obesity

A lap band displayed on a model of a human stomach. It creates a small pouch at the top of the stomach that makes people feel full more quickly.

Bariatric Surgery Cuts The Risk Of Death Years Later

1:23pm January 13, 2015

by Nancy Shute

People considering weight-loss surgery haven't had much evidence on long-term risks or benefits. A study finds lower death rates after surgery, even for people who were older and less healthy.

When You Burn Off That Fat, Where Does It Go?

10:25am December 18, 2014

by Nancy Shute

Lipid metabolism may not sound sexy, but it's how you fit into that smaller pair of jeans. And when the fat says farewell, it has to go somewhere. Only some of it winds up in New Jersey.

Health & Safety

Does Snoring Leave Tots More Vulnerable To Childhood Obesity?

7:36am December 15, 2014

by Alison Bruzek

Young kids who don't get enough shut-eye, or who are noisy breathers when they doze, are more likely to have weight issues as adolescents, a British study suggests.

This Chinese teenager weighs 353 pounds. At a "slimming center" in China's central Hubei province, he's exercising and undergoing acupuncture to lose weight.

The Whole World Is Fat! And That Ends Up Costing $2 Trillion A Year

5:37pm November 30, 2014

by Jason Beaubien

Nearly a third of us are overweight, and some of the worst rates of obesity are in the developing world. All this corpulence takes a huge economic toll.

Queue Listen Now

The average American consumes the equivalent of 19.5 teaspoons a day in added sugars, but there are no federal guidelines recommending a limit.

Health & Safety

How Much Sugar Is Too Much? A New Tool Sheds Some Light

5:09pm November 25, 2014

by Lisa Aliferis

SugarScience, a website created by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, distills the findings of 8,000 scientific studies on the health effects of sugar. The takeaway? Eat less.

A recent study found obese women are more likely than other women to work physically demanding jobs, like the kind that call for hard hats. They're less likely to work in jobs that require a lot of interaction with clients and customers — jobs that, on

Obese Women Make Less Money, Work More Physically Demanding Jobs

7:34am November 09, 2014

by Rebecca Hersher

A 65 percent increase in a woman's weight is associated with a 9-percent drop in earnings. A recent study investigated what's behind that "obesity penalty," and why it hits women harder than men.

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The majority of voters in San Francisco and Berkeley, Calif., voted in favor of a soda tax, but the measure didn't gain the required two-thirds majority required in San Francisco.

Berkeley Decides To Try Taxing Away Its Soda Habit

5:46pm November 06, 2014

by Lisa Aliferis

Many cities and states have tried, but Berkeley, Calif., is the first to pass a penny-per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. The goal is to reduce sugar consumption to improve public health.

Proponents of the taxes say that if the measures pass, the money would be directed, in San Francisco, toward childhood nutrition and recreation and, in Berkeley, into the city's general fund.

Soda-Makers Try To Take Fizz Out Of Bay Area Tax Campaigns

10:35am October 31, 2014

by Sarah Varney

Voters will decide on a penny-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks in Berkeley and a 2-cent-per-ounce tax in San Francisco. But the soda industry's lobbying group has spent millions blasting the measures.

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Photos from Liz Paul's blog entries on Prior Fat Girl. The blog chronicles women's weight loss journeys.

Social Media, The New Weapon In The Battle To Lose Weight

2:25pm October 21, 2014

by Patti Neighmond

Liz Paul has struggled with her weight for years. A diet group helps, but it only meets once a week. So she has turned to social media for daily feedback and support. Studies find it can help.

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Carlos Romero and girlfriend Kate Rowe sit down for a meal they cooked together. Two years ago, Carlos Romero weighed 437 pounds.

For The Formerly Obese, Stigma Remains After Weight Is Lost

9:34am October 07, 2014

by Sarah Varney

People who have lost significant weight are uneasy about revealing that in online dating profiles, because obesity is often judged as a moral failing. Research shows they have good reason to worry.

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