NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Tacking regular exercise on to a diet program for obese kids and teens typically doesn't help them lose any more weight, a new review of past data suggests.

"Changing diet, improving diet, reducing calories is enormously important for weight loss both in kids and adults," said Gary Bennett, who studies obesity prevention at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

"Exercise is important too, but I think we sometimes overemphasize how important exercise is," Bennett, who wasn't involved in the new study, told Reuters Health.

Researchers analyzed results from 14 earlier trials that assigned overweight and obese youth to a diet and exercise program or a diet-only intervention. Those programs lasted anywhere from six weeks to six months.

Most studies found kids tended to have a lower body mass index (BMI) - a ratio of weight in relation to height - and a smaller percentage of body fat after completing either type of intervention. Adding aerobic exercise such as jogging or dance to a restricted-calorie diet had little effect on weight loss.

However, kids who did resistance training lost more body fat than those who didn't exercise, according to the analysis. Strength training for an hour or less each week was tied to an extra half a percent drop in body fat and a greater increase in muscle.

"Exercise does not just burn off calories, more importantly it helps to build muscle mass which is beneficial for long-term weight loss and/or weight maintenance," lead author Mandy Ho, from the University of Sydney, Australia, told Reuters Health in an email.

"This is particularly important for the growing kids because over restricting dietary intake may cause adverse effects on normal growth and development."

Ho and her colleagues found some measures of cholesterol and blood sugar, including insulin and HDL ("good") cholesterol, improved with the addition of regular exercise. But changes in other levels, such as LDL ("bad") cholesterol, were greater with a diet plan alone.

In many of the studies, kids gained back the weight - and any cholesterol or blood sugar benefits went away - once the programs were over, the study team wrote in JAMA Pediatrics.

Helping young people lose weight, and especially keep it off, has proven a difficult challenge. One recent study, for example, found little evidence that at-home weight loss programs can affect kids' BMI (see Reuters Health story of June 12, 2013 here: http://reut.rs/1a59b7d).

Bennett said programs that can change both diet and exercise habits probably are most effective. But for parents who are struggling with a heavy child, "diet is absolutely critical," he said.

"That's really where I would tell parents to focus their time."

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/12e3mwx JAMA Pediatrics, online June 17, 2013.

A investigation carried out by the team in the wake of the Nuerburgring incident found that Webber's car was released prematurely because a 'go' signal was sent accidentally by the right rear wheel man.

The report, sent to all teams and the governing FIA, revealed that the right rear nut cross-threaded as the wheel went on during a German Grand Prix pitstop that lasted less than three seconds.

When the mechanic with the wheel gun removed the nut to put another on, the gun slipped in his hand and he accidentally depressed a trigger that sent a 'go' signal to the man on the front jack.

The car was then cleared to leave the pits even though the rear wheel was unattached.

Red Bull said they would revise the design of the wheelgun to ensure that, if it accidentally rotated in the mechanic's hands, the 'go' signal could not be sent by accident.

The front jack man would also be instructed to hold the car, in the event of any problem, until receiving a clear signal that all wheels had been changed.

British cameraman Paul Allen, working for Formula One Management, suffered a broken collarbone and fractured ribs after being hit in the back by the bouncing 10kg wheel.

The incident has led to a clampdown on access to the pit lane during the race weekend.

The International Automobile Federation decreed this week that media would be restricted to the pit wall and only authorised team personnel and event marshals would be allowed in the pitlane during qualifying and the race.

The BBC reported that FOM has subsequently told broadcasters the measures will also apply to all free practice sessions on safety grounds.

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Harvey Weinstein ramped up his charges that Warner Bros. is using a dispute over the title to the Weinstein Company's "The Butler" to try to win back the rights to "The Hobbit" in a blistering opinion piece on the Huffington Post Wednesday.

The indie studio chief is known for his willingness to engage in a rowdy brawl - whether it be with the ratings board, journalists or, in this case, a rival studio. In the blog, he argued that titles are often used and repeated, citing this summer's comedy "The Heat," which mirrors the 1995 Michael Mann film "Heat" and an upcoming Jason Statham film that is also called "Heat."

"What the hell do they need the title for?" Weinstein writes. "They're not making a movie called The Butler. There's a 1916 silent movie. Come on. If we were watching this as a movie, we'd say this smells. Where's the culprit at the end of this?"

He also reiterated his charges he made Tuesday on "CBS This Morning" that two executives at Warner's said they would surrender the company's claim to a 1916 short film called "The Butler" if he gave back his stake in the J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy adaptation.

"This was used as a bullying tactic," Weinstein wrote, also repeating his morning-show charge. "This was the big guy trying to hit the small guy."

The Weinstein Company earns a percentage of profits from "The Hobbit" films because of a pre-existing rights deal.

Warner Bros. has aggressively rejected Weinstein's claims that there is any connection between "The Butler" dispute and "The Hobbit."

"The Butler" tells the story of an African-American butler who served several presidents in the White House. It stars Forest Whitaker and was directed by Lee Daniels ("Precious").

Weinstein wrote that the title dispute means that his studio has had to pull 5,000 trailers from theaters and take down its website. He claims that if he runs commercials with the title the studio faces $25,000 in daily penalties from the MPAA.

R W L F Pts 1. Emirates Team New Zealand 4 4 0 0 4 2. Luna Rossa Challenge 3 1 1 1 1 3. Artemis Racing 3 0 0 3 0

Previous results

Round 1 July 7 - Emirates Team New Zealand def. Luna Rossa Challenge (forfeit) July 9 - Emirates Team New Zealand def. Artemis Racing (forfeit) July 11 - Luna Rossa Challenge def. Artemis Racing (forfeit)

Round 2 July 13 - Emirates Team New Zealand def. Luna Rossa Challenge (did not finish)

Remaining races

Round 2 July 16 - Artemis Racing v Luna Rossa Challenge

Round 3 July 18 - Artemis Racing v Emirates Team New Zealand July 20 - Luna Rossa Challenge v Artemis Racing July 21 - Emirates New Zealand v Luna Rossa Challenge

Round 4 July 23 - Luna Ross Challenge v Emirates Team New Zealand July 25 - Artemis Racing v Luna Rossa Challenge July 27 - Emirates Team New Zealand v Artemis Racing

Round 5 July 28 - Emirates New Zealand v Luna Rossa Challenge July 30 - Artemis Racing v Emirates Team New Zealand Aug 1 - Luna Rossa Challenge v Artemis Racing (Compiled by Julian Linden)

I have to say I'm shocked & embarrassed by how poorly Canada performed. Martinique deserved the win..

Nigel Reed (@Nigel_Reed)

That was embarrassing, folks. No two ways about it. No sugar coating or looking for positives. It was simply embarrassing.

John Molinaro (@JohnMolinaro)

coach Benito Floro: "Uhhhhh, I don't want the job anymore..."

Mike Martignago (@MikeMartignago)

Just when you thinkcan't embarrass this country any more, they find new ways to do it. So.. ya know.. Kudos to them or something

Art Middleton (@GameTimeArt)

I thought we hit rock bottom when we lost 8-1 to Honduras. I was wrong.

Alykhan Jinah (@AJinah17)

CAN 0-1 MTQ. One comes from a place that will never see its flag in a World Cup. The other is Martinique.

Roehl Sybing (@roehlteacher)

And then people wonder why so many soccer fans in Canada choose to cheer for their country of heritage. That is why.

Dan Riccio (@DanRiccio590)

Fromto me, just now: "I don't know why you care about this tournament when the team clearly doesn't."

Daniel Squizzato (@DanielSquizzato)

That criticism was well-deserved, as the Canadian squad lacked urgency and intensity all day long. Martinique dominated the match and(eight on target), while Canada only managed eight total shot attempts and three on target. Canadian keeper Milan Borjan was one of the few players to have a solid day, as he made seven saves, several of them quite impressive. In the end, though, he couldn't keep out a stoppage-time blast from 38-year-old Martinique midfielder , who scored just his second international goal.

Reupern's goal was a fitting end to a dismal match for Canada, and one that suggests there's a lot of work ahead forOf course, Floro doesn't take over until after the Gold Cup, and interim coach Colin Miller's youth-filled side still has a chance to make something happened against Mexico (July 11 in Seattle) or Panama (in Denver July 14): those teamsgiven their ongoing World Cup qualification focus, so anything is possible. If the Canadian team continues to play the way they did Sunday, though, it looks like this program might be at one of its all-time lows, and Floro's job may become much more of a scorched-earth makeover than a gradual building project.

On Friday, the Prop. 8 lawyers asked the California Supreme Court to intervene and order state officials to stop issuing marriage licenses to gay men and lesbians.

County clerks across California have been issuing such marriage licenses since June 28.

Legal analysts called the effort a long shot. It may mark the last legal skirmish in California over same-sex marriage.

In a 66-page motion, lawyers with ProtectMarriage said that California officials lack the necessary authority to permit same-sex couples across the state to marry.

They said that the US Supreme Court did not address the constitutionality of Prop. 8 and that a federal judge acted beyond his authority when he ordered officials to permit and recognize same-sex marriages throughout the state.

As a result, these lawyers said, the ban on gay marriage is still in force throughout most of California.

Everyone on all sides of the marriage debate should agree that the legal process must be followed. Public officials should enforce the marriage amendment because they are not bound by the district courts injunction, said Austin Nimrocks, a lawyer with Alliance Defending Freedom, which is supporting the Prop. 8 litigation.

Some legal analysts have questioned whether the federal judge in the Prop. 8 case overstepped his power when he issued a statewide injunction blocking the same-sex marriage ban. They suggest that the judge had the power to authorize the marriage of the two same-sex couples who litigated the issue and won. But it is unclear whether his sweeping statewide order allowing gay marriage in all 58 counties was proper.

Despite that lingering question, California officials, including Gov. Jerry Brown (D) and Attorney General Kamala Harris, moved quickly in late June to encourage each of Californias 58 county clerks to begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses.

Prop 8. supporters said the action was improper.

The urgent need to prevent state officials attempt to overrun a constitutional initiative ... calls for this Court to intervene and breathe enforcement life into Proposition 8, Andrew Pugno of ProtectMarriage wrote in his motion.

Should this Court abstain from granting the relief requested, the end result will be to allow one federal district judge empowered by state officials who openly advocated for and ceded to Proposition 8s demise to nullify a constitutional initiative approved by more than seven million voters, Mr. Pugno said.

The action comes two weeks after the US Supreme Court declared that supporters of the Prop. 8 ban lacked legal authority to defend the measure in court. The justices vacated a federal appeals court ruling in the case, Hollingsworth v. Perry, but left intact the federal judges decision invalidating the ban on same-sex marriage.

In their motion to the California high court, the Prop. 8 lawyers said that state officials are required to enforce existing laws including Prop. 8 until an appellate court has declared the measure unconstitutional.

Since the Supreme Court invalidated the federal appeals courts decision in Hollingsworth v. Perry, state officials must continue to enforce the ballot measure in jurisdictions not covered by the judges order, they said.

The Ninth Circuits decision in Perry has been vacated; hence there is no appellate decision holding that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional, the motion said. Petitioners are thus entitled to a writ of mandate requiring Respondents to comply with state law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

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Tom Heckert, the Broncos' recently hired director of pro personnel, was arrested in Parker on the night of June 11 and charged with driving under the influence and careless driving, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Department.

Word of his arrest came just one day after Broncos director of player personnel Matt Russell apologized for his arrest over the weekend on suspicion of driving under the influence.

About an hour after The Associated Press first reported Heckert's arrest, the Broncos released a statement saying, "We were made aware of the matter involving Tom Heckert immediately after it occurred and promptly notified the league office. His arrest is extremely upsetting, and this situation is being handled internally as well as in coordination with NFL policies."

"Tom's actions are obviously part of a disturbing pattern of irresponsible behavior that we are aggressively addressing within our organization," the statement said. "One member of the Broncos arrested for driving under the influence is one too many. This type of behavior puts innocent people at risk and cannot be tolerated. While our team and league supply plenty of resources to prevent these situations, it is clear we need to do better.

"We are thoroughly reviewing the procedures we have in place and will do whatever it takes to enhance their effectiveness going forward."

Heckert, who was hired by Broncos Executive Vice President John Elway on May 7, apologized in a statement released by the team.

"I am extremely disappointed that in my short time with the Broncos I have made such a serious mistake. My actions last month have brought embarrassment to the organization, and I fully understand the consequences that are involved. I am truly sorry and take complete responsibility for this situation," Heckert said. "Although I have let many people down, I will learn from this and work toward regaining the trust that I have lost."

A pretrial conference is scheduled for Aug. 30 for Heckert. His lawyer, Harvey Steinberg, wasn't available for comment.

During his two-plus decades in the NFL, Heckert has served as general manager of both the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles.

In his new role with the Broncos, he works closely with Elway and Russell, who faces multiple charges including driving under the influence and careless driving resulting in injury after police said his 2008 Toyota Tundra crashed into a Breckenridge police SUV on Saturday night.

Both Russell, who was hired in 2009 to oversee the Broncos' college scouting department, and Heckert face possible heavy discipline from the team and the league in addition to any legal consequences.

The NFL's personal conduct policy applies to front office executives as well as players, and Commissioner Roger Goodell has stated he wants to stiffen the penalties for first-offense drunken driving cases.

Penalties could range from fines to suspensions and even banishment from the NFL.

In 2010, Detroit Lions President Tom Lewand was suspended for a month and fined $100,000 by the league after he pleaded guilty to driving while impaired.

Heckert, who turns 46 on July 17, joined the Broncos after serving as general manager of the Browns for the last three seasons. His responsibilities in Denver include scouting current NFL players and will include overseeing the advance scouting for Broncos opponents.

Heckert is entering his 23rd season in the NFL. He started as a scout for the Miami Dolphins in 1991. Before his three-year stint with the Browns beginning in 2010, Heckert spent nine seasons with Philadelphia, including his final four years (2006-09) as the Eagles' general manager.

Three of those seasons (2006-08) were spent working with Russell, who was a college scout for the Eagles during that time.

Russell was arrested over the weekend after allegedly hitting two vehicles in Summit County in separate crashes, the second of which injured a Breckenridge police officer, who was treated at a hospital and released.

The executives' arrests put a blemish on an otherwise stellar offseason by the Broncos, who are considered a Super Bowl favorite after adding Wes Welker, Montee Ball, Louis Vasquez, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Quentin Jammer to a roster that already featured Peyton Manning, Von Miller and Champ Bailey.

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Associated Press reporter P. Solomon Banda contributed to this report. Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton

Heinz Kerry, 74, was taken to a hospital on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket on Sunday and then flown in her own plane to be treated at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital, where she remains.

Kerry has stayed in Boston since his wife's illness but will travel briefly to Washington on Tuesday to attend a dinner in connection with this week's U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue meetings, the department said.

While he plans to be at the opening session of the annual talks on Wednesday, Kerry could return to Boston in which case his deputy, Bill Burns, would take his place at the talks, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.

Earlier, Glen Johnson, a State Department official who acts as Kerry's personal spokesman, said Heinz Kerry's health was improving.

"Teresa Heinz Kerry continues to improve and remains in fair condition at Massachusetts General Hospital, while doctors seek the cause of seizure-like symptoms she experienced on Sunday," Johnson said in the statement released by the State Department.

"As evaluations continue, she, Secretary of State John Kerry, and their family are deeply grateful that physicians have ruled out a variety of possible triggers or other ailments, including heart attack, stroke, or a brain tumor," he added.

Heinz Kerry, a philanthropist and heiress, was born in the southern African nation of Mozambique and was married to Republican Pennsylvania Senator John Heinz III, an heir to the Heinz food fortune, until his death in a 1991 helicopter crash.

In 1995, she married Kerry, who at the time was a Democratic U.S. senator from Massachusetts, on Nantucket.

Kerry's second wife, Heinz Kerry is the chairman of the Heinz Endowments and the Heinz Family Philanthropies. She is active in environmental issues, has served on numerous boards and has been awarded 10 honorary degrees, according to the Heinz Endowment.

(Reporting By Arshad Mohammed; Editing by David Brunnstrom and Paul Simao)

In the state-controlled press, more and more admirers are heaping praise on President Paul Kagame and urging a change in the country's constitution so that it would allow him more time in office.

Rwanda's next presidential election is still four years away, but a movement is growing there for term limits to be removed so that Kagame can still be in charge of the country after 2017, when his current term expires. Rwanda's constitution allows two presidential terms of seven years each.

Although Kagame once said he wished to retire in 2017, some say his position on the matter has become vague as more and more of his supporters say he's the best president they ever had and debate the likely consequences of his exit.

Even as Kagame repeatedly warns against premature talk of political succession and asks the country to focus on economic development instead others believe the praise chorus of which he is the sole beneficiary is being carefully orchestrated by the president himself.

"Kagame's stand has changed from 'I won't be standing' to 'Let's not discuss that,'" said Eleneus Akanga, a Rwandan human rights lawyer who lives in London. "He now realizes that there is this opportunity for him to stay on." He predicted there may be a referendum on the matter of removing term limits before 2017, which would grant a measure of legitimacy to attempts by Kagame to rule beyond his current term.

Kagame has held power in the Central African country since 2000, although he has effectively been in charge since the end of the 1994 genocide. He was Rwanda's deputy president and defense minister from 1994 to 2000, posts that made him the country's most powerful leader as the former rebel commander who ended a genocide in which more than 500,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were butchered. But since 2010, when Kagame won his current term, he has faced some opposition within his party as well as a series of defections by senior officials who say their lives have been threatened.

Yolande Makolo, a spokeswoman for the president, did not respond to requests for comment on Kagame preparing to stay on for a third term. But recently Kagame said discussion of political succession diverts attention from more pressing matters. This new lack of an emphatic no to the question of whether the president would consider a third term has led some to believe it's possible the constitution will be changed to pave way for his continued stay in office.

Frederick Golooba-Mutebi, a political scientist who is researching Rwandan society as an honorary fellow of the University of Manchester, said he has interviewed many Rwandans who are genuinely worried the country would fare worse without Kagame at the helm.

"They see a change in leadership as carrying a risk," he said. "The argument from them is, 'Look, the institutions Kagame is trying to build are still fragile.' I think the people who hold that opinion hold it genuinely."

The Kagame administration is widely praised for turning around Rwanda's ailing economy over the years and for its tough stand against official corruption.

But many accuse Kagame of restricting the political space available for the opposition and of harassing independent-minded critics. Many journalists and former civilian and military officials have fled to exile, alleging persecution. In the most prominent case, Gen. Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, a Rwandan army chief who once was a close Kagame ally, defected to South Africa in 2010 and later accused Rwanda's government of ordering a failed attempt to assassinate him. Rwanda denied the allegations, saying the general was a wanted criminal who had run away from charges back home.

Kagame's stand on retirement has since become "less categorical" and that his "position has changed a bit," said Carina Tertsakian, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch who is a Rwanda specialist.

"The number of people in his close circle has been shrinking for various reasons," Tertsakian said of Kagame, adding that some people in the president's party are "disillusioned with the very authoritarian style of government."

She said growing talk about ensuring Kagame stays in power longer "does make you wonder whether they may be paving the way and making the people used to the idea."

Many African leaders have had term limits removed over the years, including in neighboring Uganda. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who has held power since 1986, had term limits removed in 2005 so he could run for office the next year. He said at the time that his decision to stay longer in power had been motivated in part by growing calls among rural Ugandans for him to postpone his retirement. In Uganda then, as in Rwanda now, a long-serving president faced crowds who begged him to hang onto power.

A Russian lawmaker who was among the officials who met privately with Snowden in the transit zone of Sheremetyevo airport on Friday said Snowden wants asylum in Russia and is willing to stop sharing the secrets in his possession in exchange for such a deal.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Russia should instead send Snowden back to the U.S. to face the felony charges that are pending against him.

"Providing a propaganda platform for Mr. Snowden runs counter to the Russian government's previous declarations of Russia's neutrality and that they have no control over his presence in the airport," Carney said. "It's also incompatible with Russian assurances that they do not want Mr. Snowden to further damage U.S. interests."

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki used similar language to express disappointment over the meeting.

"We are disappointed that Russian officials and agencies facilitated this meeting today by allowing these activists and representatives into the Moscow airport's transit zone to meet with Mr. Snowden despite the government's declarations of Russia's neutrality with respect to Mr. Snowden," Psaki said. "Our concern here is that he's been provided this opportunity to speak in a propaganda platform."

President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Snowden, among other issues, during a telephone call on Friday, the White House said in a terse statement that provided no specifics of their conversation about the NSA leaker. Carney said the call was planned several days ago, suggesting that it was unrelated to Snowden's meeting with the activists.

Carney said Snowden is not a human rights activist or a dissident. "He is accused of leaking classified information, has been charged with three felony counts and should be returned to the United States," the spokesman said.

Carney also urged the Russian government to "afford human rights organizations the ability to do their work in Russia throughout Russia, not just at the Moscow transit lounge."

Snowden is believed to have been staying at the airport transit zone since June 23, when he arrived by air from Hong Kong. He fled to Hong Kong from the U.S. before his revelations were made public. Snowden had been expected to transfer in Moscow to a Cuba-bound flight, but he did not get on the plane.

He made an initial bid for asylum in Russia, but Putin said Snowden would have to agree to stop leaking the classified information in his possession before asylum would be considered. Snowden then withdrew his bid.

It was not immediately clear whether Russia would take Snowden up on his latest request for asylum. The Kremlin has signaled that it wants him out of the country. Granting asylum could further test U.S.-Russia relations.

Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua recently offered Snowden asylum.

At the State Department, Psaki denied that the U.S. ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, had telephoned a representative from Human Rights Watch. The anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks, which has been assisting Snowden, said in a statement that McFaul called the Human Rights Watch representative on her way to the airport and asked her to relay a message to Snowden that he is not considered a whistle-blower and was wanted in the United States.

Psaki said a U.S. Embassy officer placed the call.

"Ambassador McFaul did not call any representative from Human Rights Watch," she said. "An embassy officer did call to explain our position ... but at no point did this official or any official from the U.S. government ask anyone to convey a message to Mr. Snowden."

Psaki confirmed, however, that U.S. officials have been in touch with individuals who attended the meeting.

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Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap