Category: News
Ten Major Errors in Obesity Research Discussed
Concerns about rigor in science, particularly obesity research, have been raised in recent years, and a movement is underway to proactively help investigators structure the design and reproducibility of their science. A paper from investigators at the University of Alabama at Birmingham recently published in Obesity identifies several key statistical errors commonly seen in obesity research with discussions on how to identify and avoid making these mistakes. “Our goal is to provide researchers and reviewers with a tutorial to improve the rigor of the science in future obesity studies,” said Brandon George, PhD, statistician in the University of Alabama at … Read More »
Categories: News Tags: University of Alabama at BirminghamAngiopoietin-Like 4 Genetic Mutations Linked to Coronary Artery Disease
Summary Elevated levels of circulating triglycerides are a risk factor for ischemic cardiovascular disease, and activation of lipoprotein lipase, an enzyme that is inhibited by angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4), has been shown to reduce levels of circulating triglycerides. In this study the exons of ANGPTL4 were sequenced in nearly 43,000 subjects from the DiscovEHR human genetics study to identify missense variants, including the previously known E40K variant, and other inactivating variants. Carriers of E40K and other inactivating mutations in ANGPTL4 had 13% lower levels of triglycerides and a 19% lower risk of coronary artery disease than did noncarriers. Additional experiments revealed that … Read More »
Categories: News Tags: Mid-Atlantic MarylandCould Playing Video Games Help Kids Lose Weight, Gain Confidence?
Child obesity more than doubled between 1980 and 2012, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls it an “epidemic.” But what if video games could actually help kids lose weight? A new study by a group of Louisiana researchers is showing how they can actually play a big role in children’s health, reports CBS News correspondent Jamie Wax. Jerry Walker is a dancing machine, but it’s not all fun and games – there’s a mission behind the 12-year-old’s moves. “I’m like, “Oh, yes, I am so ready to get in shape. I will get in shape,'” Jerry said. … Read More »
Categories: Featured News, News, Videos Tags: Pennington Biomedical Research CenterConsistency of a Mobile Body Composition Trailer: A Novel Portable Laboratory Assessment?
Despite the physical demands of firefighting, several recent studies have reported that greater than 75% of all current and new firefighter recruits are overweight and/or obese. Research also suggests that obesity had a significant impact on lower back muscular endurance. Eric Ryan, PhD, Assistant Professor of Exercise and Sport Science, and his research team recently completed a feasibility study with the Kannapolis Fire Department using the UNC Nutrition Obesity Research Center’s mobile body composition trailer. The purpose of this study was to assess the test–retest reliability and minimum difference values of air-displacement plethysmography (ADP) and the Siri 3-compartment (3-C) model in … Read More »
Categories: Featured News, News, Publications Tags: University of North Carolina at Chapel HillCan Video Games Help Youngsters Lose Weight?
To stay healthy, kids might not have to press pause on their video game habits. Playing active video games that encourage dancing and low-intensity activity may actually help overweight and obese kids lose weight, according to researchers at Baton Rouge’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center. One in five American children is obese, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with Louisiana ranking fourth in the nation in childhood obesity. With children spending about eight hours a day in front of screens — TVs, video games or computers — using video games to help kids lose fat or maintain … Read More »
Categories: News Tags: Pennington Biomedical Research CenterUNC Human Research Core Invites Nutrigenomic Research to the NC Research Campus
Even though hundreds of study participants and numerous researchers have taken advantage of the Human Research Core in the UNC Nutrition Research Institute, it is one of the best kept secrets on the NC Research Campus (NCRC) in Kannapolis, NC. But now that Jomari Torres, MD, is the medical director, the HRC will not be a secret for long, especially to those interested in conducting nutrigenomic studies. Torres joined the NRI earlier this year to promote the services and capabilities of the HRC to companies, medical practitioners and researchers on and off the NCRC. Her job is made easier by the … Read More »
Categories: News Tags: University of North Carolina at Chapel HillServing up ‘Food for All” at UNC
As far as steering committee co-chairs Marcie Cohen Ferris, PhD, and Alice Ammerman, DrPH, are concerned, UNC’s food theme is [pardon the pun] organic to the campus. “We don’t see this as something we are doing to the campus,” said Ammerman, who is professor of nutrition at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health and director of the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. “[Rather,] it’s the campus rising up together and getting inspired by the theme and each other, crossing disciplines and working side-by-side with the community.” This past spring, Chancellor Carol L. Folt announced the University’s … Read More »
Categories: News Tags: University of North Carolina at Chapel HillUCSF Awarded Funds to Launch Nutrition Obesity Research Center
Obesity is a growing global epidemic and a major factor that contributes to several leading causes of death in the United States, such as diabetes, stroke, heart disease and cancer. UC San Francisco was recently awarded federal funds to launch a Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (NORC) – one of only 12 such centers nationwide – to support and facilitate studies on obesity, nutrition, and metabolism at UCSF and across northern California. The 12 NORCs, supported by grants from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), are specifically designed to research the development of obesity and … Read More »
Categories: News Tags: University of California San FranciscoPennington Scientists Make Discovery Related to Body’s Fat-Use, Diabetes
Scientists at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center have made a discovery about the way fat is stored and used in the body, which could help with the development of new treatments for obesity-related conditions such as pre-diabetes and diabetes. The discovery also could benefit people who have an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. New research from Professor Randy Mynatt and his team shows that mice lacking a certain gene in their skeletal muscle, which allows their bodies to burn fat, have adapted to burning blood sugar instead. The discovery goes against previous theories. Researchers believed diabetes and insulin … Read More »
Categories: News Tags: Pennington Biomedical Research CenterHow Many Steps a Day Should You Really Walk?
If you pluck someone off the street, whether in New York or Wichita or Seattle or Sacramento, and ask them how many steps people should aim for per day in order to get enough physical activity, they’ll probably tell you 10,000. In an age in which pedometers are cheaper, more accurate, and more feature-rich than ever, this number has taken on almost mythical proportions — a lofty-sounding goal (in reality, it’s approximately five miles, and a reasonably active person can pull it off fairly easily) that separates the active-lifestyle haves from the slothful have-nots. But is there any medical reason … Read More »
Categories: News Tags: Pennington Biomedical Research Center