Nutrition and weight-loss company Herbalife Ltd said it had agreed to give three more seats on its board to billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who has supported the company as short-sellers attacked its business practices. Herbalife shares, which were up 6.8 percent in early afternoon trading, also got a boost from news that rival direct-seller NU Skin Enterprises Inc had been fined just $540,000 by Chinese regulators for illegal sales practices. NU Skin’s shares were up 18.6 percent. Herbalife shares had lost more than a third of their value since NU Skin said in January that Chinese authorities had launched probes into its business.

Discussions with a dietary coach to learn about healthy eating were as effective as meeting with a counselor for problem-solving or “talk” therapy in preventing major depression among older black and white adults with mild symptoms of the mood disorder, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Maryland.

CINCINNATI (AP) — A 12-year-old girl with a rare case of medically induced obesity that pushed her weight past 200 pounds is recovering after weight-loss surgery.

NEW DELHI (AP) — Who would have expected a toilet to one day filter water, charge a cellphone or create charcoal to combat climate change?

Cells may age faster in obese teenagers who have a very salty diet, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology & Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism Scientific Sessions 2014.

Overweight or obese teenagers who eat lots of salty foods may show signs of faster cell aging, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology & Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity & Metabolism Scientific Sessions 2014.

By Shereen Jegtvig NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – In a new study suggesting laziness could be tapped as a tool for healthier eating, people reached for low-calorie apple slices more often than buttery popcorn when the apples were within easier reach. “There are the little things that we can do to just make our diets healthier, and one of them is the simple idea to just put the healthy foods closer to you and you’ll find you can use your laziness to your advantage,” Gregory Privitera told Reuters Health. Privitera, a psychology researcher at Saint Bonaventure University in Bonaventure, New York, led the study, which he says was inspired by experience with his kids. “Every time my kids would tell me, ‘I want a snack,’ I would point to the bowl of fruit on the kitchen table and just say, ‘go at it – you can have as many as you want.,’ and they’d say, ‘oh I don’t want that,’ and I’d say, ‘okay then, make your own snack,” Privitera recalled.

Constant hunger pangs aren’t the only tip-off that your weight-loss plan has crossed over into potentially dangerous territory. If you’ve recently started a diet, check out these signs that you could be harming your health or setting yourself up for a weight-loss fail.

Title: Genes May Influence Weight Gain From Fried Foods: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 3/19/2014 9:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 3/19/2014 12:00:00 AM

By Shereen Jegtvig NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Programs designed to prevent obesity in children may help lower kids’ blood pressure, according to a new review of past studies. Researchers found that programs targeting both diet and physical activity were more effective than programs that focused on one or the other. Although it’s generally thought of as a disease of middle-aged and elderly people, children can also develop high blood pressure, or hypertension. The American Heart Association recommends that children have yearly blood pressure checks, saying that detecting high blood pressure early will improve a child’s health.