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The brains of girls and boys who have binge eating disorder show key differences, according to a new study.

That's an important finding, researchers say, because both genders struggle with eating disorders, yet treatments are mainly targeted at girls.

"Males have been excluded from rese...

Experts studying kids' sleep and eating habits have learned more about a potential reason for childhood obesity.

Kids who are deprived of sleep tend to eat more calories the next day, researchers found. And some of those extra calories come from less-healthy, sugar-laden snacks or treats.

"When children lost sleep, overall they ate an extra 74 calories per day, caused by an increase...

Children are not as physically fit as their parents were when they were kids, and this will likely harm them as the Earth warms, new research claims.

The findings are based on a comprehensive review of more than 150 studies that looked at how children maintain physical activity, exercise and cope with heat, as well as how thi...

For the first time ever, more than 1 in 5 American kids is obese.

From 2011 to 2012 and again from 2017 to 2020, rates of obesity rose for kids between 2 and 5 years of age as well as 12- to 19-year-olds, a new analysis of nationwide health survey data shows. And the uptick was true for U.S. kids of every race and ethnic background, according to study leader Amanda Staiano.

"The pro...

Despite reports that rates of childhood obesity are decreasing, kids seem to be packing on pounds at younger ages.

In 1998, just under 73% of children entering kindergarten in 1998 had a normal body mass index (BMI), while 15.1% were overweight, and 12% were obese.

However, fast forward 12 years and just 69% of kids started kindergarten at a normal BMI, a new study finds.

An...

Rates of childhood obesity in the United States are soaring, and new research suggests child care programs may be part of the problem.

Most tots in these programs aren't getting nearly enough exercise.

National guidance for child care programs calls for providing at least two opportunities a day for physical activity, totaling 60 to 90 minutes. While the new study found that 74% of ...

As early as age 6, children who carry extra weight could be headed down a path toward future diabetes or heart disease, a new study suggests.

The study, of nearly 1,000 Danish children, found that kids who were overweight often had elevations in blood sugar and insulin by the time ...

If a mother reaches for cakes, chocolates or other snacks when she's feeling down, her children could become emotional eaters as well.

Kids' chances of becoming emotional eaters are shaped by both their natural eating tendencies and their parent's influence, according to a new British study.

Emot...

If your children struggle with their weight, new research suggests they may also suffer from diseases once seen only in adults.

Stiffening of the arteries, which can lead to early heart attacks and strokes, and type 2 diabetes were found in many of the more than 600 obese children, adolescents and young adults studied. And the problem is only getting worse: According to the U.S. Centers f...

A new study is highlighting yet another consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic: It has likely made it even harder for kids with obesity to manage their weight.

The findings, researchers said, are no surprise. Many adults, faced with normal life being upended during the pandemic, have seen changes on the bath...

It's probably fair to say that most people know of the so-called "Freshman 15" -- the weight that college students are often said to gain when they're away from home for the first time.

But in recent decades, matters have gotten much worse in the United States. A new study using national data for people aged 18 to 25 found that while the prevalence of obesity was just over 6% in 1976 to 1...

You've probably heard that getting better sleep can be good for your waistline. The same appears to be true for your baby.

Newborns who get more sleep and wake up less during the night are less likely to become overweight in infancy, according to a just-published study.

"While an association between insufficient sleep and weight gain is well-established in adults and older children,...

Severely obese children who are unable to slim down should be eligible for weight loss surgery, a new study suggests.

The gastric sleeve procedure is safe and effective long-term, said a research team that followed participants as young as 5 for a decade.

"Lack of long-term data and some pediatricians' fears that bariatric [weight loss] surgery might affect children's linear g...

Childhood obesity was a worrisome issue before the pandemic, and now it's alarmingly worse, new data shows.

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found a "profound increase in weight gain for kids" that is "substantial and alarming," Dr. Alyson Goodman, one of the study's authors, told the Associated Press.

For the study, researchers reviewed the medical r...

New research confirms the pandemic has not been good for the waistlines of children.

During lockdowns, American kids gained more weight than before the pandemic, and the number who became obese also increased, researchers report.

"This increased weight gain occurred in all youth between 5 and 17 years, but was particularly evident in children ages 5 to 11 -- an excess weight gain of...

Frozen burgers, pizza pockets and toaster strudel. Energy drinks and sugary sodas. Fruit leather and potato chips. Cookies and cereal bars. Fish sticks and chicken strips.

These sorts of quick-pick manufactured foods are considered "ultraprocessed," and dietitians believe they could be at the root of America's obesity epidemic.

A new study has found that two-thirds of the calories c...