the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health on improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations. Members are appointed by the secretary for their minority health expertise. Mojica, who will serve on the committee through 2018, has extensive experience conducting research in cancer prevention and control. She has made strides to increase cancer screening and diagnostic follow-up, as well as obesity prevention, with an emphasis on ...
