Almost Half of Americans Are Trying to Lose Weight: CDC

FRIDAY, Oct. 19, 2018 -- The latest national tally on dieting finds that nearly half of U.S. adults are doing what they can to trim a widening waistline.

Overall, 49.3 percent of people aged 20 and older said they'd tried to lose weight over the past 12 months, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings were based on a 2015-2016 national health survey, the latest data available.

Obesity Surgery May Cut Heart Attack Risk in Diabetics

TUESDAY, Oct. 16, 2018 -- Obesity surgery may help prevent heart attacks and strokes in people who are severely overweight and have diabetes, a new large study suggests.

It's already known that obesity surgery can help people shed pounds and better control health conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.

Thinking of Others Makes Healthy Choices Easier

MONDAY, Sept. 24, 2018 -- Reminding people to eat less or exercise usually gets their back up. That's one reason why public health messages fall on deaf ears, researchers say.

But investigators think they've found a better way. They suggest leaving your ego behind because it might open your mind to healthy activities that your natural defensiveness shuns.

Obesity Tops 35 Percent in 7 U.S. States: Report

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12, 2018 -- Americans continue to fatten up, with obesity rates topping 35 percent in seven states, a new report reveals.

That's up from five states two years ago. Moreover, no state had a notable improvement in its obesity rate over the previous year, according to the report from Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, both nonprofit health policy organizations.

Calorie Counts on Menus May Be Trimming Americans' Waistlines

FRIDAY, Sept. 14, 2018 -- With roughly 40 percent of Americans now obese, new research finds that one strategy may be helping Americans stay slim: calorie counts on restaurant menus.

Following the passage of the Affordable Care Act of 2010, chain restaurants with 20 or more franchises must now list a meal's calorie count on their menus and order boards.

Weight-Loss Drug Belviq Is First to Show No Harm to Heart

MONDAY, Aug. 27, 2018 -- The weight-loss drug Belviq (lorcaserin) appears to help people shed pounds without adversely affecting the heart in those already at higher heart risk, new research shows.

That's a first -- and a major hurdle overcome -- for medicines specifically aimed at weight loss, experts say. In the 1990s, the "fen-phen" combo of weight-loss meds (fenfluramine and phentermine) made headlines when use was tied to dangerous heart valve changes.