Archive for October, 2023

An Ultra-Processed Retraction – Still Processing

October 21, 2023 — “Swift and decisive” was the decision by the Editor-in-Chief of Nutrition and Health. This is how Luis-Enrique Becerra-Garcia described the response to errors in a publication on educating women with obesity about ultra-processed foods. The authors had claimed to find significant effects on weight, quality of life, pain, and metabolic syndrome. Becerra-Garcia and colleagues found […]

A Global View of Weight Stigma

October 20, 2023 — Cultural norms regarding body image vary all around the world. Likewise, priorities and perspectives about health are quite variable, too. So we find it quite remarkable that a global view of the difficult issue of weight stigma emerged this week with leadership from the World Obesity Federation in Obesity Reviews. We note that, with the […]

OW2023: Five Things We Will Remember

October 19, 2023 — The week that was OW2023 is history now, leaving us to reflect on what we will remember from this gathering of the top minds in obesity science, clinical care, and health policy. The meeting comes at a pivotal time for obesity care, so we have much to learn from the people who came together here. […]

OW2023: Have We Tortured BMI Enough?

October 18, 2023 — We’re starting to feel pity for the poor, tortured metric of BMI. Put BMI into your Google search box and the top suggestion is “BMI inaccurate.” The top news about BMI right now comes from Nature and it explains “Why BMI is flawed – and how to redefine obesity.” And therein lies the problem. BMI […]

OW2023: Testing Drugs in People Like Me

October 17, 2023 — “You’re either invisible, or the answer is to lose weight, even with mental health.” This is the sentiment that surfaced at OW2023 in research of lived experiences from people coping with both obesity and needing treatment for mental health concerns. It becomes acutely important as we learn that drug trials for conditions other than obesity […]

OW2023: A Tantalizing Future, Inadequate in the Present

October 16, 2023 — Forgive us a bit of skepticism please. We are facing a jarring disconnect at ObesityWeek from the reality of medical care that simply can’t keep up with stunning progress in obesity science. Scientists and obesity medicine experts are promising us a tantalizing future for obesity care while the present circumstances facing real people living with […]

OW2023: Pursuing Obesity KAER in Older Adults

October 15, 2023 — For one of his fat-hating laugh lines, Bill Maher asks, “Have you ever have seen a fat 90-year old?” As a matter of fact, that describes a parent or grandparent for any number of our friends. It’s not really funny. It is merely one more way the empathy-challenged Maher betrays his ignorance about obesity. But […]

The View from OW2023: A Pivotal Year for Obesity Care

October 14, 2023 — Over the last four years, we’ve been through a lot – not all of it especially good. But the view from OW2023 as it starts today in Dallas points to a pivotal year for obesity care. A good year. Dare we say it. The world seems to be pivoting toward a much more helpful approach […]

The Intersection of Heart, Kidney, and Metabolic Outcomes

October 13, 2023 — The handwriting is on the wall. Insurers can’t avoid covering obesity drugs forever, said a recent analysis from Bloomberg and they were right. What prompted that conclusion is the cascade of health outcome studies that make it unmistakeable. Treating obesity and and related metabolic diseases with advanced medicines like semaglutide has a dramatic effect on […]

Ten Sparks to Start Your Thinking on ObesityWeek 2023

October 12, 2023 — We’re packing for Dallas and looking forward to soaking up as much innovation, science, and policy as we can when all the world’s top experts gather to share their best thinking at ObesityWeek 2023. There’s a lot to absorb in just four days, so advance planning is the key. Here are ten sparks from the […]