Archive for September, 2017

Three Slightly Absurd and Supposedly Healthy Food Products

September 30, 2017 — We confess. When it comes to food product innovations and trends, we’re a little slow. Stuff like pancakes and sausage on a stick just leaves us cold. That one never caught fire, and they never called it healthy. (Thank goodness.) But here are three supposedly healthy food products that are getting some traction. Magical healthy […]

Monitoring Blood Sugar Without a Drop of Blood

September 29, 2017 — Spilling blood is never a good thing. But for people living with diabetes, pricking a finger and getting a drop of blood is an all-too-frequent ritual. Now, that ritual may start to fade. Late on Wednesday, FDA approved the first system for monitoring blood sugar levels without the need for routine finger sticks. The FreeStyle Libre […]

Triple Bias to Go with a Gastric Bypass

September 28, 2017 — It’s ugly. People who need and choose to have gastric surgery for obesity face a triple bias. There’s the discrimination, bias, and even contempt that people experience just from living with obesity. But more troubling is bias from people making two kinds of false judgments about the surgery. The Label of a Cheat and a […]

Fine-Tuning for the Stomach to Treat Obesity

September 27, 2017 — Could it be that a little fine-tuning for the stomach can have a real effect on obesity? That’s the gist of the latest research on how liraglutide (Saxenda) works. The senior author on this study, Michael Camilleri, explains: Liraglutide appears to be very effective in inducing weight loss over three months of treatment. We also […]

Weight Bias That Hits You Coming and Going

September 26, 2017 — On the subject of obesity, personal responsibility is a popular trope. We hear lots of messages that gently blame people with obesity. “You oughta do something about that” is a common form of unhelpful advice. But it doesn’t stop there. All too often, after a person is well down the road to wellness, harsh judgments […]

Wavering on Insurance Protections for Medical Conditions

September 25, 2017 — On Sunday, President Trump boiled down the debate on repealing health insurance protections in the Affordable Care Act: I don’t know what they’re doing, but you know what? Eventually we’ll win, whether it’s now or later. Most people probably share his uncertainty. It’s pretty hard to know what they’re up to. But right now it’s […]

Melania Trump’s New Love for Gardening

September 24, 2017 — Food policy wonks can exhale now. Gardening is back in fashion at the White House. On Friday, First Lady Melania Trump hosted a happy contingent of school children to plant and pick in the White House kitchen garden. “I’m a Big Believer in Healthy Eating” The First Lady dressed for the occasion in a red […]

Fat-Shaming Trolls Turn to Athletes

September 23, 2017 — If you want perspective on the absurdity of fat-shaming trolls, consider this. Eddie Lacy, a successful NFL running back, can’t shake them. He tells ESPN: I could pull up my Twitter right now and there would be a fat comment in there somewhere. Like I could tweet, “Today is a beautiful day!” and someone would […]

The Potential for Exercise to Prevent 1 in 12 Early Deaths

September 22, 2017 — Yet again, we have the PURE study this week stirring up headlines around the world. A couple of weeks ago, it was nutrition. Today in Lancet, they’re publishing data on the potential for exercise to prevent deaths. Scott Lear and colleagues say that 30 minutes of exercise, five days a week can make a big […]

Sugar Warnings: Dose Makes the Poison

September 21, 2017 — This week, a U.S. appeals court struck down a San Francisco law requiring sugar warnings on advertising for sugary beverages. The law dates to June of 2015. It called for the following warning: WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. This is a message from the City and County […]