Archive for January, 2019

Nicotine, Obesity, and Moral Panic

January 31, 2019 — A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine is stirring up a complex mixture of feelings with some objective data about vaping. The study shows that e-cigarettes are 83 percent more effective than nicotine replacement products for helping people quit smoking. In the U.K., the reaction is positive. In the U.S., the reaction is […]

Sugar in Canada: Drinking Less and Eating More?

January 30, 2019 — We have some surprising days ahead in the war on sugar. We now have a decade of it behind us. So people all over the world are responding. Canada offers us a new snapshot that tells us how it’s going there. If you believe the self reports, sugar in Canada is down. But the picture is […]

A Cluster Fuss in Obesity Studies

January 29, 2019 — In obesity research, we have a bit of a cluster fuss on our hands. It’s all about a type of randomized study where the randomization is between clusters. This randomization method is important because it’s very useful for obesity prevention studies. For example, you might have children in different schools or different classrooms participating in […]

A Huge, Impossible Problem with Enemies All Around

January 28, 2019 — Bummer. The Lancet Obesity Commission report is out today and if you thought that obesity might be a tough problem to solve, you really have no clue. It’s bigger than you ever thought. It’s not just an epidemic. Not even calling it a pandemic is big enough. It’s a syndemic. A huge, impossible problem. It’s […]

Thin Privilege from Skinny Genes

January 27, 2019 — New research in PLOS Genetics provides deeper insight than ever into the role that skinny genes may play in protecting an individual from obesity. Senior investigator Sadaf Farooqi sums it up: This research shows for the first time that healthy thin people are generally thin because they have a lower burden of genes that increase a […]

When an Impact Does Not Cause an Effect

January 26, 2019 — The language of cause cause and effect is slippery. That’s what we’ve learned this week from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. “The Impact of U.S. Free Trade Agreements on Calorie Availability and Obesity: A Natural Experiment in Canada” appeared last May in that journal. This week, the authors of that article explained that “impact” is […]

Cutting Sugar Clears Up Liver Disease in Children?

January 25, 2019 — JAMA grabbed some headlines this week on a popular subject – cutting sugar consumption for kids. Fatty liver disease is a serious problem and the headlines point to a simple solution. “To fight fatty liver, avoid sugary foods and drinks,” said the New York Times. How did researchers prove that? All it took was a randomized […]

Dietary Harmony in Canada – Naturally

January 24, 2019 — In the U.S., we’re gearing up for a big political fight over dietary guidelines. But in Canada, they’ve got new guidelines and the story is very different. Dietary harmony best describes the reaction to Canada’s new Food Guide. Canada has an enduring reputation for extreme politeness, so we’re not surprised. An Alternative to Food Fights […]

Conscientious Fear of Fat

January 23, 2019 — What should we make of links between personality and fat phobia? Or negative attitudes about people with obesity? Angelina Sutin and Antonio Terracciano have new data to suggest personality traits can tell us some things about the social experience of body weight. The associations they found are interesting. But they leave us with questions. For instance, […]

This Is What’s Replacing Soda?

January 22, 2019 — Is this a millennial dream? Or instead, a caricature? Recess is coming at us with a distinctive vibe for sparkling water – infusing it with hemp extract and “adaptogens.” The brand promises balance and clarity. Can this be what’s replacing soda for generations to come? Tapping All the Trends In case you haven’t noticed, big soda’s […]