FRIDAY, Feb. 3 (HealthDay News) — A smaller plate won’t help you eat less, says a new study that challenges a widely held belief.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Despite earlier concerns, dieters who repeatedly lose weight and then gain it back aren’t at higher risk of early death than people who don’t “yo-yo diet,” according to a new report. About two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, and many are trying to shed the extra pounds. Over the long term, however, most people who lose weight through dieting regain it later. The health effects of such weight cycling, also called yo-yo dieting, are a matter of controversy. Several studies have found that people whose weight cycles up and down tend to die earlier. …

TUESDAY, Jan. 31 (HealthDay News) — A pre-pregnancy diet high in animal fat increases the risk that moms-to-be will develop gestational diabetes, a new study says.

Jay Leno better bring a healthy appetite to the “Tonight Show.”

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Overweight women with diabetes may be able to cut their risk of urine leakage if they shed some pounds, a new study suggests. Extra pounds, especially in the belly, are considered a risk factor for urinary incontinence. And some studies have found that when overweight women drop even a modest amount of weight, they can curb their risk of incontinence. Type 2 diabetes, which often goes hand-in-hand with obesity, is also a risk factor for urine leakage, regardless of weight. …

FRIDAY, Jan. 27 (HealthDay News) — Eating a high-fiber diet does not lower a person’s risk of diverticulosis, but a low-fiber diet might, according to a new study that contradicts what doctors have believed for decades.

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 25 (HealthDay News) — Nurses who work long hours and have less physically demanding jobs are much more likely to be obese than other nurses, according to a new study.

Expect to see fewer “newsy” online advertisements hawking acai berry diet pills.

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Device manufacturers are pushing the government and health insurers to cover weight-loss surgery, an effort that could give millions more obese Americans access to the treatments. Advocates say it will give obese patients a complete arsenal for fighting the condition that can spur a host of life-threatening illnesses and help save billions of dollars in healthcare costs for employers and the government. Critics argue that bariatric surgery has high rates of complications and that, ultimately, surgery does not change the behavior underlying obesity. …

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Device manufacturers are pushing the U.S. government and health insurers to cover weight-loss surgery, an effort that could give millions more obese Americans access to the treatments. Advocates say it will give obese patients a complete arsenal for fighting the condition that can spur a host of life-threatening illnesses and help save billions of dollars in healthcare costs for employers and the government. Critics argue that bariatric surgery has high rates of complications and that, ultimately, surgery does not change the behavior underlying obesity. …

MONDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) — People who engage in activities such as reading and playing games throughout their lives may be lowering levels of a protein in their brains that is linked to Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests.

MONDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) — Parents and caregivers should be involved in treatment programs for obese children and should lead by example, praise children’s progress and use setbacks as learning opportunities, experts say.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A fresh look at past research concludes that people who eat lots of greens and other foods rich in magnesium have fewer strokes — a finding that supports current diet guidelines. But because the research focused on magnesium in food, the authors stopped short of recommending that people take a daily magnesium supplement. It’s possible that another aspect of the food is responsible for the finding. …

THURSDAY, Jan. 19 (HealthDay News) — A new medical review finds that lithium, a common treatment for bipolar disorder, can lead to weight gain and causes high rates of abnormalities in the thyroid and parathyroid glands.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The pharmaceutical industry may stop investing in medicines to treat diseases like diabetes or obesity without more explicit guidelines from U.S. regulators, the chairman of the drug trade group said on Thursday. The Food and Drug Administration must approve any medical products sold in the United States, but drug companies say they cannot always predict how the agency weighs risks and benefits for medicines that could be widely used. …

THURSDAY, Jan. 19 (HealthDay News) — A new medical review finds that lithium, a common treatment for bipolar disorder, can lead to weight gain and causes high rates of abnormalities in the thyroid and parathyroid glands.

Robin Quivers doesn’t kid around — not too much — when it comes to her diet.

Two former attorneys serving prison time for scamming their clients of $94.6 million from a $200 million settlement over the diet drug fen-phen may have a valid point about the trial judge making an error, but “it looks wrong” that they took the bulk of the settlement for themselves, a federal appeals court judge said Tuesday.