Archive for November, 2013

Hot Mom or Bully?

November 30, 2013 — A fitness blogger described by some as a “hot mom” and by others as a “fat-shaming bully” has garnered considerable attention this week by complaining loudly when she was banned from Facebook. The spark for this action came when she “decided to vent on the current state of our obesity crisis in America.” She was […]

Need a Plan C for Emergency Contraception?

November 29, 2013 — Emergency contraception for people with obesity might require a plan C. Data from the University of Edinburgh suggests that the emergency contraception product marketed as Plan B may not work for women with excess weight. Earlier this week, makers of a similar emergency contraception product in Europe revised the label to warn that it might […]

Obesity: How Sweet It’s Not

November 28, 2013 — A new study in PLOS ONE adds to the evidence on how obesity alters the way food tastes — especially sweet foods. Investigators at the University of Buffalo found that diet-induced obesity in mice resulted in fewer cells in the tongue that respond to sweetness. And the cells that were present were less sensitive to […]

That Pesky Obesity Virus

November 27, 2013 — That pesky obesity virus keeps cropping up in the scientific literature. A new meta-analysis of 2,508 subjects with obesity and 3,005 controls in Obesity finds that infection with adenovirus 36 (Ad36) brings an increased risk of obesity. We now have about 100 scientific publications on Ad36 and obesity. Animal studies have shown that Ad36 causes […]

Ted Kyle on MSNBC: 3 Ethical Issues for Wellness Programs

November 26, 2013 — MSNBC examined three ethical issues for wellness programs in a recent segment with ConscienHealth founder Ted Kyle and bioethics professor Mark Rothstein from the University of Louisville. Three ethical issues stood out in the discussion: Personal Privacy. Worker revolts against wellness programs at Penn State and CVS provide very public evidence that people resent employers […]

Green Light for Contrave

November 25, 2013 — Orexigen announced today that good cardiovascular safety results for Contrave in the ongoing Light Study of cardiovascular outcomes will enable them to resubmit their product to FDA within a few weeks for approval as early as June, 2014. Contrave is a product for treating obesity that combines two older drugs — naltrexone and buproprion — in […]

Three Missing Links for Employers and Obesity

November 25, 2013 — In a thoughtful analysis, the Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH) has identified three missing links for employers and obesity. There can be no doubt, obesity has captured and will likely hold the attention of employers. The costs have mounted to a point that prudent businesses can’t ignore them. Employee health leadership from major employers […]

Not Exactly: The Wobbly Link of Poverty to Obesity

November 24, 2013 — Conventional wisdom promotes a strong link of poverty to obesity in the U.S. Not so fast, says the data. In fact, this link is a bit wobbly and explained best by considering by gender, race, and ethnicity. It turns out that poverty and obesity are linked in women, but not in men. And the the […]

Flatter Healthcare Spending: Boon or Bane?

November 23, 2013 — A new report from the U.S. Council of Economic Advisors tells us that healthcare spending growth over the last three years is the flattest ever recorded. Per capita health spending has grown just 1.3% in this period. For Democrats, this glorious triumph is proof that Obamacare is already working perfectly. For Republicans, this terrible news […]

Moscow Squats to Fight Obesity

November 22, 2013 — While we were all busy with the latest research at Obesity Week, the folks who run the subways in Moscow were busy solving the problem with squats to fight obesity. That’s right — 30 squats before a high-tech subway fare counter and you get a free ride on the Moscow subway. Obesity averted. You can […]