Follow the accumulating evidence and observations that shape our view of health policy and obesity
April 14, 2019 — Tomorrow is tax day in the U.S. Maybe you have it all squared away or maybe it’s not a worry for you. Whatever the case may be, it’s worth taking this moment to think about a tax we could all live without. Writing in Diabetes Care, Timothy Dall tells us that we’re all paying what […]
April 13, 2019 — Beware. Gendered generalizations will almost always get you into trouble. But they surround us. And in the Washington Post, Monica Hesse points out Twitter founder Jack Dorsey can utter meaningless drivel about what to eat and it’s a “biohack.” However, from a female opportunist – say, Gwyneth Paltrow – it’s simply whacky. Hack or whack? […]
April 12, 2019 — It’s been a long road for Intercept Pharmaceuticals to develop an important advance for treating NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis). Five years ago this little startup company shocked the world when a monitoring board stopped a placebo-controlled study because their drug (obeticholic acid or OCA) had worked so well. A final round of 64 liver biopsies were […]
April 11, 2019 — “I am ashamed to work in a healthcare profession that treats people in such a manner,” says Rachel Batterham. Batterham is a brilliant researcher and professor of obesity, diabetes, and endocrinology. But on Wednesday at the fourth World Congress on Interventional Therapies for Type 2 Diabetes, she reached outside of her comfort zone to talk […]
April 10, 2019 — Blue Bloods is a CBS drama series about a family of police officers in New York City. Fans appreciate the show for exploring the reality of complex moral issues. Last week the show explored the issue of fitness – i.e. obesity – and unfortunately failed to live up to its reputation. Bottom line, the show […]
April 9, 2019 — The logic is inescapable. Type 2 diabetes is a cruel, progressive disease that slowly, but surely destroys a body from the inside out.Strokes, heart disease, amputations, organ failure – they’re all part of a bleak picture. Intensive medical care can slow it down. But metabolic surgery can put it into remission. Three years ago, a […]
April 8, 2019 — Many folks working on childhood obesity prevention love the numbers for toddlers between 2010 and 2014. That’s because they found a temporary dip in obesity at that specific time for that specific group. The latest chapter in this story appeared in Pediatrics last week. Madeleine Daepp and colleagues published a very detailed analysis of obesity […]
April 7, 2019 — Is it mere coincidence that the rise of digital screen time has moved in parallel with the rise in obesity? A new paper points to a possible explanation. Researchers studied the effects of multitasking on digital screens by college students. They found a close relationship between heavy multitasking and and a stronger brain response to […]
April 6, 2019 — As Conscienhealth recently wrote, we need more curiosity in the fields of nutrition and obesity. That includes a willingness to challenge our pre-existing beliefs. I submit that this is true in nicotine research, too, even among our most capable researchers. Risk Perceptions Last week, JAMA published a report on trends in relative risk perceptions between […]
April 5, 2019 — Why is implicit weight bias growing while other forms of implicit bias are dropping? Here’s one reason: routine and explicit dehumanization. A new study in Obesity documents a stark reality. Our culture is dehumanizing people with obesity. Furthermore, dehumanization provides an excuse for policies to discriminate against people living with obesity. Less Than Human Through a […]
