Posts Tagged ‘health reporting’

Headline Fantasies: Coffee and Obesity

March 17, 2023 — “Coffee could slash obesity,” says the New York Post. Now you might think that cynical folks at the Post just make this stuff up because it’s so obviously false. But in fact, they have help from PR by the BMJ, and they’re not alone. The BMJ managed to induce quite a few news outlets last […]

“Fake” Sugar, Speculation, and Health Reporting

March 9, 2023 — Reporting on supposed dangers of “fake” sugar is a self-replicating genre that seemingly never fades. The Washington Post this week published a prime example, telling readers: “The food industry says sugar substitutes help people manage their weight and reduce intake of added sugars. But studies suggest that fake sugars can also have unexpected effects on […]

How Much Does It Matter When You Exercise?

February 24, 2023 — The headlines make us dizzy. “For a longer life, afternoon exercise may be best,” says the Washington Post. “Morning Workouts May Lower Your Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke,” according to Verywell Health. However, BBC offers yet another view with a headline saying, “Best exercise time may differ for men and women.” Despite the wild variations […]

Evidence for What Works in Obesity Prevention

February 21, 2023 — “This childhood obesity prevention program works best,” says the headline from Futurity. It’s a catchy headline with a catch. The catch is that there’s absolutely no evidence in the research this story highlights regarding the effectiveness of programs for actually preventing obesity. None. Works in this context apparently means that the obesity prevention program runs […]

Activating a UK Weight Loss Sensation Machine

February 15, 2023 — We can hear the rumble. The UK media sensation machine is gearing up for an onslaught of weight loss headlines that will misdirect millions of people about an important medical advance. If you have any doubt, sample the headlines from mainstream UK news sources. The Independent captures the spirit of British press on this subject […]

Calories and the PACE Versus the Pace of Aging

February 11, 2023 — “Calorie restriction slows pace of aging in healthy adults.” This headline for a press release from Columbia University sounds pretty impressive. Until you stop and read the paper – which comes to no such conclusion. It appears that the headline writers were referring not to the pace of aging, but to P.A.C.E. – the Pace […]

Effects of Meal Timing: Striking or Modest?

January 11, 2023 — Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and supper like a pauper. These immortal words date back almost 70 years to a pop nutrition icon of the early and mid 20th century – Adelle Davis. Unfortunately, the health benefits of this advice are more presumption than fact. But the legends persist. This week, […]

“Simple Swaps” and “Diet Hacks” for Diet Season

January 4, 2023 — If it slipped past you, that may be just as well. It’s diet season and even the Washington Post is serving up “simple swaps” for easy weight loss. They’re not exactly peddling hogwash. The simple swaps that Anahad O’Connor recommends is to replace highly processed carbohydrates with higher quality carbohydrates. The problem comes from overpromising […]

THE Gene That Causes Obesity? Nope!

January 3, 2023 — Every Friday, we get a little bundle of joy in our inbox from the Obesity and Energetics Offerings. It’s a thought-provoking compilation of a week’s worth of new publications related to obesity and biological energy regulation. One feature of it that seldom fails to bring a smile is the Headline vs Study. This week was […]

60 Minutes: Obesity Care in a Broken Health System

January 2, 2023 — On 60 Minutes last night, Lesley Stahl reported in vivid detail just how hard it is to get good obesity care in our broken system for healthcare. She had help. Two of the world’s top obesity medicine physicians – Fatima Cody Stanford and Caroline Apovian – took viewers into their clinics. Two of Apovian’s patients […]