Tag: Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Could 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 CenterCan 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 CenterA Look Inside Pennington Biomedical’s Cell Biology and Cell Imaging Core
The Cell Biology and Bioimaging Core (CBBC) provides access to state of the art imaging, analytical, and histological equipment as well as technical expertise and assistance to researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University’s main campus, and outside the university system. Take a look at the latest from the Core!
Categories: Videos Tags: Pennington Biomedical Research CenterPennington 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 CenterPennington Study Tests What Role Diet, Exercise Play in Infertility, Ovarian Cysts
One of the most common causes of infertility in women may be cured with exercise or a healthy diet. Researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center are testing whether walking on a treadmill and eating better work as a treatment for polycystic ovarian syndrome, a disorder that causes cysts to form on a woman’s ovaries and raises the risk of type 2 diabetes and other diseases. The disorder is usually treated with expensive medications or fertility treatments, said Leanne Redman, an associate professor at Pennington. “Most women cannot afford fertility treatments, which is what’s needed for many couples affected by … Read More »
Categories: News Tags: Pennington Biomedical Research CenterPennington STARCH Study
Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge is always working on some way to improve your diet. Their latest is known as the ‘STARCH Study’. The goal of the clinical trial is to determine the effect of slowly digesting starch on gut bacteria, sugar and fat metabolism, hunger hormones and body fat in people with pre-diabetes. Participants eat two servings of blueberry yogurt each day, while researchers measure changes to bacteria levels in the large intestine. Those who’ve participated say it works. “I was pre-diabetic, so I wanted to take precautions before anything else happened in my life that would … Read More »
Categories: News, Videos Tags: Pennington Biomedical Research CenterWeighty Issues: Pennington’s Kid-Focuses Clinic Finds Fun Ways to Tackle the Obesity Trend
By now, many New Year’s resolutions of weight loss and healthy living have gone by the wayside thanks to a decadent Mardi Gras season, weak resolve or poor planning. And it’s no help that many festivities in south Louisiana revolve around food and drink. Long-term weight loss here is hard. But after 20 years of intense study, researchers and physicians know how to help adults lose weight. And it’s no big secret. Winning the battle of the bulge requires adhering to tried-and-true behavioral modifications in exercise and diet. But while researchers have focused on satisfying the demand for adult weight-loss … Read More »
Categories: News Tags: Pennington Biomedical Research CenterSignature: Dr. Amanda Staiano
Dr. Amanda Staiano’s surprising prescription for fighting adolescent obesity? Video games. Staiano completed a study, aptly named Klub Kinect, where teen girls played Xbox Kinect dance “exergames” as a way to get fit. Exergames are active video games that require full body movement, such as Just Dance and Dance Central. While they played, Staiano monitored the participants from behind two-way mirrors. While the official report will be published later this year, the preliminary results were encouraging: Almost all participants completed the trial, and many were in much better shape when they left than when they started. It’s no coincidence that … Read More »
Categories: News Tags: Pennington Biomedical Research CenterThe Effect of Eight Weeks of Overfeeding on Ectopic Fat Deposition and Insulin Sensitivity
Abstract The presence of large subcutaneous adipocytes in obesity has been proposed to be linked with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes through the “adipose tissue expandability” hypothesis, which holds that large adipocytes have a limited capacity for expansion, forcing lipids to be stored in nonadipose ectopic depots (skeletal muscle, liver), where they interfere with insulin signaling. This hypothesis has, however, been largely formulated by cross-sectional findings and to date has not been prospectively demonstrated in the development of insulin resistance in humans. Key Findings Subjects gained 7.6 +/- 2.1 kg (55% fat) and insulin sensitivity decreased 18% (P<0.001) after … Read More »
Categories: Publications Tags: Pennington Biomedical Research Center