Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Lower level health Centres in Uganda do not have the ability to detect, manage and treat Non-Communicable Diseases. This is according to a study carried out by the Uganda Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance-UNCDA, an umbrella body that brings together the Uganda Cancer Society, Uganda Heart …
Read More »Obesity-linked cancers on the rise in young adults
Paris, France | AFP | A sharp increase in the rate of obesity-linked cancers among young adults in the United States could foreshadow a reversal in the overall decline in cancer mortality, researchers warned Monday. In a sweeping study covering two-thirds of the US population, they showed that half a dozen …
Read More »‘Radical rethink’ needed to tackle obesity, hunger, climate: report
Paris, France | AFP | To defeat the intertwined pandemics of obesity, hunger and climate change, governments must curb the political influence of major corporations, said a major report Monday calling for a ‘global treaty’ similar to one for tobacco control. But this will not happen unless ordinary citizens demand a …
Read More »Americans have grown fatter, shorter since 1999: US data
Washington, United States | AFP | Americans have got fatter over the past two decades, adding girth to their bellies and even growing fractionally shorter on average, according to federal health data released Thursday. The report gave no specific reasons for the trends, which come as no surprise as the …
Read More »Five surprising things making you fat
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | People might think battling unwanted fat is down to sheer willpower, but medical research says otherwise. Here are five potentially surprising factors that can affect your weight, as unearthed by ‘The Truth About Obesity’. 1. Gut microbes Prof Tim Spector believes a lot of human …
Read More »Study challenges ‘healthy but obese’ theory
Paris, France | AFP | Being overweight or obese does pose a risk of heart disease, despite claims to the contrary, a study of nearly 300,000 British adults suggested Friday. While it is generally accepted that being overweight increases a person’s disease risk, some researchers have recently suggested that carrying …
Read More »Linger over lunch to lose weight: study suggests
Paris, France | AFP | People who wolf down their food could lose weight simply by chewing longer and pausing between bites, study results suggested Tuesday. Research involving nearly 60,000 Japanese people showed a link between eating slower or faster, and losing or gaining weight. “Changes in eating speed can affect …
Read More »Diabetes, obesity behind 800,000 cancers worldwide: study
Paris, France | AFP | Nearly six percent of new cancers diagnosed worldwide in 2012 — some 800,000 cases — were caused by diabetes and excess weight, according to a study published Tuesday. Among the 12 types of cancer examined, the percentage of cases chalked up to these factors was …
Read More »Mexican 10-month toddler weighing 28 kilos baffles doctors
Tecomán, Mexico | AFP | Like any other 10-month-old, Luis Manuel Gonzales babbles and touches anything within reach. But he stands out in a stunning and perhaps life-threatening way: he weighs 28 kilos (62 pounds). He might need medical treatment costing a fortune, but his father earns a little over …
Read More »‘World’s heaviest woman’ dies in Abu Dhabi hospital
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | AFP | An Egyptian believed to be the world’s heaviest woman died Monday morning of heart and kidney failure at an Abu Dhabi hospital. A team of more than 20 doctors had been caring for Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty since her arrival at Burjeel …
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