'Children can outgrow obesity' - Exclusive interview

Posted by Neill Abayon

Researchers have developed a model revealing how excessive calorie intake can affect the weight of children and adolescents, suggesting that children can grow out of obesity, according to a study published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.

Researchers from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, as well as the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, say the model could lead to the development of new weight-loss programs for obese and overweight children.

Exclusive interview

Dr. Kevin Hall - lead study author and senior investigator at the laboratory of biological modeling at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - took part in an exclusive interview with Medical News Today.

Why did you develop this model?

"We wanted to better understand how growth in childhood and adolescence affects metabolism and body fat over time and how childhood obesity develops on this background of healthy weight gain during growth.

"We previously built a model of adult metabolism that quantified how changes in diet and physical activity lead to changes in body weight and body fat. We found that the adult model was much more accurate than previous calculations of weight changed based on the so-called '3,500 calorie per pound' rule."

More here.

Melon Extract Fights Obesity

Posted by Neill Abayon

Daily consumption of an antioxidant-rich melon extract may prevent obesity, according to a study with hamsters fed a high fat diet.

Consumption of the extract in combination with a high-fat diet resulted in 29 percent lower body weight compared to animals fed only the high-fat diet.

The melon extract is a rich source of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD). Sometimes called 'the enzyme of life', it is the first antioxidant mobilized by your cells for defense. It is thought to be more powerful than antioxidant vitamins, as it activates your body's production of its own antioxidants, including catalase and glutathione peroxidase.