The Insurance Helpline
Totally Insured Group // 0800 377 7763

Adults with high levels of baby fat could be protected against diabetes and obesity, research suggests.

So-called brown fat, previously thought to exist only in babies and small children, actually burns calories and uses up energy, unlike normal white fat.

The study, conducted at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, also found that slimmer adults had higher levels of this brown fat than heavier ones.

Senior author Dr C Ronald Kahn said: "The fact that there is active brown fat in adult humans means this is now a new and important target for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes."

In the study of nearly 2,000 people, 7.5 per cent of women and over three per cent of men had substantial deposits of brown fat.

Although the incidence of brown fat among patients was relatively small, scientists believe this could be an underestimate as medical scans could miss smaller deposits.

Nearly one in four UK adults are currently obese and the cost of obesity-related illness to the NHS is an estimated £4.2 billion a year.

A larger waist is associated with a higher risk of heart failure, even if body mass index (BMI) is normal, according to a new study.

The research, which was carried out on a Swedish population over seven years, adds to a growing body of evidence that waist circumference is a good indicator of overall heart health.

In men with a BMI of 25 (within the normal range) a ten cm higher waist circumference was associated with a 16 per cent higher rate of heart failure, increasing to 18 per cent when BMI rose to 30.

"This study reinforces the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight through diet and exercise," said study author Dr Emily B Levitan, from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

Heart failure is a life-threatening condition that develops when the heart cannot pump blood around the body very efficiently.

There are several causes for the condition, including heart attack, high blood pressure or an inherited disease.


The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with heart conditions.

Drugs given to hyperactive children could be used to treat obesity as new research reveals many overweight adults have undiagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

The study showed that nearly one in three obese adults who fail to lose weight through diet and exercise have the condition, which can affect willpower.

Scientists claim that using drugs such as Ritalin in these cases could be the answer to Britain’s obesity epidemic.

Researcher Dr Lance Levy, from the Nutritional Disorders Clinic in Toronto, said: "People with ADHD are more likely to develop weight problems than those without it. But obesity itself does not cause ADHD."

Of the 242 severely obese patients studied, those who took anti-hyperactivity drugs for a year lost an average of 12 per cent of their body weight, compared with the control group who lost 2.7 per cent.

The medication also reduced restlessness and anxiety, so participants were less inclined to binge and snack between meals.

If current obesity trends continue, nine out of ten adults will be overweight by 2050 with the cost to the wider economy to hit £50 billion a year if left unchecked.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with medical conditions.

Obese women should come off the pill to reduce their risk of having a stroke, an expert has said.

Dr Anne Szarewski advised GPs that they should tell overweight patients who are using the pill to lose weight or move them to a different form of contraception.

Taking the oral contraceptive pill slightly increases the risk of blood clots that can become dislodged and lead to thromboembolic events, such as a stroke.

Being overweight increases this risk further and rising obesity levels might leave few women eligible for this form of contraception.

"Most patients are desperate to stay on the Pill, so it is important to give them enough warning before they become too obese," said Dr Szarewski.

Approximately 28 per cent of women currently use the pill as their main method of family planning.

Obesity rates have almost quadrupled over the past 25 years, with two-thirds of adults in the UK now classed as overweight or obese.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with medical conditions.

Being obese is just as big a health risk as smoking, a group of medical experts have claimed.

Recent research has indicated that a body mass index (BMI) above the ideal range of 22.5-25 kg/m2 can have a significant effect on mortality rates.

Scientists examined around 900,000 adults in order to determine the relationship between BMI and the risk of dying from particular diseases.

The results suggested that severe obesity – a BMI of 40 to 50 – reduced life expectancy by around ten years.

Furthermore, moderate obesity – a BMI 30 and 39 – also reduced life expectancy by three years.

Dr Gary Whitlock, from the University of Oxford, said: "If you are becoming overweight or obese, avoiding further weight gain could well add years to your life.”

A recent study conducted at the University of California revealed that a ‘fat controller’ found in the gut could prevent conditions such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with obesity

Several mobile phone brands are considering signing up to a new drive which targets the obesity problem.

The Business4Life coalition is a new initiative that will use text messaging to engage with the condition.

It is thought that the scheme will involve sending a range of healthy-eating messages and content to young people via their handsets.

The Advertising Association is currently in discussions with Orange and other companies about signing them up as partners.

Business4Life already has more than £200 million worth of support from various members, which include Kellogg, PepsiCo, Tesco and Danone Baby.

It was recently reported that obese youngsters are at a substantially higher risk of developing cancer in later life due to their eating habits.

Professor Kathy Pritchard-Jones - president of the European Society for Paediatric Oncology - said children with a poor diet and lifestyle were setting themselves up for major health problems in later life.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with obesity

The common aspirin could help people suffering from obesity-related liver disease, according to a new study.

Research by Yale University found that during testing on mice, aspirin reduced receptors which can activate liver inflammation.

It also reduced mortality caused by an overdose of acetaminophen.

Wajahat Mehal, from the university’s section of digestive diseases and department of immunobiology, said the results suggest "aspirin may help prevent and treat liver damage from a host of non-infectious causes".

He added these would include side effects from drugs, alcohol abuse and obesity-related illnesses.

Mr Mehal stated: "Our strategy is to use aspirin on a daily basis to prevent liver injury."

"This offers the exciting possibility of reducing a lot of pain and suffering in patients with liver diseases, using a new and very practical approach."

Anti-obesity pill Alli recently went on sale across Britain without a prescription for the first time.

The drug will be available over-the-counter after European watchdogs gave it the go-ahead.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with obesity

A virus has been linked to the weight-gain which causes obesity, which could affect those with critical illness cover.

In a study, a team at the Pennington Biomedical Research Centre found up to one in three obese people could be infected with the condition, known as adenovirus-36 (AD-36).

This is three times the rate for those of a normal weight, as only 11 per cent of lean men and women have encountered the virus, which could affect life insurance premiums for those with obesity.

Its other side effects include common cold symptoms and leader of the research, professor Nikhil Dhurandhar, is to tell BBC2’s Horizon tonight (January 26th) it enters the lungs before it spreads throughout the body.

He states: "When this virus goes to fat tissue it replicates, making more copies of itself and in the process increases the number of new fat cells."

In recent news, the Welsh assembly has announced a new anti-obesity programme designed to encourage healthy eating and fitness in young people and their families across the country.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with obesity.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has warned that social services may have to become increasingly involved in protecting obese children.

Communitycare.co.uk reports that the LGA is campaigning for a national debate on the topic with a view to assessing to what extent childhood obesity should be considered a factor of parental neglect.

David Rogers, LGA spokesperson on public health, told the news provider: "Councils are increasingly having to consider taking action where parents are putting children’s health in real danger. As the obesity epidemic grows these tricky cases will keep cropping up."

He added that it needs to be decided when local authorities can intervene if they think a child’s welfare is at risk.

Meanwhile, Dr Francisco Lopez-Jimenez of the US-based Mayo Clinic recently told attendees at the National Obesity Forum in London that three-quarters of adults are now overweight or obese.

Also speaking at the event, Dr Tam Fry said that overweight children should be taken away from their carers.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with obesity.

Prescriptions for obesity treatments rose by a staggering eight times between 1999 and 2006, new figures show.

While just 127,000 items were prescribed for treating obesity nine years ago, 2006 saw in excess of 1.06 million items prescribed, reflective not only of the higher numbers of people suffering from excess weight, but also a greater willingness on the part of practitioners to treat it medically.

The figures have been published by the Information Centre (IC), a special NHS statistical health authority.

Late last year, Foresight warned that current trends in obesity suggest that 60 per cent of men and 50 per cent of women will be obese by 2050.

Nevertheless, the IC’s "Health Survey for England" found that the healthy eating and exercise messages are getting through, with more people than previously found to be eating the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables each day and taking recommended levels of weekly exercise.

However, social class and income were found to have a key correlation with levels of obesity, poor diet and lack of exercise.

"Marked inequalities in lifestyle and in health continue to exist in England," said Dr Jennifer Mindell of University College London, who led the team which carried out the research for the IC.

"The lower your income, the more likely you are to smoke or be obese, and the less likely to eat sufficient fruit and vegetables or be active enough."

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with obesity.