August 17, 2019 — Kids these days. Social media seems to consume them. Gen Z, also known as the iGen, has grown up with smartphones and these apps. So it often defines the generation. Cranky codgers might decry it, but thoughtful researchers look at the potential benefits and harms. An association with psychological distress crops up as a worry […]
August 16, 2019 — We’ve just spent two days with nearly 200 human resource pros in the Texas Business Group on Health. They gathered for regional forums on health benefits in San Antonio and Houston. One thing comes through loud and clear. Employers are moving on beyond superficial wellness programs. Those programs alone don’t have much of an impact […]
August 15, 2019 — Beware of pilot studies with claims of effectiveness. “A pilot study is not a hypothesis testing study,” says Andrew Leon in a cogent summary of what pilots can and can’t do. But it’s oh so tempting to jump on effect data from a pilot study. Especially when you believe in what you think it tells […]
August 14, 2019 — WW is stepping out on a limb and we hope the world is ready for it. Not quite a year after walking away from its identity as Weight Watchers, it’s taking a bold step. WW is rolling out Kurbo by WW for kids 8-17 with excess weight and obesity. Is this something that can be […]
August 13, 2019 — The o-word has long been a problem. “Obesity” is a medical term that is more than just off-putting. It’s a stigmatizing diagnosis. Even worse is labeling people as “obese.” That’s not OK. Most people with obesity will tell you that they might have some excess weight, but obesity has nothing to do with them. Thus […]
August 12, 2019 — A new trend, anticipated by many, seems to be gaining momentum. For decades, deaths due to heart disease have declined in wealthy countries. But now, that decline is slowing. In fact, it’s going in the opposite direction now for several countries – including the U.S. These observations come from a new study in the International […]
August 11, 2019 — Maybe the screen can wait. A pair of recent studies tell us that distracted eating might lead people to consume more calories at a meal. Plus, there’s no evidence that people compensate with fewer calories at the next meal. So that extra food could add up over time. Thus it might be smart to put […]
August 10, 2019 — Velveeta ain’t what it used to be. That’s because consumers now don’t want ultra-processed food. Thus, 474 million dollars just disappeared from the balance sheet of Kraft Heinz. It’s all about the fading, intangible goodwill value of processed food brands. Serious Financial Pressure for “Big Food” Food marketing is all about building goodwill for brands […]
August 9, 2019 — New data from Rhythm Pharmaceuticals this week tells us that a new, highly targeted obesity therapy may become available soon. The data come from two phase 3 studies of setmelanotide in rare cases genetic obesity. With these positive results in hand, Rhythm expects to file for FDA approval in late 2019 or early 2020. Thus, […]
August 8, 2019 — People do not like it when deep prejudices come under challenge. Folks in the UK are processing some despicable hate speech from a public figure, Michael Buerk. He casts the death of people with obesity as a good thing for saving money in the NHS. But a brief discussion on Good Morning Britain perfectly illustrates […]
