This week, we learn that 1 out of 5 U.S. children is obese by age 4, that heartburn drugs commonly given to people with asthma don't reduce their symptoms, and that one type of fat may actually help people burn calories faster. Also this week, doctors in France performed the world's first combined transplant of two hands and part of a face.
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Many 4-Year-Olds Already Obese
About 1 out of 5 American 4-year-olds is obese, researchers said this week. The rate is even higher -- 1 out of 3 -- among American Indian children, they said. The study used height and weight data on 8,550 children. All were 4 years old. The group was selected to include a cross-section of the U.S. population. More than 1 out of 5 black and Hispanic children were obese. So were 1 out of 6 whites and 1 out of 8 Asians. The Associated Press wrote about the study April 7. The study was in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

Heartburn Drugs Don't Aid Asthma, Study Says
Heartburn drugs don't improve asthma, a new study concludes. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study this week. Many people with asthma have heartburn -- so many that doctors thought the two conditions were related. Therefore, some people with asthma were given drugs for heartburn, even if they didn't have it. These patients should stop taking the drugs, the study authors said. The study included 412 people with poorly controlled asthma. They were randomly divided into two groups. One group was given esomeprazole (Nexium). This is a type of heartburn drug called a proton pump inhibitor. The other group got dummy pills (placebos). They took the pills for six months. People who got Nexium had no improvement in symptoms compared with those who got dummy pills, the Associated Press reported.

'Brown Fat' May Help Adults Burn Calories
A type of fat that helps to keep babies warm also is found in adults and spurs the body to burn calories, researchers said this week. They told the Associated Press that it may provide clues to weight control. This type is known as "brown fat" because it has a darker color than the white fat in most of the body. Researchers used high-tech imaging to examine fatty areas samples in about 2,000 people. The scans showed how many calories the fat burned. Brown fat burned more calories than white fat. It burned more calories when the people were in a 60-degree room than when it was warmer. Lean people had more brown fat than heavy people. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Man Gets Transplant of Face and Hands
A 30-year-old man has been given the world's first combined face and hand transplant. Officials of the public hospital authority in Paris, France, announced the transplant this week. The man had been disfigured by burns. The operation replaced the upper part of his face and both hands. The replacements came from a brain-dead donor. Doctors at Henri Mondor hospital near Paris worked in teams to perform the surgery. It took 30 hours, the Associated Press reported.

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