Archive for January, 2016

Big Changes in Drugs for Diabetes and Obesity

January 31, 2016 — Some big changes are in the wind for drugs that treat diabetes and obesity. The biggest selling diabetes drug in the world — Lautus — is facing competition from a lower-priced, biosimilar form of this long-acting form of insulin. Newer drugs like Jardiance (empagliflozin) and Victoza (liraglutide) are growing robustly, valued for their profile for […]

No Joke: Chocolate McFries

January 30, 2016 — If you need proof that McDonald’s is back in its groove, consider the chocolate McFries it launched this week in Japan. Early reviews of this taste sensation are mostly – uh – positive, like this one from RocketNews24: Without a doubt, the sauce was the prominent flavour, but with the savoury note, it didn’t taste […]

The Fast Can’t Last Weight Loss Myth

January 29, 2016 — One deeply entrenched weight loss myth is that if it’s fast, it won’t last. In the words of CDC, “people who lose weight gradually and steadily (about 1 to 2 pounds per week) are more successful at keeping weight off.” It turns out that this advice is an article of faith that doesn’t hold up […]

Influence for Change in Obesity

January 28, 2016 — Change in obesity policy and the epidemic itself has been painfully slow for decades. But a growing collection of influential voices in social media are working for more positive steps to improve the lives of people with obesity and reduce the impact of this epidemic. ConscienHealth is fortunate to be one of the top 20 influencers identified […]

Rising Disparities, Rising Obesity

January 27, 2016 — A growing body of evidence lends ever more credibility to the idea that rising disparities may have a great deal to do with the seemingly inexorable rise of obesity. The latest is experimental data, published in Appetite, showing that people eat more when confronted with feeling poor or poorer than people around them. The authors […]

Good Food and Healthy People

January 26, 2016 — Consumers are talking a lot about eating healthy food. While interest in diets is dropping, interest in healthy food is climbing. The trouble is, there’s no such thing. Good food is the real thing. Food itself is not healthy. As a matter of fact, whether it comes from a plant or an animal, it’s dead. […]

Shame and Blame in Obesity, Diabetes, and Addiction

January 25, 2016 — The headline brought a cringe: “Can shame be useful?” Writing in the New York Times, psychiatrist Sally Satel and psychologist Scott Lilienfeld say that: The experience of shame – the feeling that one has failed to live up to one’s own standards – can play a positive role in recovery from addiction, as well as from other […]

Top 10 Foods for a Snowstorm

January 24, 2016 — Who are they kidding? Every time a snowstorm is looming, reporters trot out clichéd stories about everybody stocking up on milk, bread, and eggs. Not only is it unoriginal, we’re here to tell you it’s not true. Soup and pizza are the top foods to stock for a snowstorm, not milk and bread. Comfort is the theme of […]

A Glimmer of Hope for Beloranib

January 23, 2016 — The folks at Zafgen released a glimmer of hope for beloranib this week. On Wednesday, Zafgen announced that this investigational new drug met its two primary efficacy endpoints in the pivotal clinical trial for treating Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). In December, that trial was halted after a second patient suffered a fatal blood clot in the […]

Does Childhood Obesity Cause Puffery?

January 22, 2016 — Cascades of headlines this week claim that water fountains offer a simple solution to childhood obesity. These excessive claims are part of a larger pattern that has us wondering. What is it about childhood obesity that leads otherwise sensible people to spout puffery? The paper that’s causing this week’s nonsense was published in JAMA Pediatrics, and the […]