News Archive for February, 2025

Typically, the news we read about adherence to dietary advice is a little depressing. We read report after report saying our diets are terrible. But here is a bright spot. For some time now, doctors – especially pediatricians – have been telling us: “Juice is not healthy.” Whole fruit is better. Surprisingly, people seem to […]

More than a decade ago, targeting amylin receptors for treating obesity looked like hot opportunity. Amylin, a peptide hormone co-secreted with insulin by pancreatic beta cells, plays a role in regulating satiety and food intake. An amylin analog, pramlintide, gained FDA approval for treating diabetes. But efforts to develop it for treating obesity never quite […]

Just days after an FDA ruling that will force most compounders out of the market for obesity medicines, Eli Lilly announced yet another carefully calibrated price cut for its Zepbound brand of tirzepatide. These are direct-to-consumer prices for the product packaged in vials. Specifically, Lilly offered up two new, higher dose vials at a reduced […]

A concern is surfacing as obesity treatments become more and more effective. The measurement for success has long been percent weight loss. But thoughtful people have always known that the right target for obesity care was actually improved health. It was okay to focus on weight as a measure of effectiveness when the the effect […]

Microgreens, those tiny, tender plants harvested just days after germination, are making a big splash in both the culinary and health worlds. Beyond their vibrant flavors and colors, these miniature greens score quite well in terms of nutrition and benefits to the environment. A new study in Scientific Reports tells us the the trend toward […]

It’s here again – a familiar spike in magical thinking about health and wellness. Our new president has installed an evangelist for raw milk, vaccine cynicism, and psychedelics to lead his department of health and human services. Because MAHA rhymes with MAGA so nicely, it is completely unsurprising. But it’s unsurprising for a more fundamental […]

It’s official. FDA yesterday declared that the semaglutide shortage is over and now we wonder how quickly and completely the compounding of obesity medicines will vanish. From the very first days of launching semaglutide for obesity in 2021, demand has outstripped supply. The FDA officially declared the shortage in March 2022. So it feels vaguely […]

Very quietly this week, JAMA Surgery published new data on long-term outcomes that will inform choices in metabolic surgery for years to come. We’re talking about the study of 10-year outcomes from the SM-BOSS RCT of gastric sleeve versus bypass. It tells us that the easy choice in the short term (a gastric sleeve) might […]

A new study of public opinion released today finds overwhelming support for access to obesity medicines in Medicare. In this polling, 79% of Republicans, 66% of independents, and 73% of Democrats support the Trump administration taking final action to provide coverage for these medicines under Medicare, just like medicines for any other chronic condition. Given […]

A new cancel culture is sweeping through science and research, censoring mentions of bad words under the new administration. The bad words relate to things like equity, bias, and diversity. Openness? Probably not a good thing to talk about if you don’t want your research funding flagged. This is a problem. Three researchers in pulmonary […]