(Reuters) – Vivus Inc’s silence on its strategy to boost sales of obesity drug Qsymia has increased doubts about whether the pill will reach its full commercial potential. Qsymia was the first diet pill to launch in the United States in more than a decade. But both doctors and patients have shown reluctance to embrace it and other diet pills, including Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc’s Belviq, because of the long history of safety concerns surrounding diet treatments. Analysts said on Tuesday that Vivus, with its limited sales force, needed a partner to ensure the drug’s success.

Even small increases in blood sugar caused by a diet high in carbohydrates can be detrimental to brain health. Recent reports in medical literature link carbohydrate calorie-rich diets to a greater risk for brain shrinkage, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, impaired cognition, and other disorders.

By Shereen Jegtvig NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – People who eat a vegetarian diet tend to have lower blood pressure than non-vegetarians, according to a new review of past studies. Researchers said for some people, eating a vegetarian diet could be a good way to treat high blood pressure without medication. Vegetarian diets exclude meat, but may include dairy products, eggs and fish in some cases. High blood pressure contributes to a person’s risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disorders and other health problems.

In a report on obesity levels in the 53 countries of the WHO’s European Region, the United Nations health agency said up to 27 percent of 13-year-olds and 33 percent of 11-year-olds are overweight. We must not let another generation grow up with obesity as the new norm,” said Zsuzsanna Jakab, the WHO’s regional director. Among adults, rates of women who don’t engage in enough physical activity range from 16 percent in Greece and 17 percent in Estonia to 71 percent in Malta and 76 percent in Serbia. Joao Breda, a WHO expert on nutrition, physical activity and obesity, said peoples’ living environments – including the layout of town, cities, schools and workplaces – are crucial to increasing rates of exercise.

By C.E. Huggins NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Overweight and obese women who gain too few pounds, or even lose weight, during pregnancy may be putting their unborn child at risk, a new study suggests. “While many people recommend that weight loss in pregnancy, particularly for very obese women is ok . (there) may be adverse effects,” said Dr. Patrick Catalano, director of the Center for Reproductive Health at MetroHealth in Cleveland, Ohio. “We don’t have much data, in particular on body composition changes in overweight (or) obese women who lose weight,” said Catalano, who led the new study.

Your fight against breast cancer begins now—in the kitchen. While not all oncologists embrace the link between nutrition and a reduced risk, citing insufficient evidence, some researchers say there are certain “boob foods” women can include in an overall healthy diet that might improve the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. Here’s a roundup of 5 of them.        

Researchers from The Miriam Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island made an interesting discovery regarding a social gaming site’s link to weight loss. DietBet is an online commercial weight loss program that combines social influence with financial incentive, resulting in “significant” user weight loss. Published in JMIR Serious Games, Tricia Leahey, Ph.D. and her team at the The Miriam Hospital Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center were interested in the results of DietBet and similar web-based programs. “Online social weight loss programs are accessible to large numbers of overweight and obese individuals who want to lose weight,” Leahey noted, “but there has been little research to date on whether such programs are effective, or just how much weight loss they generate.”

Title: A Judgmental Doctor May Make It Hard to Lose Weight
Category: Health News
Created: 2/19/2014 9:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 2/19/2014 12:00:00 AM

By Svea Herbst-Bayliss BOSTON (Reuters) – Nutrition and weight loss products company Herbalife Ltd lowered its forecast range for 2014 sales and again defended itself on Wednesday against allegations by billionaire investor William Ackman that its business is a fraud. Herbalife, embroiled in a dispute with Ackman who over the past 14 months has accused the company of being a pyramid scheme, discussed earnings projections and its response to a U.S. lawmaker’s inquiry into its business with analysts on a quarterly call. Sales are expected to grow between 7.5 percent and 9.5 percent this year, in part because of strong business in China. Investors said that may have added to pressure on Herbalife’s stock price, which closed down nearly 4 percent on Wednesday at $66.18 per share.