Archive for December, 2020

A Blind Spot for Diversity in Nutrition?

December 11, 2020 — If you want to take a swipe at dietitians, you’d better be ready for some blowback. But the New York Times gave it a go this week with a caricature of the profession. Does the profession pay adequate attention to diversity in nutrition, body types, and lives? Times reporter Priya Krishna tells us no. She […]

Tirzepatide: Two for One Efficacy? Diabetes + Obesity?

December 10, 2020 — News from Eli Lilly and Company suggests that we may soon see a new drug that offers two-for-one efficacy – a clinical benefit in both obesity and diabetes. The company announced yesterday that tirzepatide produced good results against endpoints for both diseases in a phase 3 RCT. In this study, called SURPASS-1, researchers tested three […]

Pfizer COVID Vaccine: Equally Effective with Obesity

December 9, 2020 — Contrary to headline-grabbing speculation, data on the Pfizer COVID vaccine tell us it works equally well in people whether or not they have obesity. These data come from detailed briefing documents on the vaccine released yesterday by FDA. Up until now, the information on COVID vaccines has been sparse – mostly press releases and speculation. […]

Bariatric Surgery Could Save the NHS Money

December 8, 2020 — What we have here is a bit of a love-hate story. In the midst of the COVID pandemic, Britain’s NHS has received an outpouring of love. But for folks living with obesity in the UK, it’s a little harder to find some of that love. Our own research suggests that some of the strongest weight […]

Semaglutide in for Review at FDA to Treat Obesity

December 7, 2020 — Friday marked an important milestone in progress toward better treatments for obesity. Novo Nordisk submitted semaglutide to FDA for approval in treating obesity. So we may see approval for this important new drug in the second half of next year. Why so important? We have two reasons. A Step Forward in Effectiveness The first reason […]

Health Gain vs Weight Loss After Teen Bariatric Surgery

December 6, 2020 — Looking back, treating obesity has often been framed in terms of weight loss. But looking forward, we see much more emphasis on health gain. This is certainly evident in the new Canadian obesity treatment guidelines. A new analysis from the Teen LABS study gives us further reason to look beyond weight loss in bariatric surgery. […]

FDA Approves Saxenda (liraglutide) for Obesity in Teens

December 5, 2020 — Late on Friday, Novo Nordisk announced FDA approval for Saxenda (liraglutide 3mg) to treat obesity in teens. This marks the second such drug approved in for youth in little more than a week. Setmelanotide received approval last week for children as young as six. Make no mistake about it, we are making progress in expanding […]

Diabetes Remission Seven Years After Gastric Bypass

December 4, 2020 — Type 2 diabetes can be a brutal disease. It often, but not always, goes hand in hand with obesity. Thus, both of these conditions are rising throughout the world, exacting a terrible toll on human health. Once again, though, research tells us that a good option exists to turn this back for many people. A […]

COVID-19: A Natural Experiment in Cutting Health Costs

December 3, 2020 — We didn’t expect this: COVID-19 is a boon to the health insurance industry. Despite a health crisis killing someone every minute in the U.S., costs for medical care are down. That’s because of people avoiding or delaying healthcare – possibly putting their health at risk. But for health insurers, that means a big increase in […]

Flooding the Zone with Vitamin D Studies

December 2, 2020 — Let’s call it a flood – an overwhelming flood of information and misinformation about Vitamin D and COVID-19. But the volume is so great that distinguishing truth from fiction can be difficult. Furthermore, our knowledge is incomplete. So we have lots of speculation and relatively fewer solid facts. Meanwhile, researchers continue flooding the zone with […]