March 21, 2024 — For an early stage of hepatic steatosis called MASLD, JAMA has just published results from an intriguing study. It is a small RCT showing that low-dose aspirin can significantly reduce fat in the liver of persons with MASLD and without cirrhosis. MASLD is a new acronym for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. You might know […]
March 20, 2024 — There is a hot debate playing out in medical journals and editorials all over the country. How can we pay for the advanced obesity medicines for which people are expressing such a great need? What often gets lost in this discussion is the fact that we are already paying. Yesterday, we had the good fortune […]
March 19, 2024 — Celebrity weight loss is a bane to the world. For years, Oprah found herself sucked into it and, as a result, took on a lot of self-stigma. In an hour-long program on ABC last night, though, she shared her new awareness of this: “I have to say that I took on the shame that the […]
March 18, 2024 — Hear that rumble? Nope, it not the latest SpaceX launch. It is the roar of growing demand for obesity care in the U.S. Two pieces of news in the last week remind us of how steep the upward line of growth in obesity treatment is right now. To help it scale up their reach to […]
March 17, 2024 — Professor Bruce Hood at the University of Bristol wants us to know that we can indeed learn to be happier. He has been teaching the Science of Happiness there since 2018 and measuring the results over time. Collaborating with Catherine Hobbs, Sarah Jelbert, and Laurie Santos in Higher Education, he reports that coursework in positive […]
March 16, 2024 — Firsts are worth celebrating. In this case, the cause for celebration is especially great. MASH or metabolic steatohepatitis is a disease that is growing dramatically more common and more harmful to the health of the population. Late this week, FDA approved resmetirom to be the first ever treatment for MASH with fibrosis. Note that the […]
March 15, 2024 — Prior authorizations are a driving force in the burnout of physicians, denial of medical care, and the profitability of health insurance and pharmacy benefit plans. By one estimate, healthcare providers spend $35 billion every year on chasing down prior authorizations so that their patients can receive the care they need – whether that is a […]
March 14, 2024 — Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder affecting young women, with effects that can span from adolescence to life after menopause. It is a complex condition and despite being so common, it’s still poorly understood. Quite often, obesity occurs coincidentally with PCOS. This coincidence has led to the kind of mistakes that […]
March 13, 2024 — The drug development pipeline is filling up with new new drugs for weight loss or obesity. On Thursday, Novo Nordisk caused the hearts of investors to flutter when it presented topline results on an oral medicine that might be more effective than semaglutide. The value of the company’s stock jumped by 13%. Just a week […]
March 12, 2024 — “We must support people living with obesity by educating them about healthy lifestyles.” This is #4 in a series of well-meant statements that promote weight bias and discrimination. Such a statement purports to mean well. But there are so many problems with comments like this that it’s difficult to summarize them all in a short […]
