Archive for March, 2018

Blind to the Biggest Drivers of Obesity?

March 31, 2018 — We’ve become blind to one of the biggest drivers of obesity. So says Julia Belluz – someone whom we rely upon for generally thoughtful writing about obesity. She’s reporting on a new study in Pediatrics about sports sponsorships used to promote food and soft drinks. Marketing Unhealthy Food and Beverages Marie Bragg and colleagues analyzed television viewing […]

Warning: Coffee in California May Cause Cancer

March 30, 2018 — Roasting coffee beans brings out that wonderful flavor that gets us out of bed in the morning. It also produces trace amounts of a substance called acrylamide. If you give lab rats a thousand times more acrylamide than you can find in food or coffee, some of those rats will get cancer. And so, a […]

The Elusive Magic of Small Plates

March 29, 2018 — Do Smaller Plates Make You Eat Less? You may have seen Channel 4’s Food Unwrapped. The programme covers two topics of interest to me; portion sizes and plate sizes. Portion Distortion There is evidence that portion sizes of commercially provided foods have increased over time and the programme covered this story. One of the main reasons […]

The Obesity Pandemic Brings Cancer to Youth

March 28, 2018 — In the latest issue of Obesity, Nathan Berger provides a very clear picture of how obesity is bringing cancer into a younger population. He assembles evidence from more than 100 publications to demonstrate that 13 types of malignancies are shifting into younger age groups. Accelerating Progression Berger examines more than just the epidemiology that links […]

Let’s Put a Buffet on the Table and See What Happens

March 27, 2018 — Bring us all a bit of everything. In case you’ve been living under a rock, that’s what the cool kids are doing at the buzzy restaurants for a fun, sociable meal. It’s a ritual of grazing with friends. Or maybe, it’s an intimate buffet. An Unmistakable Trend The trend for sharing in restaurants is everywhere. […]

A Failing Grade on Knowledge of Obesity Care

March 26, 2018 — It’s hard to sugarcoat this. New research makes it very clear. Most primary care providers lack an adequate knowledge of obesity care. They simply don’t know basic facts of what works and what doesn’t for treating obesity. Recently, researchers from the George Washington University checked the knowledge of 1,506 primary care providers. The sample included […]

Freeze a Nerve for Weight Loss? Not So Fast!

March 25, 2018 — Here’s a bit of hype that crossed many screens this week. The Society of Interventional Radiology wants you to know that an experimental procedure to freeze a nerve may “ignite weight loss.” Ignite sounds good, right? Naturally, health reporters had fun hyping this one. Our favorite: “Freezing the ‘hunger nerve’ could be key to more […]

Serotonin and Obesity: It’s Not Just in Your Head

March 24, 2018 — Maybe it’s not on the tip of every tongue. But serotonin is a bit more familiar than most neurotransmitters. Most people think of it as a “happy hormone” for the central nervous system that becomes depleted in a state of depression. However, The GI system has far more of it than the CNS. And now, […]

A Story of Persistence for Health at a Young Age

March 23, 2018 — Recently, we wrote of deep concern about teens with severe obesity who are denied effective obesity care. For insight into why this matters so much, consider the experiences of Maria Caprigno, a proud OAC member and brilliant patient advocate. Her story is one of incredible persistence for health at a very young age. I first […]

Just Say No to Obesity

March 22, 2018 — A year has passed and Medscape has taken a second look at the beliefs and behaviors of healthcare providers about obesity care. In many ways, little has changed. Most providers still seem to view obesity as nothing more than a behavioral problem. Just say no to a bad diet and inactivity. Many providers are reluctant […]