National Institutes of Health Study Shows Benefits of Lifestyle Changes in Obese Adults

A study of obese adults funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) showed that exercise and healthy eating reduce body fat and preserve muscle better than diet alone. NIDDK senior investigator Kevin D. Hall, Ph.D., analyzed the individual effects of daily strenuous exercise and a restricted diet by examining data from 11 participants in the reality television program "The Biggest Loser." The program shows obese adults losing large amounts of weight over several months.

"This study reinforces the need for a healthy diet and exercise in our daily lives," said NIDDK Director Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., M.A.C.P. "It also illustrates how the science of metabolism and mathematical modeling can be used to develop sound recommendations for sustainable weight loss—an important tool in the treatment of obesity—based on an individual’s unique circumstances."

Dr. Thomas E. Starzl Wins 2012 Lasker Award

Dr. Thomas E. Starzl, the first person to perform a human liver transplant, received the 2012 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award—shared with Dr. Roy Calne, University of Cambridge emeritus—on September 21, 2012, for his work in developing liver transplantation. Dr. Starzl is a distinguished service professor of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and longtime National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) grantee. He has also served on the NIDDK Digestive Diseases Advisory Board.

"Dr. Starzl is a pioneer in the world of transplantation, and his work has saved thousands of lives," said NIDDK Director Griffin P. Rodgers , M.D., M.A.C.P. "This award is a most fitting recognition of his many years of unwavering commitment to teaching, research, and clinical practice."

NIDDK using Social Media Strategies to Expand Communication

The NIDDK is using a variety of social media tools and strategies to promote its national education and awareness campaigns to wider audiences. NIDDK staff use many different formats to promote NIDDK health resources and news; facilitate global sharing of research innovations and opportunities among scientists, clinicians, and the public; and develop communities of NIDDK grantees with common interests.