Archive for September, 2014

Burning Calories vs Reducing Obesity

September 30, 2014 — Standing desks are hot. A new study shows that elementary school children with standing desks were burning more calories than children with seated desks. It’s a well controlled study. So the headlines say ”Standing Desks Effective in the Fight against Childhood Obesity.” Why not? After all, we know that “Your Chair Is Killing You.” Does […]

Weight Stigma: Health and Human Rights

September 29, 2014 — A new analysis in the European Journal of Health Law seems guaranteed to draw you in to read this perspective on weight stigma as a tool against obesity. Nothing whatsoever in the title or the abstract tells the reader where this scholar of health law, Mette Hartlev, is going with the suggestion that “the use […]

Dependable Champions of the Obesity Action Coalition

September 28, 2014 — Some of the top, most dependable champions of the Obesity Action Coalition received richly deserved recognition on the closing evening of the OAC’s YWM2014 national convention Saturday night. They deserve our congratulations and appreciation for the leadership and service they provide for people affected by obesity. OAC Member of the Year went to Sarah Bramblette […]

Your Chair Is Killing You!

September 28, 2014 — Opening the second day of YWM2014, James Levine declared, “Your chair is killing you.” He got our attention. He continued with an entertaining and highly understandable review of his research on non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). We learned about his unplanned career as an underwear designer — to provide tools to track NEAT. And we learned about […]

Stop Setting Weight Goals in Obesity?

September 27, 2014 — “Stop setting weight goals. Behaviors are something you do, weight loss is something that happens.” That was the bottom line from Arya Sharma in his keynote address to the YWM2014 national convention of the Obesity Action Coalition. Is this really a radical proposition? So much is written in the obesity literature about losing 5 to 10% […]

Giving Voice to People Affected by Obesity

September 26, 2014 — The opening of the Obesity Action Coalition’s YWM2014 national convention featured national and local advocacy training to help people affected by obesity find their voice and bring needed change to policies and social norms that shape the quality of their lives. A decade ago, people affected by obesity had no voice whatsoever in policy decisions […]

Healthier Food: Are We There Yet?

September 25, 2014 — This week brings more news on the struggle for a healthier food supply and the role of the food industry in bringing change. Yesterday, Judy Woodruff of the PBS NewsHour moderated a discussion with Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo, and Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The three spent more than […]

Ready to SHINE with OAC at YWM2014

September 24, 2014 — The time has come to SHINE with OAC (the Obesity Action Coalition) and people are heading to Orlando for the third annual Your Weight Matters national convention. It’s the largest and only meeting of its kind that connects a vibrant community of people affected by obesity with evidence-based strategies for health and quality of life. On […]

A False Choice: Drugs vs Surgery for Obesity

September 23, 2014 — A new study in Acta Diabetologica offers up a comparison of drugs vs surgery for obesity, glycemic control, and cardiovascular risk. It grabbed our attention because liraglutide was the reference drug for the comparison, and that drug has just been recommended for approval in obesity treatment by an expert FDA committee. But the study leaves us […]

AD-36: Parent or Friend of Obesity?

September 22, 2014 — AD-36 — an adenovirus sometimes called the obesity virus  — is a potential obesity trigger for which evidence just keeps accumulating. Two recent studies are worth noting. In a robust retrospective cohort study, Jameson Voss and colleagues studied male U.S. Air Force personnel over a period of up to 17 years. They found that individuals […]