Get Healthy!

If you have a late dinner and then head to bed, beware: You may gain weight while you sleep, a new study suggests.

That's most likely because your metabolism slows, boosting blood sugar and other chemicals that contribute to weight gain and type 2 diabetes, researchers say.

"It's not just what you eat, but when you eat that may be a factor in promoting conditions like obes...

Genetics may explain why some women gain weight when using a popular method of birth control, researchers say.

"For years, women have said that birth control causes them to gain weight but many doctors failed to take them seriously," said lead study author Dr. Aaron Lazorwitz. He's assistant professor of obstetrics/gynecology and family planning at the University of Colorado School of...

As if the childhood obesity epidemic isn't bad enough, new research warns that over one million more American boys and girls stand to become obese if coronavirus-related school closures continue through the end of the year.

The culprit: a steep rise in sedentary behavior following the spring shutdown of school and afterschool sports and activities across all 50 states.

"If s...

Beware of your fridge, pantry and couch during the coronavirus pandemic.

Being cooped up at home with easy access to food can lead to overeating. Couple that with routine housekeeping, working from home, homeschooling your kids and tending to loved ones, and it's a sure-fire recipe for weight gain, experts at the University of Georgia in Athens warn.

"These tasks have been a...

One side effect of the coronavirus pandemic could be long-lasting: U.S. school closures may worsen the child obesity crisis, experts warn.

Previous research has shown that kids tend to gain weight when they're out of school during the summer -- especially Hispanic and black youngsters and children who are already overweight.

"There could be long-term consequences for weight ...

Long-term heavy drinking may lead to significant weight gain and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke in older adults, British researchers warn.

They analyzed data from more than 4,800 U.K. civil servants who were 34 to 56 years old when the study began in the mid-1980s. Three-quarters were men.

Heavy drinking -- defined as three or four drinks, four or more times a...

Piling on extra pounds speeds up the decline of lung function in older adults, a new study suggests.

While lung function decreases naturally as people age, researchers linked moderate or significant weight gain to an even sharper decline.

The study included 3,700 people in Europe and Australia who were recruited between the ages of 20 and 44, and followed for 20 years.

Obesity in middle age is associated with an increased risk of dementia later in life, according to a study of more than 1 million women in the United Kingdom.

Those who were obese in their mid-50s had 21% greater risk of being diagnosed with dementia 15 or more years later, compared with women who had a healthy weight, a team of British and international researchers found.

T...

From Halloween through New Year's, holiday weight gain affects people the world over and, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, it can happen with any major holiday, not just the winter ones.

As you might know firsthand, it's a lot harder to lose that weight than to put it on. So even if you start every new year with just an extra pound or two,...

There's evidence that the old expression "eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper" could use some tweaking. With one important revision, this approach could help not just for better health, but also for losing weight.

A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that when you eat rather than what you eat could have th...

Smoking is a notoriously tough habit to quit, but a new study suggests it is far harder for women to stop than it is for men.

Why? The researchers point to a higher prevalence of anxiety and depression in women, which might interfere with even the best intentions to kick the habit. And one expert noted that prior evidence has shown that women's brains react differently to nicotine.

Too much salt has long been linked to high blood pressure. In fact, one way to help control blood pressure is to reduce your salt intake. Research done at Vanderbilt University and published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation shows that salt may also be involved in weight gain.

Traditional thinking has been that salty foods make people drink more water, but the scientists...

Teens who stay glued to screens, be it televisions or electronic devices, are not only getting less exercise -- they're more likely to down too many sugary, caffeinated drinks, according to a new study.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 32,400 U.S. students in grades 8 and 10. They found that more than 27% exceeded recommended sugar intake and 21% exceeded recommended c...

Adults who pack on pounds between their mid-20s and middle age have an increased risk of premature death -- and the same is true of those who lose weight from middle to late adulthood, according to a new study.

The findings suggest that maintaining normal weight throughout adulthood reduces the risk of early death, the China-based researchers said.

They analyzed data from mo...

If you're overweight but have dodged chronic health issues like high cholesterol and high blood pressure, you might not think that losing weight is a priority. But an analysis of five years of records on 3.5 million people -- underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese -- has found reason for concern.

The researchers discovered that even if people didn't have any metabolic diseas...

It happens to most aging Americans: Excess pounds pile on, despite efforts to eat right and exercise.

Now, research in fat cells reveals why it's so tough to stay slim as you get older. The new findings could point to new ways to treat obesity, Swedish investigators say.

A team led by Peter Arner of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm analyzed fat cells taken from 54 men a...

Whether you call it soda, pop or a soft drink, a new study's findings suggest it would be better for your health to drink water instead.

The large European study found that people who have more than two sodas a day -- with or without sugar -- had a higher risk of dying over about 16 years than people who sipped the fizzy beverages less than once a month.

"We found that hig...

When summer fruits and vegetables start to disappear from grocery stores, and the action shifts indoors to watching sports and munching on unhealthy snacks, it helps to have a diet plan in place to avoid weight gain.

First, remember that farmers' markets are still open across the country. You can buy local as long as you make the shift from summer crops to fall ones. That means tomato...

Do you eat healthy during the week, then ease off the brakes on the weekend? You're not alone.

But such a five days on-two days off eating regimen can erode diet quality, according to a study published recently in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Not only did participants take in more calories on weekends than on weekdays, they were less healthy calories, ...

Could following a Mediterranean diet during pregnancy help head off gestational diabetes and excess weight gain?

A British study says the answer is yes.

But the researchers added that the eating regimen -- which is high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds and olive oil -- does not reduce the overall risk of complications for mother and baby.

Th...

It's not easy maintaining a healthy weight. Even when you manage to drop a few pounds, they often return.

Why would the body seem to encourage obesity?

New research suggests the answer lies far back in human evolution, with an anti-starvation mechanism that primes the body to store fat.

The key to this mechanism is a protein dubbed "RAGE," according to New York Un...

When a high school senior becomes a university freshman, change is the name of the game. A new school. New friendships. Even new ways of eating.

As healthy, home-cooked meals give way to a campus diet of beer and pizza, student waistlines tend to expand. But new research shows it is the waistlines of boys that expand the most.

"Males and females display different patterns of...

Women, beware: Sleeping with a light on or the TV going in your bedroom could make you put on weight.

That's the finding of new research published in JAMA Internal Medicine. While the study doesn't prove that sleeping with a light on causes weight gain, it suggests the two may be linked, the researchers said.

"Turning off the light while sleeping may be a useful tool...

New research illustrates a heartbreaking, vicious cycle: Teasing kids about their weight not only bruises their self-esteem, it also appears to trigger more weight gain.

In fact, middle schoolers who reported high levels of weight-related teasing had a 33% higher jump in their body mass index per year compared to peers who weren't teased about their weight. The ridiculed kids also...

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer vacation -- a season of potato salad, ice cream and, if you're not careful, unwanted weight gain.

But it is possible to avoid packing on the pounds. Just hop on the scale every day, researchers suggest.

The new study included 111 U.S. adults, who weighed themselves every day from mid-November 2017 to early January 2018 and r...

Expectant mothers and doctors have focused a lot on how much a woman gains during pregnancy, but new research suggests how much a woman weighs before getting pregnant may be far more important.

The study found that the more a woman weighed at the start of her pregnancy, the more likely she was to experience complications such as high blood pressure, preeclampsia, gestational d...

If you're watching your weight, you probably know to avoid sugary and fatty foods. But what about preservatives?

Eating a preservative widely used in breads, baked goods and cheese may trigger metabolic responses that are linked to obesity and diabetes, an early study suggests.

The additive, called propionate, is actually a naturally occurring fatty acid produced in the gut....

Even though marijuana triggers the "munchies" in many people, adults who use the drug tend to weigh less than nonusers, a new study finds.

The finding stems from data on the weight of 33,000 Americans, 18 and older. Researchers found that all gained weight over three years. However, those who used pot bulked up less than those who did not.

The study also found that new and p...

Teaching preschoolers about healthy habits can reduce their risk of obesity and heart disease later in life, new research suggests.

The New York City study included 562 youngsters in 15 preschools in Harlem, which has a largely black and Hispanic population. The two groups are known to have an increased risk of heart disease.

At the study's start, the 3- to 5-year-olds answe...

As obesity becomes epidemic among Americans, many could over- or underestimate their odds for piling on the pounds. But a new genetic "score" might take the guesswork out of all of that, researchers say.

Using information on more than 2 million gene variants linked to body weight, the scientists created a so-called polygenic score that may help quantify a person's obesity risk.

You've probably seen headlines screaming that a favorite star is packing on the pounds. Tyra Banks, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lawrence -- no matter how thin, no celebrity seems immune from "fat-shaming."

Now, research shows the trend could have a ripple effect, making the non-famous feel bad about their bodies, too.

"Fat-shaming is socially acceptable and it's so common we d...

Mindlessly switching from your smartphone to other media devices and back again might lead to added pounds, scientists say.

A small, new study found that heavy-duty media multitaskers also tended to be heavier, weight-wise.

It's possible that these devices are actually changing the brain, theorized lead author Richard Lopez, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at Rice Uni...

Need another reason to stay slim? People who are overweight have a greater risk of dying from pancreatic cancer, especially those who are carrying extra pounds before age 50, a new study suggests.

"No matter what the age, there was some increase in pancreatic cancer deaths associated with excess weight. But the association was stronger for excess weight measured in people's 30s and 4...

Maybe you rush around with work and activities during the day, then settle in for a large, relaxing meal in the evening. But new research says the later in the day you eat, the more weight you're likely to pack on.

That's the takeaway from a week-long study involving 31 overweight and obese patients, mostly women.

"We evaluated meal and sleep timing in patients with overweig...

Slow and sneaky weight gain usually happens over time -- on average one pound a year -- so it's not always obvious at first, especially if you don't regularly weigh yourself.

But if this weight creep goes unnoticed year after year, by middle age, your middle may lose the sleek look you had when you were younger.

Several factors could be to blame. Maybe you're exercising les...

Candy dishes, cupcakes and cookies abound in the typical office, so if you're striving to eat healthy, the workplace can be a culinary minefield.

Researchers surveyed more than 5,000 people and found that about one in four working adults said they got food or beverages from work at least once a week. Many of those foods were high in calories, processed grains, and added sugar and sal...

Thinking of eating healthier in 2019? Kickstarting with the Whole30 diet may be a good choice, a dietitian suggests.

But you have to be careful when you start a diet that restricts foods. These diets can be risky, according to Ohio State's Lori Chong, a certified diabetes educator.

The Whole30 program is only supposed to be used for 30 days. The diet requires you to cut out...