Parents 'killing obese children with kindness', says Government

Parents will be accused by the UK Government of "killing their children with kindness" in a new anti-obesity campaign, it has been reported. It is thought publicity will appear around the country featuring children declaring themselves doomed to die of heart disease or diabetes, and blaming the actions of their parents. The campaign is said be based on on an unpublished report by the Department of Health that has been sent to senior NHS managers. According to The Observer, the report says three million young families must be better informed about nutrition to prevent their children becoming obese. It reportedly features a photograph of three young children with the caption: "One of us will die of heart disease or diabetes when we're older because of the foods our parents let us eat now." - Telegraph

Weight can be kept off no matter how it's lost

"Obese people who have lost substantial amounts of weight without surgery can do just as well at maintaining the healthier weight as their peers who lost weight via gastric surgery. That's the finding of the first study to compare the two strategies. However, people who go the non-surgical route may have to work harder to keep the weight off, Dr. Dale S. Bond of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and colleagues found. Bariatric surgery is agreed to be the most reliable way for very obese people, meaning those more than 100 pounds overweight or with a body mass index of 40 or greater, to lose weight long-term, Bond and colleagues write in the International Journal of Obesity. While recent research has shown intensive behavioral interventions can also help, their long-term effectiveness is unknown. Source: International Journal of Obesity, online December 2, 2008" - Reuters

Obesity 'controlled by the brain'

Seven new gene variants discovered by scientists suggest strongly that obesity is largely a mind problem. The findings suggest the brain plays the dominant role in controlling appetite, and that obesity cannot easily be blamed on metabolic flaws. Two international studies, published in Nature Genetics, examined samples from thousands of people for the tiniest genetic changes. Many of the seven key variants seem to be active in the brain - BBC

Leading pharmacologists to meet in Brighton, UK

The latest developments in drug discovery - including solutions to tackle obesity, the latest on the Northwick Park drug-trial disaster and issues surrounding drugs used in sport and the Olympics - will be highlighted at a conference in Brighton, UK, next week. The British Pharmacological Society, Europe's leading pharmacological research society, is to host its Winter Meeting in the seaside resort, attracting experts from across the world. Running from 16 to 18 December, the three-day conference will hear the latest research tackling the global obesity problem. Other researchers will present their work on the safety of drugs, particularly the new biopharmaceuticals developed in the wake of the Northwick Park drug-trial disaster in 2006 that left six volunteers fighting for their lives. A third theme of the conference will examine the latest techniques using stem-cell therapies to tackle heart disease.

One in three adults obese by London 2012

One in three adults in England will be obese within four years, placing considerable strain on the NHS, latest projections show. Researchers from University College London claim that 13 million adults in England will be classified as obese by the time London hosts the Olympic Games, as defined by their body mass index. Researchers, publishing their findings in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, arrived at their findings by analysing trends in obesity between 1993 and 2004. Analysis of the Health Survey for England, which includes data on 128,000 households - including occupation and social class - found that half of those who will be obese in 2012 will be from low income and disadvantaged communities, "widening the health gap between the haves and have-nots even further".

- inthenews.co.uk