The results of a new study released earlier this week indicated that nearly 1 in 5 American four-year-olds are obese, with alarming rates of obesity among young Native Americans.

Researchers from the National Center for Education Statistics surveyed the Body Mass Index (BMI) of 8,550 children born in 2001. The children were measured in their homes, and in 2005 the children's height and weight measurements were recorded to calculate their BMI. The findings were published in the Archive of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine on Monday.

A pair of medical experts has come up with a controversial idea to stop American kids and adults from consuming so many of the sugary drinks blamed for contributing to the nationwide obesity epidemic.
Yale University's Kelly Brownell and New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden are proposing a one-penny-per-fluid-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages like soda, sports drinks, juice and iced tea.
According to Wednesday's issue of the "New England Journal of Medicine," the team believes making sweet drinks more expensive than healthier options would do more to promote healthy eating than government-funded education programs alone.

New research has discovered a link between sitting down at a desk all day and obesity.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in the US conducted a study which examined the work and exercise habits of employees across the European Union.

The New England Journal of Medicine published three articles today on the subject of brown adipose tissue, or brown fat, in adults. Brown fat is considered a "good" type of body fat because it actively burns calories to make heat, unlike the "bad" white fat that simply stores energy and makes up most body fat.

Robert Spina of Azusa makes a living taking care of others, but he forgot to take care of himself along the way.

Spina, a pastor for 17 years at the 1,000-member New Beginnings Family Church in Monrovia, gives his time to the community. Last year, the church renovated the home of a 70-year-old woman raising seven children. The church also feeds about 500 people monthly and goes to the streets of Los Angeles on Saturdays with warm meals, blankets and clothing.

Spina and his wife also help his son, a widower, care for his two young children.

NHS spending on obesity has soared more than sevenfold in three years, figures show.

High demand for stomach surgery for obese patients as well as the cost of specialist equipment - such as larger examination couches - means the costs to primary care trusts (PCTs) have shot up.

Diane Helms has spent most of her life struggling with her weight.  She's tried just about every diet you can name and, despite them all, has watched the pounds pile on year after year. 

As the prevalence of diabetes has doubled in North Carolina and the nation over the past decade, doctors are only now beginning to unravel the complex series of cellular events that cause some people to develop the chronic disease, while others remain healthy.

And while a cure is elusive as ever, new findings among area researchers are creating additional targets for drug therapies - raising hope for the estimated 550,000 people in North Carolina who have diabetes.

As the Chief of General Surgery, Dr. Divino performs a variety of abdominal surgeries, both elective and emergent. Most of the 250-300 surgeries she performs a year are done using minimally-invasive techniques.

 As the prevalence of diabetes has doubled in the U.S. over the past decade, doctors are beginning to unravel the complex cellular events that cause some people to develop the chronic disease while others remain healthy.