Archive for December, 2017

Weight, Health, and Self-Compassion

December 31, 2017 — It’s here. Diet season is cranking up and the advertisements are bombarding us. Gyms will make the money that sustains them all year with memberships people don’t use. And many people will beat up on themselves when short-term self-help goals fall flat. May we suggest a small dose of self-compassion? The Virtue of Self-Compassion Popular […]

A Shift Toward Dialogue with Big Food

December 30, 2017 — Maybe dialogue is still possible. Perhaps it’s even productive, even in the face of strong disagreements. Michael Jacobson, the founder of CSPI, is the man who coined the phrase “junk food.” He’s not afraid to pump out sensational headlines or sue the food industry. So it’s remarkable to hear him tell the Washington Post he […]

Obesity Prevention: Where No Effect Is Evidence of Effectiveness

December 29, 2017 — Standards of evidence can seem a little fuzzy in this age of debates with alternative facts. But serious scientists have pretty clear standards. In obesity prevention, though, we wonder about some of the studies that sneak into journals. Take for example this study in Australia. As we wrote months ago, the authors found no overall […]

Does Chile Have the Secret for Reversing Obesity Trends?

December 28, 2017 — Writing in U.S. News, Deborah Cohen tells us that Chile has “taken the lead” toward ending the obesity epidemic. “The country’s success on this front can serve as a four-point lesson plan other countries could follow,” she says. Aggressive Regulatory Strategies What is this “success” of which she speaks? According to Cohen, Chilean policymakers did […]

Obesity in Elephants: Body Size Is Beside the Point

December 27, 2017 — Some people still object to the idea that obesity is a chronic disease. They express concerns that body size is a poor marker for health. But that argument confuses obesity with body size. For insight, consider the case of obesity in elephants. These are all large animals. Some have obesity and some do not. A […]

Milestones That Defined 2017 in Health and Obesity

December 26, 2017 — This bumpy year is just about done. It started with a dramatic changes in Washington and dramatic expressions of protest about those changes. So today, we’ll take a look at the stories that serve to define the year in health, nutrition, and obesity. These milestones are mere markers on the course of this year. But […]

How Do We Feel About Vulnerable People?

December 25, 2017 — Words have power. And today, the powerful word that’s on our mind is vulnerable. Many people today are celebrating the birth a vulnerable baby thousands of years ago. A Banned Word? Last week, political reporters were chattering about a list of words to avoid in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The direction […]

Best Bet for a Healthy Holiday? Fresh Air

December 24, 2017 — It’s here. On this holiday, many people will stop everything as they gather with family for a festive time and seasonal foods. Maybe it’s a goose, maybe it’s eggnog. or maybe it’s Chinese food. Though a bit of mindfulness might help, the menu is probably out of your hands. So your best bet for seeking […]

Wellness Penalty/Incentives Lose Again in Court

December 23, 2017 — They’re dead for now. Those godawful coercive wellness programs will be illegal on January 1, 2019, thanks to a new court ruling this week. A judge finally threw out EEOC rules that allowed companies to impose big penalties on employees who don’t step on the scale and lose weight. Some employers called them incentives. But […]

The Ethical Dead End of Personal Responsibility

December 22, 2017 — On the subject of obesity, one way or another, it takes only seconds. Almost always, the subject of personal responsibility will claim its central role. To some people, it’s even a key tool for allocating scarce medical resources. But with a new paper in the Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, Sven Ove Hansson helps us […]