Harvard Health Content API

Teens have improved some of their health habits, and excess weight has leveled off, the latest national survey suggests. The study was based on national surveys of kids in grades 6 through 10. The survey is conducted every 4 years. The first of 3 surveys began in 2001. The last one ended in 2010. In all, 34,000 teens were involved. They were asked their weight, height and questions about diet, exercise and screen time. Between the second and third surveys, the obesity rate leveled off and the rate of overweight teens dropped a bit. Teens reported eating more fruits and vegetables and fewer sweets. They also reported having fewer sweetened drinks. They ate breakfast on weekdays more often. They were more active and spent less time watching TV. However, video game and computer use went up a bit. The improvements were small. And researchers said there’s a long way to go.

A new scoring system may help predict who will have a reversal of diabetes after weight-loss surgery. The system was based on results for nearly 700 obese diabetics who had weight-loss surgery. Within 5 years, 63% had full or partial remission of diabetes. People in both groups were able to stop taking diabetes medicines. Full remission meant that blood sugar returned to normal. Those with partial remission had lower blood sugar, but it was still above normal. Researchers found that 4 factors helped to predict who would have at least partial remission. It was much less likely to occur in people who took insulin before surgery. Other factors included age, hemoglobin A1c level (a long-term measurement of blood sugar) and what other diabetes drugs a person took before surgery. Researchers assigned points to each factor.