childhood obesity

Mariana Byndloss, DVM, PhD, (left), graduate student Catherine Shelton, and their colleagues discovered that beneficial bacteria in the small intestines produce a compound that protects against obesity. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
December 8, 2023

Gut microbiota metabolite protects against obesity: study

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that beneficial bacteria in the small intestines produce a compound that protects against obesity.

By Leigh MacMillan
August 26, 2021

Obese children, young adults at higher risk for thyroid cancer

Children and young adults who are obese are at greater risk for malignant thyroid nodules, according to new study from Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

By Christina Echegaray
November 3, 2020

New treatment for a rare obesity

Diabetes drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as exenatide (Byetta), are a promising and safe treatment for a rare form of obesity.

By Bill Snyder
January 31, 2019

In utero antibiotics and obesity risk

Maternal antibiotic use during pregnancy was not associated with childhood obesity at age 5, according a national study led by a Vanderbilt pediatrician.

By Leigh MacMillan
December 20, 2018

Study uses IT to prevent early childhood obesity

A research team led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Russell Rothman, MD, MPP, has been approved for a $7 million research funding award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to conduct a randomized, multi-center trial comparing clinic and consumer information technology approaches to promote healthy behaviors and prevent early childhood obesity.

By Paul Govern
August 9, 2018

Study finds behavioral changes insufficient at preventing early childhood obesity

Young children and their families in poor communities were able to make some achievable and sustainable behavioral changes during the longest and largest obesity prevention intervention ever conducted. But, in the end, the results were insufficient to prevent early childhood obesity.

By Craig Boerner
December 21, 2017

Obesity interventions: ideal dose?

The optimal “dose” for behavioral interventions to treat childhood obesity are not clear, Vanderbilt researchers concluded after analyzing 133 clinical trial that occurred over the course of 17 years.
By Leigh MacMillan
January 24, 2017

Saliva test for obesity risk

“Epigenetic signatures” in DNA may present an opportunity for prevention of or early intervention in childhood obesity.
By Bill Snyder
January 8, 2014

Young children engage in physical activity in short spurts; preschoolers take 11 hours to attain daily exercise levels

Preschool-aged children require the majority of their waking day to achieve their recommended daily physical activity, a Vanderbilt study published in Obesity found.
By VUMC News and Communications
October 31, 2013

Effort to prevent childhood obesity hits halfway point

A joint effort between Vanderbilt and Metro Nashville Parks and Recreation to prevent childhood obesity and enhance literacy promotion for preschoolers has reached an important milestone — the halfway mark.
By Doug Campbell
April 25, 2013

Food variety drives overeating in mouse model of obesity syndrome

Dietary variety – not high-fat or sugary foods – appears to stimulate overeating in a mouse model of an inherited obesity syndrome.
By Bill Snyder
February 12, 2013

GROWing obesity prevention trial

By VUMC News and Communications