Human fat can be healthy or sick - healthy in lean people and sick in obese. And a new research effort shows sick fat cells can produce proteins that contribute to type 2 diabetes.

The study, performed by researchers at Temple University, discovered that fat cells in obese people bear a great deal of stress in a cellular component called the endoplasmic reticulum, which is the cells' protein factory. The stress, says lead researcher Dr. Guenther Boden, apparently produces proteins connected with insulin resistance, a major contributor to obesity-related diabetes. In particular, 19 proteins were more abundant in obese people's fat cells than lean people's, including three that were related to a specific endoplasmic reticulum stress-related response. (Read more about How Obesity Abets Type 2 Diabetes)

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The mounting stress in today's society leads to a vicious descending spiral of ever-increasing weight gain. But the good news is that the spiral is not inevitable and can be reversed and transcended.

"In times of economic hardship and stress, people gain weight," said Dr. Sasson Moulavi, a bariatric physician in Port St. Lucie, Fla. This is because:

-- When the economy deteriorates and the gremlin of stress seizes people, they tend to buy less expensive, lower-quality food, which is calorically rich and nutritionally poor. (Read more about How Stress Causes Weight Gain)

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Key appetite control cells in the human brain degenerate over time, causing increased hunger and potentially weight-gain as we grow older, according to a Monash University scientist. Dr. Zane Andrews has found that appetite-suppressing cells are damaged by free radicals after eating and said the degeneration is more significant following meals rich in carbohydrates and sugars. Dr. Andrews claims, "The more carbs and sugars you eat, the more your appetite-control cells are damaged, and potentially you consume more." (Read more about Understanding Changes in Overeating As We Age)

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A recent understanding of the origins of brown fat cells - the "good" kind of fat that burns energy and keeps us warm - may lead to the discovery of new treatments for obesity. Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston said they used a single molecular switch to turn immature muscle cells into brown fat cells in the lab. This suggests that brown fat may be more akin to muscle cells than traditional white fat cells.

Another team from the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston found a protein important for bone growth helped promote the development of fat tissues in mice. Both teams claim their new findings lend understanding about the origins of brown fat, which releases energy, in contrast to white fat, which only stores energy. (Read more about Understanding "Good" Fat May Help Fight Obesity)

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Video: Dr. Jonathan Cohen of the Concorde Medical Group discusses Gastroenterology.

Gastroenterology is a specialized field of medicine that focuses on the digestive tract - from the mouth to the anus. Gastroenterolgy studies the functioning and disorders of the esophagus, stomach and intestines, as well as its associated organs such as the liver, pancreas and gall bladder.

There is documented evidence that some forms of Gastroenterolgy were practiced in ancient Egypt. Greek, Roman and Arab practitioners studied the digestive tracts of the human body with specially designed spatula and mirrors illuminated by candles or oil lamps. More complex tools for examining the rectum with dilating specula were found in the ruins of Pompeii. (Read more about What is Gastroenterology?)

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New research reveals a critical period when a child is at risk of becoming obese.

A study from Columbia University Medical Center found that during the ages of 1-3 years, children are at risk of gaining significant weight. The researchers reviewed growth charts of over 1,700 children in New York City between the ages of one through five. They found that the rate of being overweight increased significantly with each year of age, with the biggest gains between ages of one and three years. (Read more about Critical Age for Childhood Weight Gain)

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At the age of only 13, Mark Vindman ballooned to a whopping 229 pounds. But, today, he’s on a rigorous nutrition and fitness plan that’s getting him back on track. “I have challenges of not being able to eat sweets anymore. And not being able to eat fried food anymore, but eventually I grew out of it, the risk of dying, the risk of having cancer, and diseases that I really didn’t want to have,” says Mark.

With a record number of overweight children, our kids are at tremendous risk for developing dangerous disease. Their only option is winning the battle of the bulge..it’s what they’ll need to survive.

“One of the ones that we‘re most concerned about is the issue of type 2 diabetes. We live in an environment where it is easy not to get too much physical activity, where it is easy to have access to lots and lots of food and food that has high caloric densities, has lot of calories, doesn’t have a lot of nutritional value, and so there is the tendency to eat more than we need, and to not move around enough,” explains Dr. Lisa Altshuler of the Kids Weight Down Program at Maimonides Medical Center. (Read more about Children and The Sugar Crisis)

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The fattening of America is so out there, so obvious, the question has become how do we get the message that we need to reverse the trend?

Perhaps, the message is sinking in, at least among women.

New research released by the CDC shows, among women, no significant increase in obesity was observed between 1999 and 2004…roughly a third of females remain obese (Read more about Women, Obesity Rates, and the Fountain of Youth)

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Pediatrician, Dr. Jana Dehovitz , spends a good portion of her day counseling parents on how to make sure their children are getting proper nutrition. Ironically, for Dr. Dehovitz, the tables turned…she became the patient in desperate need of guidance on her eating habits. Jana is battling night eating syndrome. “I started having a new life, I had to find a new apartment, buy everything that I have, take care of my children and with all the stress I was able to work during the day and take care of everything, but I lost sleep, I was so stressed I couldn’t fall asleep,” says Jana. (Read more about Night Eating Syndrome)

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Could your waistline be putting you at risk for dementia and even Alzheimer’s disease later in life?

The list of problems that obesity can cause is long- heart disease, heartburn, diabetes and arthritis, to name a few.

And now, according to new studies in the latest Archives of Internal Medicine, there’s evidence that being fat may be the reason for a loss in mental sharpness as we age.

One study showed that individuals who were obese at midlife had an increased risk for dementia--a loss of cognitive abilities--later in life compared to individuals of normal weight. (Read more about Obesity and Dementia)

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