January 21, 2019 — New research published last week in Cell offers a glimpse of how a critical part of the brain gets wired for obesity very early in life. Sebastien Bouret, a senior author, explains: We know that the brain, in particular an area called the hypothalamus, has a very important role in the regulation of food intake […]
January 20, 2019 — Civilization is in crisis, the Earth is at risk, and it’s time to put the planet on a better diet. So say Lancet editors Tamara Lucas and Richard Horton as they sum up findings of the EAT-Lancet Commission healthy and sustainable diets. They write: The dominant diets that the world has been producing and eating for the […]
January 19, 2019 — Many dog owners regard obesity in their best friends with indifference or perhaps mild amusement. But new research tells us that this health condition is taking years from the lives of our dogs. It varies by breed. For German Shepherds, the difference was half a year. For Yorkies, it was two and a half years. […]
January 18, 2019 — “An insidious scourge that has nothing to do with with head trauma is ravaging retired N.F.L. players,” says Ken Belson in the New York Times. It’s a sensational opening and a catastrophizing angle on NFL obesity. But unfortunately, Belson offers more sensation than insight. Plus an unhealthy, heaping dose of stigma. “Huge Men Unable to […]
January 17, 2019 — Regulations are all around when it comes to food formulation and labeling. Some of the regulations are a simple matter of science and safety. Ingredients must be safe for human consumption. But some of it is a matter of principle. People have a right to know what’s in the food they’re buying. Even with all […]
January 16, 2019 — Diets are out and healthy eating is in. Maybe we’re imagining it, but the deluge of miracle diets typical of January is a little subdued this year. Yes, there’s some buzz about keto diets and intermittent fasting. However, we are also seeing more interest in resisting all the diet hype. Giving voice to the resistance, […]
January 15, 2019 — The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Friday revoked all of the honorary titles of James Watson, a scientist who won the Nobel Prize in 1962 for describing the structure of DNA. Why? Because in a new PBS documentary, he restated abhorrent views on ethnicity and genetics. Racism can lead people to shun you. Weight bias […]
January 14, 2019 — Nowhere will you find a more talented, energetic collection of advocates for people living with obesity. The OAC Board of Directors just spent the weekend in Tampa planning OACAction priorities for the coming year. It’s an exciting time when much is changing and we have much to change. A Community of Action Takers “We are building […]
January 13, 2019 — Talk is cheap. And a new study in Psychological Science tells us that when it comes to talk about weight bias, we’re making slow progress. Explicit bias is down a bit over the last decade. But when it comes to action, this same study shows that implicit weight bias is growing, not shrinking. This new data comes […]
January 12, 2019 — In a most compelling way, Tommy Tomlinson describes his lifetime of experiences facing obesity: Losing weight is a f***ing rock fight. The enemies come from all sides: The deluge of marketing telling us to eat worse and eat more. The culture that has turned food into one of the last acceptable vices. Our families and […]
