Weight Watchers International Inc. said Wednesday that it plans to buy back nearly 25 percent of its outstanding shares through a tender offer and an arrangement with its largest shareholder.

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Studies have hinted that diet-soda lovers could face higher risks of diabetes and heart disease, but new findings suggest that overall diet may be what matters most in the end. Several studies have found that people who regularly down diet soda are more likely than people who don’t to have certain risk factors for those chronic diseases — like high blood pressure and high blood sugar. And one recent study became the first to link the beverages to the risk of actual heart attacks and strokes (see Reuters Health story of February 17, 2012). …

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Losing weight and improving fitness may ward off some of the mobility problems that older overweight people with type 2 diabetes often face, according to a new study. The lifestyle changes helped mobile people stay that way and eased severe mobility problems in others, at least over the short term. Lead author W. Jack Rejeski from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, said the trends show the importance of encouraging people to get their weight down and exercise sooner, rather than waiting until they develop problems getting around. …

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WEDNESDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) — The obesity rate among Mexican-American adults aged 20 to 74 increased from about 21 percent to nearly 35 percent between 1982 and 2006, a new federal report reveals.

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Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Monday that European Union regulators have accepted its marketing application for lorcaserin, its experimental weight loss drug. Its shares climbed 30 percent to the highest level since 2010.

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French medical orders have filed complaints against celebrity diet guru Pierre Dukan, whose diet was reportedly used by the Middleton family ahead of Kate’s wedding to Britain’s Prince William.

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New York (Reuters Health) - Obesity rates continue to climb in California schools, but exercise and nutrition programs may be having a positive effect on student health, a new study suggests. Kids entered fifth grade more obese every year, but they did not gain more weight and their overall fitness improved as they moved to higher grades. “We accomplished a significant first step and that is to slow obesity,” said Dr. William Bommer, a cardiologist at the University of California, Davis, who worked on the study. “But we importantly were not able to reverse it. …

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MONDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) — A new international analysis comparing weight-loss procedures to standard diabetes treatments contends that surgery is more effective at helping people combat type 2 diabetes.

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(HealthDay News) — Having plenty of support from friends and family can help you meet your weight-loss goals.

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CHICAGO (Reuters) - Weight-loss surgery did a better job of controlling type 2 diabetes in overweight and moderately obese patients than the most advanced medical treatment for the disease, researchers said on Monday. The study, conducted at the Cleveland Clinic and presented at the annual scientific sessions of the American College of Cardiology in Chicago, showed that patients who underwent surgery were more than three times more likely to gain control over their diabetes after one year than the group that was treated with drugs. …

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Health regulators are asking for advice on whether, and when, heart safety studies should be required for new obesity drugs, possibly adding a new hurdle on their path to approval. An advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration will discuss this week whether regulators should mandate such trials before the drugs can be marketed in the United States. …

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health regulators are asking for advice on whether, and when, heart safety studies should be required for new obesity drugs, possibly adding a new hurdle on their path to approval. An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will discuss this week whether regulators should mandate such trials before the drugs can be marketed in the United States. …

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THURSDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) — Obesity is associated with reduced memory and thinking skills in adults aged 60 to 70, especially those with greater amounts of abdominal fat, according to a new study.

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WEDNESDAY, March 21 (HealthDay News) — The costs of the obesity epidemic to the United States and the economic value of curbing it are not captured fully by current methods, according to a new report.

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Three overweight elephants at a Swiss circus will have to diet and work out in order to shed between 50 and 300 kilogrammes (110-660 pounds), Swiss newspaper Tages Anzeiger reported Wednesday.

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Schiff Nutrition posted surprisingly strong numbers for the third quarter Thursday as the company delved more deeply into branded drugs, and it boosted its sales forecast, sending shares up 7 percent in midday trading.

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THURSDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) — Losing weight themselves is the best way for parents to help their children shed excess pounds, new research suggests.

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THURSDAY, March 15 (HealthDay News) — Researchers say they’ve discovered clues about how a fatty diet increases the risk of colon cancer.

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WEDNESDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) — Using either a low-carbohydrate or low-fat diet to shed belly fat can improve blood vessel function, researchers say.

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WEDNESDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) — People who walk briskly an hour a day could beat back a genetic predisposition to be overweight, compared to those who plant themselves in front of the TV, new research suggests.

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