Is obesity more deadly than science suggests?

Experts say prior studies that examined the link between obesity and death are flawed because they rely on one-time measures of body mass index (BMI) that obscure the effects of weight change over time. Studies that fail to distinguish between people who never exceeded normal weight and people of normal weight who were formerly overweight or obese are misleading because …

Ben Spencer – The placebo effect IS real – even when patients know the treatment they are getting is fake

The placebo effect is real – even if you know the treatment you’ve been given has no medical value, research has concluded. Scientists found patients given a fake painkiller continued to feel benefits from it after they were told it was not genuine. But there was a catch. In order to feel these effects, the subjects had to be conditioned …

Researchers Want Chinese Medicine Thunder God Vine To Cut Obesity

An extract from the thunder god vine, which has a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine, reduces food intake and causes up to a 45% decrease in body weight in obese mice. The weight-loss compound, called Celastrol, produces its potent effects by enhancing the action of an appetite-suppressing hormone called leptin. The findings, published May 21 in Cell, are an early …