Weight Loss, Study | featured news

Researchers are reporting success with using cash incentives to help people lose weight. In a yearlong study, people were offered a chance to win or lose $20 a month if they met certain diet goals. They lost an average of 9 pounds compared to just over 2 pounds for other study participants who were not offered the chance to win money if they shed pounds.

For some people with diabetes, surgery may be the best medicine. Two studies have found that weight loss operations worked much better than the standard treatments to control Type 2 diabetes in obese and overweight people. Those who had surgery to staple the stomach and reroute the small intestine were much more likely to have their diabetes go into complete remission, or to need less medicine, than people given the typical regimen of drugs, diet and exercise, the studies found. The surgery also helped many to lower their blood pressure and cholesterol.

A new study to be published in the October issue of the journal Appetite shows just how simple cutting calories, without the hunger, can actually be. The secret is portion-controlled meal replacements.

Taking short breaks from sitting, even for only one minute, might whittle your waistline and improve your heart health, according to a new study.

Final data from a new study showed that the diet drug Meridia increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes in patients who already have heart disease, but offered only moderate weight loss.