Prenatal diet could increase the risk of unhealthy eating and obesity in the offspring, a new study reports. Pregnant mice fed high omega-6 and low omega-3 diets were more likely to have offspring that were more inclined to consume hyper-caloric foods, increasing their risk of obesity. Read More
Persistent obesity from young adulthood to middle age is linked to an increased risk of mortality. The risk is reduced if people lose weight from being obese to overweight between early adulthood and middle age. Read More
Maternal obesity may hinder their child's brain development as soon as the second trimester of pregnancy. High maternal BMI is associated with changes to the child's prefrontal cortex and anterior insula, two brain areas associated with decision making, and behavior. Read More
Beta2-adrenergic receptors in brown fat cells are responsible for stimulating thermogenesis. Read More
Obesity and higher body mass are linked to decreased cerebral blood flow. Lower cerebral blood flow is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease and a range of psychiatric disorders. Read More
Obesity risk in teens appears to be associated with stronger connectivity within and between regions of the brain implicated in determining the salience of stimuli. This may have implications for reward processing. Researchers report executive control efforts in the brain decrease when salience and reward-processing regions are engaged in teens with obesity. Read More
Normally bushy networks of neural fibers within fat tissue shrink in the absence of leptin, but grow back when the hormone is administered in drug form. The alterations influence the ability to burn energy stored in fat in mouse models. Read More
Too much coffee consumption can increase the risk of osteoarthritis, arthropathy, and obesity, a new study reports. Researchers say drinking more than six cups of coffee a day can increase the risk of ill health. Read More
Rats fed on a high-fat diet were more mentally exhausted following a novel object recognition test than those fed a healthier diet. Findings suggest high-fat diets not only contribute to obesity, but they can also have an impact on mental fatigue and cognitive abilities. Read More
Exercise during pregnancy stimulates the production of brown adipose tissue in the developing fetus. This can help reduce the risk of childhood obesity. Read More
Study links olfactory perception to fat storage. Optogenetically inhibiting or activating an olfactory neural circuit in C. elegans promoted the loss or gain of fat storage. Read More
Obesity's effects on cognitive decline, mobility, hypertension, and stress are similar to those of aging. Researchers argue that obesity should be considered a form of premature aging. Read More