obesity

If I log that milkshake do the calories still count?

Weight-Loss App Doesn't Help Young Adults Shed Pounds

5:25pm November 06, 2015

by Lynne Shallcross

We love apps. We'd love to lose weight. So weight-loss apps sound like a win. But tech-savvy young adults using an app didn't do any better than those trying to control weight the old-fashioned way.

Americans Are Using More Prescription Drugs; Is Obesity To Blame?

11:03am November 03, 2015

by Alison Kodjak

We're a nation of legal drug-takers, with 59 percent of adults using at least one prescription drug. That's up from 50 percent 10 years ago. Increased rates of obesity may be the cause.

Scaring People Can Make Them Healthier, But It Isn't Always The Way To Go

7:35pm November 02, 2015

by Lynne Shallcross

Fear campaigns can motivate people to quit smoking or eat less. But fearmongering can go too far. When is scaring for health's sake acceptable, and when is it distasteful?

Leahya Ellis and other spinning class participants use exercise as a way to shake away stress, anger and depression.

Biking Behind Bars: Female Inmates Battle Weight Gain

10:25am October 14, 2015

by Taunya English

Women in prison often eat to relieve stress or boredom. The resulting weight gain can make other physical and emotional problems worse. In one prison, spinning helps keep the pounds and rage at bay.

Queue Listen Now

Obesity Maps Put Racial Differences On Stark Display

3:34pm September 25, 2015

by Jane Greenhalgh

Obesity, with all its dire health consequences, is hitting some ethnic groups harder than others. Environment plays a big role. And it affects not just individual health, but the health costs of all.

The People Of Nauru Want To Get Healthy — So Why Can't They Succeed?

4:19pm September 22, 2015

by Vicky Hallett

The Pacific island nation is a symbol of just how hard it is to deal with obesity and diabetes. They're part of a new report on how countries of every income level struggle with these health issue.

Bacillus subtilis may look like pasta under the microscope, but the bacteria are common in the gut of humans. Could the microbes be contributing to our belly fat? Too soon to tell, scientists say.

Does This Phylum Make Me Look Fat?

10:35am August 20, 2015

by Katherine Harmon Courage

The relationship between the types of microbes in our gut and belly fat is turning out to be a lot more complicated than scientists first thought.

At a camp for overweight children in Beijing, students stretch after taking a swim.

Some Chinese Grandparents Are Making Their Grandkids Fat

6:36pm July 29, 2015

by Linda Poon

A new study shows that children in China who are mainly cared for by grandparents instead of Mom and Dad are twice as likely to be overweight — contributing to the country's obesity epidemic.

University of Chicago medical student Manny Quaidoo adds a pinch of salt to the spinach feta frittata he's learning to cook as part of a culinary medicine class.

Health & Safety

A Dose Of Culinary Medicine Sends Med Students To The Kitchen

2:36pm July 06, 2015

by Monica Eng

Aspiring doctors at the University of Chicago are learning how to teach patients about healthy eating. Nutrition advocates say this kind of training is critical to fighting obesity and diabetes.

Queue Listen Now

Do food-laden environments really contribute to obesity or is it the other way around?

Health & Safety

How We Store Food At Home Could Be Linked To How Much We Eat

6:40pm May 19, 2015

by Angus Chen

Could keeping food out of sight be a way to keep it out of your mouth? A new study points to a possible tie between how food is stored, how visible it is in the home and obesity.