October 11, 2013 — When the American Medical Association declared that obesity is a chronic disease, the question for most doctors was, “OK, so how do we treat it?” Today the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) published an answer — a straightforward clinical algorithm for treating obesity. While this algorithm doesn’t break a great deal of new ground, […]
October 10, 2013 — Your brain after obesity surgery responds to food differently than before surgery and differently than it does after a behavioral weight program. Likewise, brain function improves in children with excess weight and low fitness after treatment with an aerobic exercise program. These observations come from two new studies in Obesity that provide a glimpse of the […]
October 9, 2013 — Massachusetts is inching forward against weight discrimination, with legislation to make it illegal progressing to consideration by the full legislature. The Labor and Workforce Committee voted 7-1 Tuesday to recommend adoption of H-1758, which would make height and weight discrimination illegal for employers, labor organizations, employment agencies, landlords, or real estate agents. At a hearing […]
October 8, 2013 — Professionals who treat eating disorders are the last group you would expect to harbor bias against people with obesity, right? Wrong. New research from Rebecca Puhl and colleagues at the Yale Rudd Center shows that even these professionals hold negative attitudes and stereotypes that make them uncomfortable caring for patients with obesity. Yet almost all […]
October 7, 2013 — New standards for healthier school lunches from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have whipped schools into a frenzy of innovation to meet them within their budget constraints. According to the USDA, 80% of schools are meeting the new standards already — standards that mean kids will be getting more whole grains, fresh fruits, and […]
October 6, 2013 — A new study published in PLOS ONE flirts with a false choice between personal responsibility and public policy. The authors, led by Natalia Lee, found that both U.S. and Australian public opinion accepted addictive foods as an important factor contributing to obesity. Most accepted a biological, genetic, or environmental basis for obesity. Yet they found […]
October 5, 2013 — http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/10/05/arts/music/deborah-voigt-reflects-on-her-shifting-vocal-choices.html?pagewanted=all& Subscribe by email to follow the accumulating evidence and observations that shape our view of health, obesity, and policy.
October 5, 2013 — We’ve all heard that sugary drinks pose health risks, but a new risk has been identified relating to certain regional drinking. The risk is called “Mountain Dew Mouth,” and the name derives from the particularly Appalachian habit of carrying a soda, most frequently the regional favorite Mountain Dew, that is sipped all day. Public health […]
October 4, 2013 — School lunch, at least as served in Birmingham between 2005 and 2009, might have been hazardous to your weight. A new study comparing home-schooled and traditionally-schooled children found significantly more obesity and unhealthy diets in the traditionally-schooled groups. The unhealthy diet differences were virtually all attributed to school lunches. The two groups had no differences […]
October 3, 2013 — A significant contingent of public health officials and advocates really want to claim progress in turning back the rates of childhood obesity. And who can blame them? So we get headlines like this quote from Tom Freiden, head of the CDC: “The tide has begin to turn for some kids in some states.” The trouble […]
