July 31, 2017 — What the Health – a new documentary from the folks who brought you Cowspiracy – is generating quite a buzz for veganism. If you’re on board with the manifesto, you might be cheering and expecting a new wave of vegans to join you. But if you’re fussy about facts, this flick will make you fume. Wobbly Factoids Director and […]
July 30, 2017 — Seven to nine hours of sleep per night might significantly improve health and reduce obesity risk. A new study published in PLOS ONE finds that people who sleep only six hours per night have a waist that’s three centimeters bigger than people who get nine hours. With better sleep, the odds of diabetes drop as […]
July 29, 2017 — Almost ten years ago, FDA set a new hurdle for approving new diabetes drugs. Before one of these new drugs could be approved, the sponsoring company would need an expensive cardiovascular safety study. How expensive? The price tag might run as high as a billion dollars. FDA laid this same requirement on new obesity drugs, […]
July 28, 2017 — Sometimes, objective evidence hits the wall against a very popular idea. Bam. Publication bias means that even a careful study might not see the light of day. Consider the case of public parks and obesity. The Indisputable Value of Public Parks Who can dispute the value that parks bring to our lives? They might prompt […]
July 27, 2017 — Campbell Soup is walking away from the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and tired old food fights. Campbell’s aim is to become the leading health and well-being food company. And in light of this intention, said CEO Denise Morrison, the GMA no longer represents her company’s interests: This is not a financial decision. It’s a decision […]
July 26, 2017 — Back in the day, we knew what was causing all this pesky obesity. Fast food. And we knew it was a downscale habit. The solutions were simple. A little education. A little regulation. Next Problem. Not Exactly Downscale But it turns out that fast food is not so downscale after all. An analysis to be […]
July 25, 2017 — Yesterday, Kevin Fontaine and David Allison opened their third conference on causality in obesity research at the UAB Nutrition and Obesity Research Center. They explained the growing urgency to ask hard questions about cause and effect in obesity. Targeting Elusive Causes for Obesity For three decades, obesity prevalence has been growing relentlessly. And yet, we […]
July 24, 2017 — These days, advice and encouragement comes to us all from many directions, and especially from social media. Subtle or blunt, empathetic or insufferable, it keeps coming. Recently a fitness expert warned us against telling people that obesity is highly heritable: This isn’t a helpful message. Instead, take the opportunity to make the point that a […]
July 23, 2017 — Let’s face it. The evidence base for childhood obesity treatment is thin. We don’t need bad stats to muddy the waters even further. But a recent paper in Pediatrics does just that. The authors conducted a randomized controlled trial of metformin in 160 children with obesity. They enrolled equal numbers of male, female, prepubertal, and […]
July 22, 2017 — Nutrition has more than its share of hot button issues. But low-calorie sweeteners stir especially strong feelings and sensational headlines. This week, the Washington Post warns us that “diet drinks are associated with weight gain.” Reader’s Digest tells us to avoid them “at all costs.” America’s president figured this out years ago. I have never […]
