Physical spaces where kids live, play and learn have big impact on obesity, eating behaviors
A USC study identifies the strongest environmental predictor of childhood and adolescent obesity.
Consumption of fast food linked to liver disease
The risk of liver damage is highest for people who are obese or have diabetes, a Keck School of Medicine of USC study found.
USC and CHLA win $24.5 million NIH grant to establish center aimed at improving Latino health across Southern California
The Southern California Center for Chronic Health Disparities in Latino Families and Children will focus on reversing obesity and obesity-related chronic diseases in Latinos with culturally sensitive solutions.
Local entrepreneur ready to revitalize South L.A. food deserts, with USC help
Thanks in part to guidance from USC’s Bridges to Business Success Program, Javonne Sanders believes her company, Toss It Up Salad, is primed to provide the community with much-needed healthy options.
‘Exercise hormone’ could prevent weight gain and maintain healthy muscles
Treating mice on high-fat diets with the peptide MOTS-c helped halt obesity-associated muscle atrophy, which USC scientists say could translate to muscle-wasting conditions in humans.
Childhood obesity linked to smoking, air pollution and other environmental factors
A first-of-its-kind USC study found that factors like secondhand smoke and a lack of exercise were associated with a higher BMI during childhood.
Better obesity treatments may lie ahead after discovery of key protein structure
An international team of scientists, led by Raymond Stevens of USC’s Bridge Institute, is investigating a protein in the brain that will likely be the target of improved obesity therapies.
Can We Tax Unhealthy Habits Away?
Boosting the cost of sodas and sugary drinks might not necessarily add up to better health, say USC experts.
Obesity, second to smoking as the most preventable cause of U.S. deaths, needs new approaches
A USC health economist notes how smoking among U.S. adults plunged after policy changes led to tactics including education, cigarette taxes and smoke-free public spaces.
Asthma may contribute to childhood obesity epidemic
USC-led international study shows asthma can make young people more susceptible to other health problems later in life.
Another year of high school contributes to weight loss despite genetics
Genes and years of education can influence whether someone becomes obese, according to USC Dornsife research.
How artificial intelligence can help us eat better
You are what your friends eat, according to USC researchers whose study aims to prevent obesity and diabetes in kids; AI may be able to find friends who are good influences.
Pregnant women deficient in vitamin D may give birth to obese children
Vitamin D supplements during pregnancy might help stem childhood obesity.
Where you live may influence whether you are overweight, study finds
People who move to an area with a high obesity rate are likely to become overweight or obese themselves.
Odds for weight loss are stacked against children who are obese early on
Most children who are obese before they start kindergarten remain so through adolescence, which raises the risk of health problems in adulthood, study finds.
1 in 5 children in the U.S. enter school overweight or obese, researchers find
As National Childhood Obesity Month begins, USC experts talk healthy habits and explain how sugar intake and diet affect the brain.
Overweight children are excluded from friendships and disliked by peers, USC study finds
Negative social interactions can increase the kids’ risk of loneliness, depression, poor eating habits and illness.
From mother to baby: ‘Secondhand sugars’ can pass through breast milk
Even a small amount of fructose in breast milk is associated with increases in a baby’s body weight.
Air pollution linked to heightened risk of Type 2 diabetes in obese Latino children
High levels of pollution may make insulin-creating cells become less efficient, increasing the risk for Type 2 diabetes, USC researchers say.
USC researcher receives $6 million for sugar-related obesity studies
Michael Goran will look into reducing sugar intake among Hispanic children and postpartum women.
Children with asthma are more likely to become obese, USC study finds
Even after accounting for exercise, asthmatic children may be more at risk of obesity.
There’s More to Body Fat Than You Might Think
New study has dire warning: Even a few extra pounds can kill you
Global study contradicts a previous finding that being overweight increases longevity.
In the battle of the bulge, researchers discover the benefits of friends and family
How social and family relationships can improve an adolescent’s obesity-related behaviors.