Archive for October, 2012

Some Food Trends Moving In a Healthier Direction

October 24, 2012 — October 23, 2012 — Five key food trends highlighted in an article in today’s USA Today suggest Americans will be eating just a little bit healthier in the coming year. The data, which come from a survey of 3,000 consumers by research firm Culinary Visions, suggest street market food that inspired by countries in Asia and […]

Severe Obesity: Still Growing Rapidly in the U.S.

October 21, 2012 — October 21, 2012 — Despite public health campaigns urging personal and national action and constant headlines about the obesity epidemic , severe obesity is still increasing in the United States. A new study has found that the number of Americans with severe obesity rose from 3.9% of the population to 6.6%, an increase of about […]

DEA is the Last Hurdle for Belviq®

October 19, 2012 — October 19, 2012 — An article in today’s Financial Times pointed out that though Lorcaserin (to be marketed as Belviq) is expected to receive Schedule IV status from the US Drug Enforcement Agency or DEA (the FDA recommended Schedule IV, and the DEA tends to follow the direction of the FDA), experts and healthcare advocates don’t […]

New Insight: How Sleep Loss Causes Weight Gain

October 18, 2012 — October 17, 2012 — A story on NPR about a new study linking less sleep to the body’s decreased ability to manage fat suggests Americans need to wake up to the effect of good rest on weight. The study, done by Matthew Brady and colleagues at the University of Chicago, appeared today in the Annals […]

Food Marketing Can Help or Hurt

October 15, 2012 — October 14, 2012 — In a recent paper published in Nutrition Reviews, Pierre Chandon and Brian Wansink review what we can conclude about the relationship between obesity and food marketing and they make recommendations for using the power of food marketing to help consumers adopt healthier diets.

Don’t Call Me Obese

October 13, 2012 — October 13, 2012 — The heartfelt plea of a former Pittsburgh Post-Gazette staff writer named Tom Barnes appeared today in that paper’s"Saturday Diary" essay column. Barnes’s wish: Don’t call him "obese." Barnes, who is five foot nine inches and 215 pounds, was stunned to find at a doctor’s appointment he is classified as obese. "I […]

Ad Exec Parodies Sugary Drinks

October 13, 2012 — October 13, 2012 — According to a story in USA Today, Alex Bogusky, former co-chairman of power ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky, left advertising two years ago and has recently partnered with advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest to parody the sort of brand he once championed. A Bogusky-created video posted at […]

Animals Tell Us We Don’t Know it All About Obesity

October 12, 2012 — From Your Weight Matters Magazine, Fall, 2012: Will Hignett and Ted Kyle remind us that while many people, including doctors and scientists, assume the causes of the obesity crisis are sedentary lifestyles, a polluted food environment, and a trend toward over-portioning, beliefs evolve as research expands into new areas and results accumulate over time.

A Flamin’ Hot Reason You Can’t Eat Just One

October 12, 2012 — October 12, 2012 — In a front page story, the Chicago Tribune spotlights the nutritional dangers and potentially addictive nature of a kid-favorite snack, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. In the article, reporter Monique Eng interviews researchers and other nutrition experts about the unique attraction this particular snack has with young people and the concerns it’s causing […]

FDA Considers Faster Approval Process for Obesity Drugs

October 12, 2012 — October 11, 2012 — In a major breakthrough for people looking for new and effective treatments for obesity, Bloomberg/Business Week reports that the FDA is considering a pathway that would allow drugs like those for obesity or life-saving antibiotics that are deemed to offer societal benefit despite their risks to get speedier approval, according to […]