KEEP BUT DO NOT DISPLAY

The National Journal convened a policy summit to examine the growing national security threat posed by a shrinking pool of Americans lean enough to serve in the military. At a time when U.S. forces are stretched thin overseas, obesity is the leading medical disqualifier for military service. Some 27% of …

That’s an increase of 64% from 2010, researchers have warned. The Diabetes 2025 Model for the U.S. was developed by William Rowley, MD, and Clement Bezold, PhD, Institute for Alternative Futures. “These findings have ironic implications for the future U.S. diabetes burden. Death rates, along with earlier detection of undiagnosed …

FDA Approves Two Generics of Clopidogrel (Plavix) The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved 2 generic versions of the ubiquitous anticoagulant clopidogrel (Plavix, Bristol-Meyers Squibb/Sanofi). It is one of the best-selling drugs indicated for patients who have had a recent heart attack or stroke or who have peripheral …

These clarifications include but are not limited to: Use may be associated with hyperglycemia and elevated A1c; Use may be associated with the potential for cognitive adverse effects; Periodic monitoring of liver function tests is no longer required. Lovastatin labeling was revised to include contraindications and dose limitations for certain …

Americans should exercise about twice as much as the 2 hours a week they report, researchers said, after analyzing current data on more than 100,000 respondents of all ages. The CDC recommends adults ages 18-64 get about 4 hours of physical activity each week by exercising moderately for 2.5 hours …

Drinking water with meals could be one of the easiest ways to avoid obesity and its accompanying ills, according to new published research. T. Cornwell of University of Oregon and R. McAlister of Michigan State University detailed two studies in their paper. In one, researchers repeatedly watched 75 preschoolers as …

FDA Panel Gives Nod to New Diet Drug An FDA advisory committee has voted 18-4, with one abstention, in favor of approving lorcaserin hydrochloride (Lorqess). It would be the first new weight loss drug in more than a decade.   

With nearly a third of its population considered obese, Memphis is America’s fattest city, says Newsweek. It’s the city that turned barbecue into an art form and bought a special ambulance this March to transport super-sized patients. Memphis’s 29.7% obesity rate barely edged out No. 2, Richmond, Va. (29.4%); San …

Pregabalin (Lyrica) was not effective in reducing neuropathic pain associated with HIV infection or diabetes in two separate trials, the drug’s manufacturer said. Pfizer has announced that the phase III HIV neuropathy study was stopped early, after an interim analysis found no benefit for the drug. The other phase III …

Researchers studied mice with type 2 diabetes to show how diabetes can have an impact on the hippocampus area causing memory loss, and why the consumption of caffeine can stop this loss. The scientists showed that the long-term consumption of caffeine reduced weight gain and high blood sugar levels, as …