Archive for April, 2019

Bias That Leaves Children Without Options

April 30, 2019 — You might think that childhood obesity is a subject that draws a lot of sympathy from the public. You would be wrong. Today at the 26th European Congress on Obesity, we presented new data on a huge gap in the public understanding of severe obesity in young children. Even in young children, our data shows […]

Is Your Car Commute Killing You?

April 29, 2019 — Killer traffic. It’s a hyperbolic complaint. Or then again, maybe not. Consider these two factoids. One, the WHO tells us that road accidents are now the biggest killers of young people around the world. And two, new research presented at the 26th European Congress on Obesity tells us that the risk of death is a […]

Too Few Kids Judged with Obesity? Not Really

April 28, 2019 — On what planet is this a problem? Yet again, we have people promoting that too few children are being judged with having obesity. In a review and meta-analysis for ECO 2019, Abrar Alshahrani describes the problem: Parents commonly describe their children in terms other than obese, such as big boned, thick, and solid. They demonstrated […]

Ranting About Gluttony Doesn’t Help with Obesity

April 27, 2019 — For reasons we cannot fathom, Jay Leno decided to deliver a rant about “this disturbing trend of gluttony” that he supposes is the root cause of obesity. Thanks, Jay. But you’re not helping. Food marketers might be pushing a lot of disgusting “innovations,” but gluttony is not the root cause of obesity. And rants about […]

Fear & Curiosity About Risks in the Food Supply

April 26, 2019 — Ask any attorney. Safe is a four-letter word. So in light of data that raises some good questions about the risks of a very common food additive – propionate – how should we respond? Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health have found evidence to suggest propionate may alter our metabolism and lead to […]

Canadian Obesity Summit: Taking Action Against Weight Bias

April 25, 2019 — At the sixth Canadian Obesity Summit on Wednesday, three of Canada’s top experts on weight bias presented diverse views on taking action against weight bias. The focus ranged from reducing bias in new healthcare providers to internalized bias and health at every size. Though these experts brought diverse perspectives, they shared a common focus. Reducing […]

Kevin Hall: Common Ground on Ultra-Processed Foods?

April 24, 2019 — The opening of the Sixth Canadian Obesity Summit was a bit of a homecoming for Kevin Hall. It was his first visit to Ottawa in about three decades and Obesity Canada rewarded him with its Distinguished Lecturer Award. He used the occasion to review the evidence behind the diet wars wars that rage on Twitter. […]

Have We Gone Nuts About Protein?

April 23, 2019 — Want your Cheerios with extra protein? You got it! No time for a bowl of cereal? Chug down a bottle of STōK Protein Cold Brew Coffee. You can get a jolt of caffeine along with 20 grams or so of protein. Pop nutrition has made people wary of fats. It tells us that sugar and […]

Preventing Breast Cancer with Better Obesity Care?

April 22, 2019 — For the first time, we have evidence that treating obesity might reduce the risk of breast cancer, even in women before menopause. The research, published in the Annals of Surgery, finds a lower risk of breast cancer in women with severe obesity before and after menopause if they have bariatric surgery. Other studies have shown […]

Flummoxed by an Imaginary Concept of Healthy Food

April 21, 2019 — Have Dietary Guidelines for Americans gone seriously awry? In a newly published doctoral thesis, Adele Hite suggests they have. As an RDN and a scholar of how public health and policy makers frame issues of nutrition, she brings a unique perspective. The definition of a healthy diet has shifted subtly, but profoundly. No longer is […]