Weight Loss Research: Chemical exposure linked to rising diabetes, obesity risk ♦ From brain, to fat, to weight loss ♦ Study finds dramatic benefits of weight-loss surgery ♦

From brain, to fat, to weight loss A breakthrough study shows that fat tissue is innervated and that direct stimulation of neurons in fat is sufficient to induce fat breakdown. These results set up the stage for developing novel anti-obesity therapies

Overweight health bloggers perceived as less reliable A blogger's weight affects her or his credibility with readers seeking food advice, according to a study. The study revealed that when a blogger is overweight, as shown in the blogger's photo, readers are far more skeptical of the information that blogger provides when compared with a thin blogger's recommendations, even when the content is exactly the same.

Chemical exposure linked to rising diabetes, obesity risk Emerging evidence ties endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure to two of the biggest public health threats facing society -- diabetes and obesity. EDCs contribute to health problems by mimicking, blocking or otherwise interfering with the body's natural hormones. By hijacking the body's chemical messengers, EDCs can alter the way cells develop and grow. Known EDCs include bisphenol A (BPA) found in food can linings and cash register receipts, phthalates found in plastics and cosmetics, flame retardants and pesticides. The chemicals are so common that nearly every person on Earth has been exposed to one or more

Study finds dramatic benefits of weight-loss surgery A study evaluating the effects of bariatric surgery on obese women most at risk for cancer has found that the weight-loss surgery slashed participants' weight by one-third and eliminated precancerous uterine growths in those that had them.

Women's Health: Exposure to phthalates could be linked to pregnancy loss ♦ Acupuncture reduces hot flashes in breast cancer survivors ♦ Young women with diabetes have 6-fold risk of heart attack

Young women with diabetes have 6-fold risk of heart attack Women aged 45 years and under with diabetes have a six-fold risk of heart attack, according to new research. The study in more than 7,000 women also found that young women who had a heart attack (myocardial infarction, MI) were more likely to be smokers than older women with MI.

New symptom may help identify sleep apnea in older women Obstructive sleep apnea may be underdiagnosed in postmenopausal women. A new study strongly associates the condition's traditional risk factors with nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting), suggesting that it may be an additional screening factor for doctors to consider.

Exposure to phthalates could be linked to pregnancy loss A new study of more than 300 women suggests that exposure to certain phthalates -- substances commonly used in food packaging, personal-care and other everyday products -- could be associated with miscarriage, mostly between 5 and 13 weeks of pregnancy.

Acupuncture reduces hot flashes in breast cancer survivors Acupuncture may be a viable treatment for women experiencing hot flashes as a result of estrogen-targeting therapies to treat breast cancer, according to a new study. Hot flashes are particularly severe and frequent in breast cancer survivors, but current FDA-approved remedies for these unpleasant episodes, such as hormone replacement therapies are off-limits to breast cancer survivors because they include estrogen.

Health Research: New psoriasis drug is more effective ♦ Phthalates risky to human health ♦ Lack of education as deadly as smoking

New psoriasis drug is more effective than current treatment A phase II clinical trial shows that a new psoriasis drug called guselkumab has greater efficacy than the current standard of care for the chronic skin condition. Psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease that causes itchy, dry and red skin. It also increases a patient's risk for depression, heart disease and diabetes, among other conditions.

Phthalates: 'Safer' replacements for harmful chemical in plastics may be as risky to human health According to a new series of studies, two chemicals increasingly used during manufacturing to strengthen plastic wrap, soap, cosmetics, and processed food containers have been linked to a rise in risk of high blood pressure and diabetes in children and adolescents.

Why social workers aren't discussing religion, spirituality with clients Licensed clinical social workers, who account for the largest number of clinically trained helping professionals, believe that discussions about their clients' religion and spirituality can often lead to improved health and mental health, but practitioners are not integrating these conversations into their counseling sessions.

Gene therapy restores hearing in deaf mice Using gene therapy, researchers have restored hearing in mice with a genetic form of deafness. More than 70 different genes are known to cause deafness when mutated. The scientists focused on a gene called TMC1 because it is a common cause of genetic deafness, accounting for 4 to 8 percent of cases, and encodes a protein that plays a central role in hearing, helping convert sound into electrical signals that travel to the brain.

Deaths attributed to low levels of education: Lack of education as deadly as smoking A new study estimates the number of deaths that can be linked to differences in education, and finds that variation in the risk of death across education levels has widened considerably