Altermedicine.org

To get an inside look at eating and exercise habits, scientists are developing wearable wireless sensors to monitor overweight and obese people as they go about their daily lives.

The experimental devices are designed to keep track of how many minutes they work out and how much food they consume. The goal is to cut down on self-reported answers that often cover up what's really happening.

Traditional weight-loss interventions rely mainly on people's memory. But researchers have long known that method can be unreliable since people often forget details or lie.

Increased intakes of omega-3 fats from marine sources may benefit people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), according to a new review of the literature.

A review of four human studies found that omega-3’s could improve liver health and function, and increase insulin sensitivity in people suffering from fatty liver -- a condition that can ultimately result in liver failure.

Fatty liver is on the rise in the U.S., affecting between one quarter and one half of Americans, and the prevalence if nonalcoholic fatty liver disease has increased in line with the ongoing obesity epidemic.

Obesity now poses as great a threat to Americans' quality of life as smoking, a new study shows.

Researchers analyzed 1993-2008 data that included interviews with more than 3.5 million adults. The results showed that the quality-adjusted life years lost to obesity are equal to, or greater than, those lost because of smoking.

From 1993 to 2008, the number of adult smokers decreased 18.5 percent and smoking-related quality-adjusted life years lost remained relatively stable. Over that same time, the proportion of obese Americans increased 85 percent. Obesity had a larger effect on disease, while smoking had a greater impact on deaths, the researchers found.

Regular workouts may help fight off colds and flu, reduce the risk of certain cancers and chronic diseases, and slow the process of aging.

A growing body of research is showing that regular exercise can boost your body's immune system, increasing the circulation of natural killer cells that fight off viruses and bacteria.

Regular exercise has also been shown to combat the ongoing damage done to cells, tissues and organs that underlies many chronic conditions. Studies have found exercise can lower blood pressure, reduce bad cholesterol, and cut the incidence of Type 2 diabetes.

Medical experts say inactivity poses as great a health risk as smoking, contributing to heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, depression, arthritis and osteoporosis.