It is widely considered the curry capital of Britain. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that the West Midlands has been named as the fattest place in Europe. Almost a third of adults living in and around Birmingham are obese – twice as high as the EU average. A damning report has pinpointed Britain as the ‘fat man’ of Europe, with a higher proportion of dangerously overweight adults than anywhere else on the continent. The West Midlands has the highest levels of obesity in the EU at 29 per cent, closely followed by the North East at 28 per cent. Doctors admitted they were ‘appalled’...

Obesity, Sedentary Habits Could Cost U.S. $3.4 Trillion by Decade’s End. Half of all American adults are destined to develop diabetes or pre-diabetes by 2020 if they don’t slim down, according to a dire new prediction that pegs the cost of their care at $3.35 billion by decade’s end. Under the scenario, if current trends continue, the ranks of American adults with excessive blood sugar levels would swell from 93.8 million this year (about 28 million diabetics and 66 million more with pre-diabetes) to 135 million in 2020. Sixty percent of the annual $500 billion burden of the...

China’s diabetes-related medical costs, estimated at 173.4 billion yuan ($26 billion) annually, will skyrocket in 10 to 20 years as 100 million sufferers seek treatment and care for related ailments such as kidney failure, stroke and blindness, health officials said. Diabetes accounts for about 13 percent of medical expenditures in China, the International Diabetes Federation said in a statement distributed before a media briefing in Beijing today to mark World Diabetes Day. The finding is based on preliminary data from a nationwide survey completed in August. China’s diabetics report three...

By Thomas Gryta Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ARNA) and Eisai Co.’s (ESALY, 4523.TO) weight-loss drug lorcaserin helped diabetic patients lose weight, according to recent data, but it is unclear if the findings are strong enough to help the drug get regulatory approval. The data, from a 600-patient study, comes after the Food and Drug Administration declined to approve lorcaserin in late October with a request for more information about cancer incidence in rat studies and additional data on lorcaserin’s effectiveness. The agency called lorcaserin’s weight-loss in previous studies...

By Katherine Steinberg More than 23 million people are living with diabetes in the United States, with 24 percent of cases going undiagnosed, according the American Diabetes Association. You may be at risk or already suffering complications and not even know it. Take a look at some surprising diabetes indicators. Breast Size If you’re a size D or larger at age 20, you may be up to five times more likely to develop diabetes than your flat-chested friends, according to a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. This finding is surprising because it indicates that breast...

(NewsCore) – A morbidly obese Florida man who lost 200 pounds in 16 months was giving fresh hope to sweet-toothed dieters Friday — after revealing his stunning weight loss was down to eating chocolate. At 448 pounds, Peter Ajello was so overweight he suffered a diabetic stroke and had to be hospitalized. His poor health scared him into cutting out junk food and he managed to lose 50 pounds in one month. His friends were so shocked by his success they bet him $15,000 he could not double his weight loss over five months. Despite the cash incentive, Ajello struggled to shed any more weight...

An injection that controls diabetes and fights obesity could be available in Britain by Christmas. The injection, called Victoza, has been given the go ahead by drugs watchdog the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. The jab, which also lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, could free many type-2 diabetics from having to take insulin, reports the Daily Mail. While insulin causes weight gain, Victoza, also known as liraglutide, sheds pounds – bringing extra health benefits. Rather than injecting insulin straight into the body, Victoza helps patients stabilise their blood...

May 22 is Europe’s first Obesity Day and will launch a series of campaigns centered on the goal of getting the 50% of Europeans that are overweight and obese to shed 5-10% of their overall bodyweight. By dropping the kilos, women and men will avoid other health challenges like diabetes and heart problems. US First Lady Michelle Obama launched an aggressive campaign against childhood obesity with Let’s Move in February but this is the first big step taken by the European Union. European Obesity Day’s (EOD) site offers detailed information on health tips and public policy plus...

By Pat Hagan A new drug could stop diabetes in its tracks in just six days. The drug, called otelixizumab, appears to halt the rapid decline in the body’s production of insulin. It works by switching off the immune system’s self-destruct mechanism that causes type 1 diabetes. This halts damage to the pancreas, allowing it to carry on producing its own insulin. Currently undergoing clinical trials, the drug seems to work best when given as soon as possible after someone has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. It is given as a daily jab for six days in a row. Diabetes affects two million...