December 12, 2012 — After access to healthcare and the cost of healthcare, obesity is the country’s greatest health concern, say Americans in a just-released Gallup poll. One in six Americans named obesity. That’s up from one in seven earlier this year and one in a hundred in 1999, demonstrating the rise in the prevalence of the disease as […]
December 11, 2012 — Who wins when public health fights Big Food? It’s too soon to call that battle, but in a debate held recently between Kelly Brownell, who heads the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale, and Derek Yach, who has held leadership roles at the World Health Organization, PepsiCo, and the Vitality Group, a […]
December 10, 2012 — By analyzing data from 4,000 children born in Finland in 1986, researchers at Harvard University and Imperial College in London created a formula accurately predicts the likelihood of a baby developing obesity during childhood. The formula looks at only five factors: mother’s BMI, father’s BMI, baby’s birthweight, mother’s working status, and mother’s smoking status. According […]
December 9, 2012 — A number of developments in the works suggest that 2013 could be a pivotal year for childhood nutrition policy, with measures such as advertising curbs, taxes, or even bans in the spotlight. The Food Marketing Workgroup, a collection of advocacy organizations, started a chain of events in 2007 that are coming together now. Forbesrecently published […]
December 8, 2012 — In his predictions for 2013, Supermarket Guru Phil Lempert says Baby Boomers’ buying power and never-ending search for youth will spur a trend in anti-oxidant rich food. He also says breakfast and specifically breakfast foods high in protein will creep into other parts of the day. Small bites and mini-meals spaced throughout the day will […]
December 7, 2012 — The Federal Court of Appeals for Second Circuit gave new life to a decades-long debate on First Amendment limits to FDA power. The case concerns the off-label promotion of drugs. Off-label use of drugs is a legal and integral part of modern medicine. It is particularly common in oncology, pediatric, and geriatric populations. Many off-label […]
December 7, 2012 — In an unexpected turn, companies are beginning to seek people with obesity to represent their brands in ads. According to USA Today in a front page story, brands like Nike and Subway are going beyond than the usual casting agency model to find actors who better resonate with under-represented segments of the U.S. population, segments who have traditionally been ignored in advertising. According to the article, since two of three Americans have excess weight or obesity, more people can connect to actors who share this condition, and smart marketers are using them as images for change.
December 6, 2012 — People have obesity for many reasons, but could it be that one reason is having less brown fat than people who are lean? Brown fat was found in adult humans only three years ago, and it burns calories like a furnace.
December 4, 2012 — In a recently issued report, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) published data supporting the need and practicality of posting nutrition information for prepared food sold in grocery and convenience stores under previsions of the Affordable Care Act. Restaurants, including fast food outlets, are already moving ahead with this requirement.
December 4, 2012 — Foods wrapped in healthy halos may lead you to eat more. An article in USA Today, explains that “halo foods,” whose labels make healthful claims such as “gluten free” or “no trans fats” or which advertise healthy or natural ingredients like agave or coconut oil, may deliver the same number of calories or more than […]
