Retailer CVS was in the news Tuesday for requiring that all of its 200,000 employees who participate in the company’s health-insurance plan get a health screening (paid for by CVS) that assesses their weight, height, body fat and cholesterol levels-or pay some $600 more for their health coverage a year.

The recent decision by pharmacy giant CVS Caremark to require employees who receive health insurance through the company to disclose their weight is raising red flags among patient privacy advocates, but it does reflect the need for companies to hold down health care costs.

When it comes to losing weight, many people focus on eating less and exercising more. But results of a new survey of psychologists suggest dieters should pay attention to the role emotions play in weight gain and loss if they hope to succeed. For the survey, conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, more than 1,300 licensed psychologists were asked which strategies were essential to helping their clients lose weight and keep it off.

Exercise and healthy eating reduce body fat and preserve muscle in adults better than diet alone, according to a study funded and conducted by National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Exercise is good for the heart even when it doesn't seem to be doing anything for the waistline. The reverse is also true: losing weight can help the heart even when it isn't getting the daily activity it needs, says the July 2012 issue of the Harvard Health Letter.

Adults who had a common bariatric surgery to lose weight had a significantly higher risk of alcohol use disorders (AUD) two years after surgery, according to a study by a National Institutes of Health research consortium.

Death rates from all cancers combined for men, women, and children continued to decrease in the United States between 2004 and 2008, according to the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975–2008.

Weight loss and increased physical fitness nearly halved the risk of losing mobility in overweight or obese adults with type 2 diabetes, according to four-year results from the Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) trial funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Overweight and obese adults who used an electronic diary program on a personal digital assistant did better at staying on diet and physical activity programs, researchers reported at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2012 Scientific Sessions.