Fat people to be paid to walk

Pay the obese to take a walk: New £30m health drive sees fat people paid to walk their children to school

By DANIEL MARTIN
Last updated at 11:00 PM on 10th November 2008

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Exercise routine: The daily walk to school may earn points

Overweight parents will be paid to walk their children to school under plans to tackle the obesity epidemic.

Those who attend keep-fit classes, weight-loss clubs or even go for a run in the park would also be eligible for rewards.

They will collect points on supermarket-style loyalty cards which would be redeemed against healthy food, sports equipment or gym sessions. 

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Obesity - the biggest health challenge

"Obesity is the biggest health challenge we face" Photo: PA

The figures emerge as the Government launches its most extensive drive to stem the growing epidemic by encouraging people to eat more healthily and take regular exercise.

Statistics now suggest obesity is increasing to such an extent that within the next 50 years around 90 per cent of adults will be obese.

Around 9,000 people now die prematurely of obesity-related conditions each year and a third of 11- and 12-year-olds are overweight.

Mr Johnson said: "It's the curse of modern life. We eat too much and don't take enough exercise to burn off the calories.

"If this trend continues, by 2050 nine out of 10 adults and two thirds of all children will be overweight or obese.

"Obesity is the biggest health challenge we face."

Obesity drug withdrawn due to risk of psychiatric disorders

Drug used by about 3,000 Irish people to treat obesity

A DRUG used by about 3,000 Irish people to treat obesity has been withdrawn from the market after it was found to double the risk of psychiatric disorders, writes Genevieve Carbery

The prescription drug, Acomplia, used in Ireland since 2006, was suspended by the Irish Medicines Board (IMB) following a recommendation by the European Medicines Agency yesterday.

"There is an approximate doubling of the risk of psychiatric disorders in obese or overweight patients taking Acomplia compared to those taking a placebo," the agency said in a statement.  more 

Such psychiatric side-effects include depression, sleep disorders, anxiety and aggression, the agency said. Warnings about the side effects have been included in the product information.

Surgery is 'only means to healthy weight loss'

By Steve Connor, Science Editor

Tuesday, 9 September 2008

PA

This Morning presenter Fern Britton had a gastric band fitted two years ago, which enabled her to lose 5 stones

The number of Britons undergoing drastic stomach surgery to treat obesity will have to soar in the coming years because it will be the only way that many people are able to maintain the weight loss necessary for a healthy life, scientists have said.

Dieting and other lifestyle changes can lead to substantial weight loss. But many people, the scientists said, find it hard to maintain the loss because hormone levels change, making the body want to produce more fat.

"Once you start losing weight by decreasing calorie intake, your body interprets this as starvation and goes into emergency status, fighting to lay down fat deposits where possible," explained Rachel Batterham of University College London. "Therefore you are fighting against your body when losing weight."

Stomach surgery such as gastric bypass operations should not only be carried out on severely obese people, but offered to overweight men and women as a form of disease prevention, in much the same way statins are offered to prevent heart disease, they said. Read full story

'Good' Fat to Prevent Obesity

Study Identifies Protein That Produces 'Good' Fat: Finding May Lead To Ways To Treat, Prevent Obesity

ScienceDaily (Aug. 21, 2008) — A study by researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center has shown that a protein known for its role in inducing bone growth can also help promote the development of brown fat, a "good" fat that helps in the expenditure of energy and plays a role in fighting obesity.

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"Obesity is occurring at epidemic rates in the U.S. and worldwide and that impacts the risk and prognosis of many diseases," said Yu-Hua Tseng, Ph.D. an Assistant Investigator in the Joslin Section on Obesity and Hormone Action and lead author of the paper published in the August 21 issue of Nature. "We hope this study can be translated into applications to help treat or prevent obesity."

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