January 11, 2020 — A new study in the January issue of Diabetes Care makes one thing very clear. We pay a steep price for untreated NASH – nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. This is a disease that starts with fat tissue building up in the liver. Then inflammation develops. After that, it can progress to liver damage and failure, ultimately requiring […]
January 10, 2020 — One of the few things in obesity that people agree upon is that BMI has serious limitations for the diagnosis of obesity. It’s great for epidemiologists. But it causes problems for clinicians and patients. While it’s useful as a crude measure of weight status, it doesn’t provide much insight into a patient’s clinical status. So […]
January 9, 2020 — We ought to be the masters of our own fate. Pull ourselves up by the bootstraps. Get up and do what needs to be done. And you know what? Most people do their best. However, this little inspirational talk is no substitute for medical facts. And the fact is that obesity is a highly heritable, […]
January 8, 2020 — What could it be that explains racial and ethnic disparities in obesity? The most common thought is that it’s all about differences in health behaviors, along with social and economic status. The thinking is that poverty and educational disadvantages make it hard to eat healthy and stay fit. But a new study in Obesity tells […]
January 7, 2020 — Right now, all we want is a bit of normalcy. Let’s face it, the month of December thrusts a great deal of change and disruption upon us. Maybe it’s the disruption of too much fun and camaraderie. Maybe it’s an excess of familial joy. Or perhaps it’s darker memories that you’re carrying into the new […]
January 6, 2020 — It was a stunning and unique result that seemed to come out of nowhere at ObesityWeek late last year. A new drug, bimagrumab, yielded a 21 percent reduction in fat mass after 48 weeks. But lean body mass went up by 3.6 percent. This result is distinctly different from what usually happens in obesity treatment. […]
January 5, 2020 — Is veganism having an identity crisis? On one hand, stories bombard us with the message that veganism is going mainstream. Vegan restaurant options are expanding crazy fast. A plant-based diet is supposed to be good for saving your health, your soul, and even the planet. But on the other hand, sticklers are quick to tell […]
January 4, 2020 — Research, nutrition, and politics. It’s a formula for seemingly unending debates. Now, a recent analysis of data on whole-fat and low-fat milk is adding fuel to the fire. Even before this, dairy farmers were agitating to end the ban on whole-fat milk in schools. Now, this new data adds one more reason to suspect that […]
January 3, 2020 — Earlier this week, a court ruling told us that the word diet doesn’t really mean much. Now the U.S. News report on best diets reminds that best doesn’t mean all that much, either. You might have thought that being best was a singular accomplishment. After all, Merriam Webster defines best as something that is better […]
January 2, 2020 — The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has rendered a great truth this week. The word diet doesn’t mean much. That word is no guarantee that whatever it describes will make you lose weight. In fact, you might even gain weight. Said this San Francisco court in a unanimous ruling: The prevalent understanding of the […]
