Archive for December, 2020

Five Health Trends Running Hot & Cold into 2021

December 31, 2020 — At long last the terrible, horrible, no-good year of 2020 is winding to a close. It was nothing like we expected or had ever seen before. Because of the coronavirus that still stalks us, patterns of life, health, and wellness have turned upside down. With a vaccine now sputtering out into the population, some of […]

Gains and Gaps in Guidelines for Eating Circa 2020

December 30, 2020 — This happens only once every five years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, along with Health and Human Services, issued new dietary guidelines yesterday. This is big news, but the reporting on it is pretty slim. In the 2020 guidelines for eating, we have some gains and some gaps in translating science into policy. In keeping […]

Scaling the Walls That Block Childhood Obesity Care

December 29, 2020 — For decades now, childhood obesity care has been on the back burner because of a false dichotomy. All efforts have gone into prevention – a noble and elusive goal. But in the face of earnest efforts to prevent childhood obesity, the prevalence has relentlessly climbed. Meanwhile, the children affected – now roughly six million with […]

2020 Concept of the Year: Immunity

December 28, 2020 — Merriam-Webster tells us that the word of the year is pandemic. (That was easy.) Oxford says that one word is not enough for this year, so the Oxford lexicographers have a produced a report to explore the many words and trends that define this weird year. But our approach to this question is simple. We […]

Soda Taxes: Feel Great, Less Fulfilling

December 27, 2020 — Soda taxes are a favored tool for fighting obesity around the world. The World Health Association is totally on board with this taxing sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs). But there’s just one tiny problem. The promise that these taxes will improve health feels great, but fulfillment of that promise is elusive. In fact, evidence for an […]

A Tale of Two Retractions – It’s Complicated

December 26, 2020 — Some mistakes are hard to correct. Sometimes, it’s even hard to figure out where the mistake lies. Thus, retractions can be quite messy when a problem arises with a scientific publication. Two recent examples illustrate just how complicated retractions can become. Do Women Need Male Mentors? Back in November, a paper in Nature Communications started […]

Joy to the World, It Will Find You

December 25, 2020 — It’s just the longest weekend ever. In these words from the innocent perspective of a little girl, 2020 doesn’t seem so bad. She is simply happy because  her family now has an “amazing kitty” who makes her forget COVID exists. Indeed, along with much suffering, 2020 has brought some joy to the world. Sorrow and […]

Peace on Earth? A Persistent Pandemic Hides in Plain Sight

December 24, 2020 — Watching the pandemic of COVID-19 play out this year has given us an education in so many things. Will it prompt us to wrap our heads around a persistent pandemic of racism? Or shall we fall back on tired rhetoric? Racism has profound effects on health and lifespan for people of color. The facts are […]

The Hilarity of Naive Efforts to Regulate Food Marketing

December 23, 2020 — China is going to eliminate food waste and fight obesity in a single stroke of regulation. How, you ask? Operation Empty Plate will expand into law. China will make it a crime to promote food waste, including overeating. The hilarity of naive efforts to regulate food marketing never disappoints. Stiff Fines for Bad Marketing Right […]

The Powerful Combination of Information and Trust

December 22, 2020 — We are learning the hard way that information alone does not persuade people in matters of health. This is because trust is essential. Mistrust of public health messages about COVID-19 is killing people. A new study in Annals of Internal Medicine tells us how potent the combination of information and trust can be. It is […]