Researchers examined data on more than 8,000 fifth-, seventh- and ninth-grade students who underwent school-based BMI screening in California from 2001 to 2008. High BMI cut points used were the 85th, 95th 97th and 99th percentiles or higher.

When the researchers examined the prevalence of high BMI among girls, they found:

* Black and American Indian girls had increases in three of the four BMI cut points.

* Hispanic girls experienced an increase followed by a plateau after 2005.

* White girls’ prevalence increased from 2001 to 2005 before declining to 2001 rates.

* Asian girls experienced no change.

Obesity rates declining, but not in all adolescent groups

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and the rest of the world. One in three Americans is considered overweight or obese, including nearly one-third of our children.

The problem is even worse here in North Carolina, where nearly two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese. Sadly, we’re the fifth worst state in the U.S. with regards to childhood obesity.

Cure for obesity is one’s will, not a pill | BlueRidgeNow.com.

Fat Thanks to Anant P. for the photo tip!

Burger King is set to launch the Pizza Burger – a two-in-one dish that contains more than 2,500 calories and is four times the size of the chain’s Whoppers.

The meal will delight fast-food fans when it is exclusively introduced at Burger King’s Whopper Bar in Times Square, New York, next month.

Pizza-Burger: Burger King To Introduce The 2,500-Calorie Pizza Burger In New York In September | Sky News.

A nail salon in Georgia, worried that their expensive chairs might break, charged a customer an additional five dollars because she is overweight.

Michelle Fonville Was Charged Extra At Georgia Salon Because She’s Fat – ABC News.

MUNCIE — If Cynth’ya Reed’s Great Depression-era elders could see her tossing the top part or the entire bun from her McDonald’s sandwich into the trash, they’d probably have a fit at her total waste of food — and money.

With black obesity rate on the rise, it’s time for a change | thestarpress.com | The Star Press.

Fat Thanks to Anant P. for the photo tip!

Novo Nordisk’s new diabetes remedy Victoza has posted impressive uptake since its U.S. launch in February. But the company already has its eyes on broader use of the drug. Novo is eyeing the obesity-drug market, considering a Phase III trial of Victoza (liraglutide) in patients with severe obesity.

Novo CEO: Victoza worth study as obesity drug – FiercePharma.

A 10-month-old Chinese baby has been nicknamed the ‘Michelin baby’ after growing to 20 kilograms, the equivalent weight of a six-year-old, Chinese media has reported.

Video: 10-month-old Chinese baby big as a six-year-old – Telegraph.

Now even the morbidly obese are being made in China. We are truly losing our edge.

San Francisco Chronicle, the treat—Wisconsin State Fair’s version, anyway—weighs in at 1,000 calories. If that’s not enough for your arteries to chew on, chocolate-covered bacon is available for an extra dollar, says the Milwaukee, Wisconsin Journal Sentinel’s Cailley Hammel. Still want those fries?

Krispy Kreme Cheeseburger: Health Food’s Enemy, Junk Food’s Sweetheart | TakePart – Inspiration to Action.

Scientists are examining whether a diet rich in certain types of fibre can suppress hunger and improve the body’s ability to control blood sugar levels.

Foods such as garlic, chicory, asparagus and artichokes are known as fermentable carbohydrates, which are thought to activate the release of gut hormones that reduce appetite.

Asparagus, garlic and artichokes ‘could help fight obesity and diabetes’ – Telegraph.

People are significantly fatter in countries, states, and cities where car use is more common. Mass transit use, on the other hand, is correlated with lower obesity. But there has been scant evidence that public transportation actually causes widespread weight loss — until now.

Does Driving Cause Obesity? – Freakonomics Blog – NYTimes.com.