Obesity Linked to Heart Failure Risk

Swedish studies add heart failure to the list of cardiac problems linked to overweight and obesity. That report gave results of two studies, one of 36,873 Swedish women and one of 43,487 Swedish men, who were followed for six years and tracked for body-mass index (BMI) and the incidence of heart failure. Overweight is defined as a BMI between 25 and 30, and obesity as a BMI of 30 or higher. By that definition, 34 percent of the women in the study were overweight and 11 percent were obese, while 46 percent of the men were overweight and 10 percent were obese. More...

Study: Nearly 20% of American children are obese

Almost one in five of all American 4-year-olds are obese, and some 31% of American Indian children and more than 20% of black and Hispanic children are obese, a study found. Researchers said the high rate of obesity was a concern for such a young population. More...

Obesity Boosts Gum Disease Risk

Data from a study that followed some 37,000 men for 16 years showed obese adults had a 29% higher risk of periodontal disease than those at normal weight. The researchers also said men with a waist of 40 inches or more had a 19% higher risk of gum disease. A second study by the team found men and women with an elevated waist-to-hip ratio were almost six more likely to have gum disease than those without an elevated waist-to-hip ratio. More....

Multivitamin tests show varying levels of ingredients

A report from ConsumerLab.com found that more than 30% of multivitamins tested had significantly more or less of an ingredient than claimed. Some had ingredient levels that exceeded tolerable upper limits for health safety, the report found. The tests also found that some of the multivitamins were contaminated with lead. More...

Study: Children get too few fruits, veggies

Researchers found that children consume an average of two cups of fruits, vegetables or juices per day, which is at the bottom of the recommended range. French fries account for about 25% of vegetable consumption, while juices make up 40% of fruit intake. More...