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Obese women who lose weight faster may lose more and keep the weight off just as well as those who lose more slowly, a new study finds. Researchers looked at data on 262 obese women who were in a study on weight loss. They were divided into three groups based on how quickly they lost weight. The fastest group lost 1.5 or more pounds a week. The slow group lost less than half a pound a week. The middle group lost in between these two amounts. After 6 months, average weight loss was 29.7 pounds for the fast group. It was 19.6 pounds for the moderate group and 11.2 pounds for the slow group. Follow-up on the study totaled 18 months. At this point, the fast group was 5 times as likely as the slow group to have lost 10% of body weight. Regaining weight was equally likely among the three groups. The International Journal of Behavioral Medicine published the study online.

Babies who are breastfed may be less likely to overeat later, a study suggests. The study included 1,250 infants. In the first 6 months of life, some were breastfed only and some were bottle-fed only. Others received both breast and bottle. By age 6 months, about 2 out of 3 babies were getting only formula. In each of the next 6 months, mothers were asked how often their babies emptied a whole bottle or cup of milk. About 27% of babies who had been breastfed exclusively in their first 6 months of life were draining their bottles as older babies. This compares with 68% of those who were bottle-fed from birth and 54% of those who received both breast and bottle. The pattern was the same even if those early bottle feedings contained expressed breast milk. Researchers said breastfeeding may help babies “self-regulate” food intake.

Addressing some common risk factors for heart disease saves lives, a study has found. The study focused on Ontario, Canada. This province had about 7,600 fewer deaths due to heart disease in 2005 than there were in 1994. About 48% of the reduction was linked with prevention of heart disease. This includes addressing risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Medicines for these conditions were a major part of the change. Another 43% of the difference was due to improved treatments for people who already had heart disease. The reduction in death rate was most dramatic for people ages 75 to 84. The study was published in the May 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation wrote about it May 11.

A group of popular heartburn drugs can cause more side effects than most people realize. That’s the overall finding of five new research articles. They appear in the May issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. The studies focus on proton pump inhibitors. These drugs include omeprazole (Prilosec), esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid) and others. They are mostly used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and ulcers. But some prescriptions are not needed, an editorial in the issue says. New research in this issue outlines some risks. One study found that women who take these drugs after menopause are more likely to break bones. Taking them for at least five years raises the risk of infections caused by Clostridium difficile bacteria, another study found.

Mother’s Day was the 50th anniversary of the birth control pill, the Associated Press (AP) reported May 7. Officials of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced their approval of the oral contraceptive on May 9, 1960. The pill gave women more control over whether and when to have children. Experts disagree on how large its role was in the sexual revolution that followed. “The pill,” as it’s also known, is the most popular form of reversible birth control for U.S. women. Nearly one-third of women who are trying to prevent a pregnancy use it. Yet nearly half of U.S. pregnancies are still unplanned, AP reported. Hormone doses are much lower in today’s birth control pills. But taking birth control pills still can increase a woman’s risk of blood clots. However, it also reduces the risk of ovarian and uterine cancers.

High levels of blood fats called triglycerides may increase the risk of heart disease, new research suggests. The study focuses on genes. Specifically, it looks at a gene mutation known to be linked to high triglyceride levels. The gene is called A5. Researchers analyzed data on more than 300,000 people from 101 previous studies. Triglyceride levels were 16% higher in people with one copy of the A5 gene. They were 32% higher in people with two copies. People with two copies also were 40% more likely to develop heart disease than people without the gene. Researchers reported their findings in the journal Lancet. HealthDay News wrote about the study May 6.

More children are overweight these days, but heavy kids are still more likely to be bullied, a study finds. Researchers looked at data on 821 children. All were part of a larger long-term study. The children, their mothers and their teachers were asked questions about bullying. The surveys occurred when the kids were in third, fifth and sixth grades. Kids who were overweight were 63% more likely to be bullied than kids of normal weight. Researchers also looked at other factors that often affect which kids get bullied. In the case of overweight kids, though, these factors didn’t matter. They were more likely to get bullied regardless of their gender, race, income level, grades or social skills. The study was published online in the journal Pediatrics. HealthDay News and Reuters Health news service wrote about it May 3.

Pregnant women who get a flu shot can protect their babies too, a study suggests. This could help babies under age 6 months, in particular. Flu vaccine is not recommended for these babies because it hasn’t been proven safe for them. The study included 340 women and their babies. Half received a flu shot while pregnant. The others did not get shots. Researchers kept track of the women for 24 weeks after the births. Babies born to women who got flu shots were 63% less likely to get flu. They also had lower rates of other respiratory illness. HealthDay News wrote about the study September 17. It was published online by the New England Journal of Medicine.