Obesity levels are at all-time highs in the United States and also in places like Mexico, an ominous development for a world awash in calories. Gradually, scientists are making incremental gains in understanding how brain hormones are related to dysfunctional appetite. The identification of hunger-regulating hormones like leptin and ghrelin are expanding the science of expanding waistlines. Yet hunger and overeating are not simple functions of body chemistry. They involve behavior, genes, attitudes, upbringing, socialization, emotions and environmental stimuli as well. Intense life c...

Kids shouldn’t have to worry about pre-diabetes or an increased risk for heart disease. They should be focused on enjoying life. But obesity is serious and affecting many children.