Why does obesity lead to early-onset puberty?
A new study from the journal Pediatrics
Finds that girls are beginning to develop breasts at the early age of 7 or 8. These results support the findings of a 1997 study that noted puberty beginning in girls at the age of 7 or 8. But why are our children starting puberty so much earlier? Evidence indicates that the increasing rates of obesity play a major role.
Why does obesity lead to early-onset puberty? Adipose (fat) tissue is metabolically active; fat tissue produces estrogen. The more fat tissue a child has, the more estrogen she is exposed to. It is generally accepted that overweight kids begin puberty earlier for this reason.
The study, which was conducted in New York’s East Harlem, the Cincinnati metropolitan area and the San Francisco Bay area, showed that by age eight, 27% of girls had begun puberty and showed breast development. By age seven, 15% of girls were developing breasts.
There were differences among races. By age 7, 10.4% of white girls had reached puberty, up from 5% in a 1997 study. In contrast, 23.4% of African-Americans and 14.9% of Hispanics had reached puberty. Also, at age 8, 18.3% of whites, 42.9% of blacks and 30.9% of Hispanics had reached puberty.
The study examined 1,239 girls aged between six and eight.
Though the study did not address why US girls were reaching breast development earlier, it found that heavier girls reached puberty earlier. Marcia Herman-Giddens of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill has said that the earlier puberty could be related to the rising obesity rate among US citizens. Currently, a third of US children are overweight or obese. Scientists and researchers are also worried about chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA) and atrazine that could disrupt growth hormones
Weight loss surgery helps obese diabetes patients: study
Results of a large national study show that nearly three-quarters of obese patients with type 2 diabetes who undergo weight-loss surgery are able to stop insulin and other antidiabetes drugs within six months.
In the Johns Hopkins study of insured, obese, diabetic patients, researchers also found that in the third year following surgery, average annual health care costs per patient decreased by more than 70 percent. The study is published in the Archives of Surgery this month
Makary and his colleagues studied 2,235 adults with Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance from throughout the United States who had type 2 diabetes and underwent bariatric surgery during a four-year period from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2005. The average age of those in the study was 48 years old and 74.5 percent were women. More than 23 percent of participants were insulin dependent while more than 50 percent took metformin hydrochloride to keep their diabetes in check.
Makary and his colleagues found that within one year following surgery, the number of patients dependent on insulin dropped from 524 (23.4 percent) to 101 (5.5 percent). Those on metformin dropped from 1,129 (50.5 percent) to 156 (8.4 percent).
Makary says that while bariatric surgery has been shown to result in long-term weight loss, improved lifestyle and decreased mortality in many patients, its impact on diabetes has not been widely studied
Obesity diabetes link found
Scientists in Australia have discovered that inflammatory cells present in the fat tissues resist the body to the effects of insulin, which is commonly taken by the patients of type II diabetes.
The results of the study will revolutionise the way diabetes is commonly treated nowadays and help in developing new drugs, which help to control diabetes.
Scientists from Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research studied fat tissue from more than 100 lean and obese patients. Their analysis provides the evidence that white blood cells known as macrophages, in fat tissue start a process leading to diabetes.
The study also reflects that when obese people lose their weight, the risk of developing insulin resistance and diabetes also reduced. In Australia, more than 50% of adults are overweight and around 1.2 million people in Australia, are suffering from type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes occurs when the human body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone necessary to convert sugar into the energy needed for daily life.
More than 80 percent of people who suffer Diabetes are with Type 2 diabetes which can be easily tackled if only we adopt active lifestyle and learn to eat healthy.
Their findings, published in the journal Diabetes. The research was supported by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, the Victorian Government, Diabetes Australia Research Trust and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians Research and Education Foundation
It’s official now: millions of British women are overweight
It’s official now: millions of British women are overweight – which is dramatically leading towards a multi-billion pound boom in plus-size clothing.
Almost a quarter of women in the UK or around 6.2million now wear size 18 or above. According to the new data, since 2005, the plus-size market for women’s wear in size 18 and above has increased by 45 per cent in contrast to larger-size menswear which is growing up at six per cent since 2005.
Retail stores have experienced a 45 per cent rise in women’s plus-size clothing sales in just five years.
Rising number of obesity is also leading towards shortage of shops offering wide choices for women size 18 and above. The most purchased women’s clothing size in the UK is size 12, at 31 per cent, followed by size 14.
Over the last 25 years, the number of people classed as either overweight or obese in England has tripled according to the UK government Foresight program.
Cholesterol danger for women
AUSTRALIAN women have higher cholesterol than their male counterparts, according to a study of almost 200,000 patients over five years.
The study by medical research group Baker IDI Heart and the Diabetes Institute found that four out of five women aged 45-64 have high levels of LDL, or bad, cholesterol.
Another 34 per cent have levels of HDL (good) cholesterol below the preferred level for heart protection.
The average total cholesterol level for middle-aged women was 5.5 compared to 5.3 for men
Professor Simon Stewart from Baker IDI said the results were from the data analysis of 200,000 GP patient cholesterol records from 2004 to 2009.
The levels of good, bad and total cholesterol between patients in GP clinics in both high and low income areas were consistent, revealed the study.
Because of the change in the dietary patterns and lifestyles observed in all sections of the community, Prof Stewart said the health and wealth differences with relation to cholesterol level may not exist anymore.
Prof Stewart said, “It is concerning to find that many women are neglecting their heart health
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