Follow the accumulating evidence and observations that shape our view of health policy and obesity
July 21, 2018 — On the opening morning of YWM2018, Kevin Hall offered some remarkably clear science to refute a number of bogus weight loss clichés. Number one on the list: cut 3,500 calories from your diet and you’ll lose a pound of fat. Cut back 500 calories a day and you’ll lose a pound per week. After four years, […]
July 20, 2018 — On the eve of YWM2018 yesterday, roughly 50 key members gathered to sharpen skills and support a new push for advocacy state by state. As ever, the priorities are constant and clear: gaining access to care, supporting research, and reducing bias and discrimination. Already, we’re gaining ground. Better Access to Care at Cigna and Emblem […]
July 19, 2018 — A jarring story is playing out in public health. Momentum is growing to tax sugary drinks and junk foods all over the world. From a perch of privilege it sounds good. If you tax these bad foods and drinks enough, people will stop buying them. Even better, modeling exercises tell advocates that the benefits will […]
July 18, 2018 — For the first time ever, we have direct evidence for the long-term cardiovascular safety of an obesity medication. The drug is Belviq, also known as lorcaserin. Yesterday, Eisai released topline results for the long-awaited CAMILLIA-TIMI 61 trial. This was a five-year cardiovascular outcomes study of 12,000 patients. It was randomized and placebo controlled. CV Safety […]
July 17, 2018 — Apparently, consumers are hungry for nutrigenetics. That’s the science that explains how our genes affect our nutrition status. And that subject takes people very quickly to the subject of body weight. So a whole host of companies are offering to analyze your DNA and give you personal insights for managing your weight and your health. […]
July 16, 2018 — Researchers at York are telling us they have a breakthrough that will change the way we think about obesity. At least that’s what their press release says. And it worked. They made us click the link. Jennifer Kuk and colleagues found that about one in 20 (5%) of people with a BMI over 30 have […]
July 15, 2018 — What’s the #1 way Americans are fighting obesity? You guessed it. We’re eating less and moving more. What’s #2? We’re eating more fruits and veggies and salads. Sadly though, these efforts aren’t paying off. Despite putting those great ideas into action, the prevalence of obesity keeps rising. It’s now at an all time high of […]
July 14, 2018 — Over the last 15 years or so, we’ve shaken off some bad dietary advice that swallowed us in the 1980s. Low fat everything was supposed to be the foundation for a healthy diet. Until it wasn’t. But one piece of that dogma has held its place in dietary guidelines. The 2015 guidelines for Americans still […]
July 13, 2018 — For the last two days, Harvard Professors Steven Grinspoon and Frank Hu led a symposium on fighting the sugar epidemic. Coincidentally, the Obesity Society issued a press release yesterday calling for more research on the effects of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes. President-elect Steven Heymsfield said: Although taxing SSBs might generate revenue that can be used to […]
July 12, 2018 — Waiting times for bariatric surgery have nearly doubled in a decade. That’s one of the findings from a study that will soon appear in Annals of Surgery. Health insurers drive most of these delays according to the authors. But those longer wait times apparently do nothing to improve the outcomes or prevent complications. The result is […]
