Obesity

SAN ANTONIO -- Children with high blood pressure are more likely to snore and have other sleep disordered breathing problems than normotensive peers, researchers reported here.

NEW YORK -- A Mediterranean-style diet -- spare on red meat and heavy on fruits, vegetables, and olive oil -- may help to fend off Alzheimer's disease, reported researchers here.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Weight, height, and race independently influence prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, and each may distort the risk of prostate cancer, researchers here reported.

GLASGOW, Scotland -- For overweight preschoolers, an extra dose of physical activity was not enough to shed the pounds, found researchers here.

BOSTON -- Quaffing Coke, Pepsi, and their carbonated cola cousins, including decaf and diet versions, is associated with lower bone mineral density in older women, researchers here reported.

BETHESDA, Md. -- Obesity and smoking, when combined, add up to as much as a fivefold increase in the risk of early all-cause mortality.

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Approximately a third of U.S. boys and girls, ages 12 to 19, failed to meet cardiovascular fitness standards, with overweight and sedentary lifestyles taking much of the blame, according to a national survey.

A 65-year-old woman presented to her primary care physician with a 3-month history of worsening cough, now productive of copious blood-tinged secretions. She also reported a recent onset of fever and dyspnea. She denied any chest pain, chills, night sweats, and weight loss.

BOSTON -- Mothers who gained weight between pregnancies increased their risk for maternal and perinatal complications during the second pregnancy, according to a large Swedish study.

LODZ, Poland -- In open Roux-en-Y gastric bypass polypropylene mesh used to hold the incision closed prevents hernias despite extreme obesity, researchers here reported.

BALTIMORE -- Acute diverticulitis is not as rare an occurrence in younger adults as commonly believed, particularly for obese men.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Many patients haven't a clue about the meaning of the dietary information in food labels, researchers here reported.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Diabetes is a strong predictor of acute organ failure and early death for obese or non-obese patients alike, eclipsing even obesity without diabetes, researchers here reported.

NEW ORLEANS -- Coronary artery disease patients younger than 55 reap a greater benefit from formal cardiac rehab and exercise training than those who are older, found a study here.

CHICAGO -- For "super-obese" patients, biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch appears to achieve better weight loss than Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, researchers said.

BOSTON -- The use of a GnRH agonist for local or regional prostate cancer is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, coronary heart disease, heart attack, and sudden cardiac death, according to researchers here.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Contrary to popular wisdom, obese mothers do not push food on their children with more gusto than mothers of normal weight, a study here suggested.

ATLANTA -- About one in three residents of Louisiana, Mississippi, and West Virginia are obese, which makes these the fattest states in the U.S.

ATLANTA -- About one in three residents of Louisiana, Mississippi, and West Virginia are obese, which makes these the fattest states in the U.S.

MONTREAL -- New imaging modalities offer impressive anatomical and functional images, but physicians must understand their benefits and limitations in order to develop a rational, safe, and cost-effective approach to their use.

MONTREAL -- New imaging modalities offer impressive anatomical and functional images, but physicians must understand their benefits and limitations in order to develop a rational, safe, and cost-effective approach to their use.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Statins dramatically reduced markers of inflammation in patients with metabolic syndrome, researchers here reported.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Statins dramatically reduced markers of inflammation in patients with metabolic syndrome, researchers here reported.

A 44-year-old African American woman presented to the emergency department with constipation of 4 days' duration. She also complained of a sticking sensation in her throat over the past year and dysphagia to solids but not liquids. Over the past 2 years, she had an unintentional 40-lb weight loss, which she attributed to decreased appetite.

SENDAI, Japan -- Cup after cup of green tea earned a high grade for reducing all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in a study here, but cancer mortality drew a blank.

SENDAI, Japan -- Cup after cup of green tea earned a high grade for reducing all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in a study here, but cancer mortality drew a blank.

ST. LOUIS -- An early warning sign for Alzheimer's disease could be accelerated weight loss, found a study of aging and memory.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- A high level of physical activity in the year before a diagnosis of breast cancer seems to bestow a benefit for overweight and obese women but not for those of normal weight, according to researchers here.

BOSTON -- The anaplastic large cell lymphoma diagnosed in Boston Red Sox rookie pitcher Jon Lester, detected by his uncle, is a childhood non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a high-grade malignancy with a favorable clinical course.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Watchful waiting when faced with overweight preschoolers and elementary school children is poor pediatric practice, concluded a longitudinal study of more than 1,000 U.S. children.