Students in 188 Illinois schools will get fresh fruits and vegetables to eat this school year. The Illinois State Board of Education said Wednesday the schools will participate in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. The federally funded program would provide fresh produce throughout the school day. (Source: RWJF News Digest - Childhood Obesity)MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

General obesity, and specifically the accumulation of fat around the abdomen, is linked with systemic atherosclerotic burden, South Korean research suggests. (Source: MedWire News - Lipidology)

When given a choice, organisms will choose a diet that maintains a nutritional balance in tune with their needs. That choice, studied in fruit flies for the first time, is regulated by activity in a molecular pathway involved in aging, cancer and diabetes. Humans share the same molecular pathway. The study, the first to be done in a genetically tractable lab animal, could lead to treatments that would "reboot" metabolic pathways in individuals who are obese or suffer from diabetes. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

School children who consume foods purchased in vending machines are more likely to develop poor diet quality -- and that may be associated with being overweight, obese or at risk for chronic health problems such as diabetes and coronary artery disease, according to new research. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

(NaturalNews) Dr Oz was recently found to have a precancerous colon polyp which was surgically removed. Following this experience, he appears to be surprised and confused about the origin of the condition, and he credits colonoscopy screening with saving his life.Dr Oz even seems to think he has a perfect health record, saying, "I have done everything right. I don't have any family history, and yet I'm high risk now." His personal physician, meanwhile, is implying that even though Dr Oz's "healthy" diet was perfect, it wasn't enough to prevent colon polyps, and therefore you might get them too. (And therefore everybody should get screened...)Dr Jonathan Lapook, went on to say "...no matter what you do, you can't totally eliminate your risk of developing this disease, which is expected to s...

A study in the Sept. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that teens who slept less than eight hours per weeknight ate higher proportions of fatty foods and snacks than adolescents who slept eight hours or more. The results suggest that short sleep duration may increase obesity risk by causing small changes in eating patterns that cumulatively alter energy balance, especially in girls... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Students who eat foods and beverages sold in school outside of the school lunch program may have a higher risk of obesity, U.S. researchers say. Obesity - United States - Vending machine - Business - Vending (Source: Health News - UPI.com)

A new study examined the effects of stress on the meal patterns and food intake of animals exposed to the equivalent of everyday stress on humans. The results suggest that, not only does stress have an impact on us in the short term, it can cause metabolic changes in the longer term that contribute to obesity. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

Both gastric bypass and gastric banding are cost-effective ways to reduce diabetes-associated complications and mortality among severely obese individuals with diabetes, according to research published in the September issue of Diabetes Care. (Source: Modern Medicine)

Major depression is a common and disabling brain condition marked not only by the presence of depressed mood but also by its effects on sleep, energy, decision-making, memory and thoughts of death or of suicide.   Major depression affects 15 million adults in the U.S., and the World Health Organization projects that by 2020, it will be the largest contributor to disability in the world after heart disease.   While antidepressants have helped many to recover and resume their lives, only 30 percent of patients will experience full remission with the first medication they use. Patients typically move on to try a series of other antidepressants. A persistent problem with such drugs has been major side effects, including obesity, sexual dysfunction, fatigue, drowsiness and n...

Cardiometabolic risk factors for psychiatric outpatients, including obesity, hypertension, and glucose abnormalities, are often untreated, according to a US mental health clinic screening program. Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Nurses Headlines)MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

September 2, 2010 (U-M) - School children who consume foods purchased in vending machines are more likely to develop poor diet quality – and that may be associated with being overweight, obese or at risk for chronic health problems such as diabetes and coronary artery disease, according to research from the University of Michigan Medical School.   The study also looked at foods sold in school stores, snack bars and other related sales that compete with USDA lunch program offerings and found that these pose the same health and diet risks in school-aged children. read more (Source: Diabetes News from dLife.com)

LAVAL, Quebec, Sept. 2, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This release replaces and supersedes the press release sent earlier today. Acasti Pharma Inc., a subsidiary of Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc. ("Neptune") (Nasdaq:NEPT) (TSX-V:NTB) reports significant results on the effects of its anti-dyslipidemic investigational drug candidate CaPre(tm) on C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, a biomarker of CardioVascular Disease risk (CVD) and associated with diabetes and obesity. (Source: Medical News (via PRIMEZONE))

Gender differences in health and disease are widely known, yet they have not been sufficiently explored by the biopharmaceutical industry. (Source: Disabled World)

Minutes from the NACRHHS, which provides recommendations on rural health and human services issues to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Meeting included the following topics: childhood obesity, Early Head Start programs, and rural implications of payment bundling and accountable care organizations. -- National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (Source: Rural publications via the Rural Assistance Center)

Contrave (naltrexone SR/bupropion SR), an investigational drug aimed at combination therapy to address both biological and behavioral drivers of obesity, will be developed and commercialized by Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited in the USA, Canada and Mexico. The two drug firms have just signed an exclusive partnership for the North American area. The Contrave combination treatment targets the central pathways involved in controlling the balance of both food consumption and metabolism, as well as regulating eating behavior, Orexigen informs... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

Orexigen signed a North American partnership for its experimental obesity drug Contrave with Takeda Pharmaceutical. (Source: WSJ.com: Health)

September 2, 2010 (EurekAlert) - Elsevier announced today the publication of four important position statements from the European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) in the journal Maturitas on common management problems in the post-reproductive health of women. The statements cover the management of the menopause in the context of obesity, epilepsy, endometriosis and premature ovarian failure. Each statement has summary recommendations as a quick aid for the busy clinician. read more (Source: Diabetes News from dLife.com)

(MedPage Today) -- Overweight patients with cardiovascular risks who took the weight-loss drug sibutramine had an increased likelihood of experiencing a cardiac event, a large randomized trial found. (Source: MedPage Today Cardiovascular)

Two studies reveal that smokers may have a significantly lower risk of developing lung cancer and colorectal cancer with the drug metformin, which is commonly prescribed for diabetes type 2 treatment, the medical journal Cancer Prevention Research informs. Metformin, originally sold as Glucophage, is the first-line drug of choice for diabetes type 2 patients, especially those who are obese or overweight, as well as diabetes patients with normal kidney function. Metformin may have the following brand names: Fortamet, Glucophage, Glucophage XR, Glumetza, or Riomet... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)