Follow the accumulating evidence and observations that shape our view of health policy and obesity
May 12, 2025 — This is quite a day for the folks who have invested energy and others who have invested a great deal of money into developing tirzepatide for obesity. They took the risk of doing a head-to-head study of this drug against semaglutide and it clearly paid off. In the SURMOUNT-5 study, tirzepatide came out ahead on […]
May 11, 2025 — ECO2025 in Málaga, Spain, today (Sunday) started off with a sweeping review of weight bias, obesity stigma, and strategies for ending them. It’s a big ambition. But it was an honor for ConscienHealth to participate with an array of experts in the subject. The thought to take away from it is simply that progress is […]
May 10, 2025 — As we are on the way to the European Congress on Obesity in Málaga, Spain, one thing stands out. The science presented at this conference will make it plain that obesity is about much more than just excess weight and weight loss.We are looking forward to an array of presentations that deal with the effects […]
May 9, 2025 — A new study in JAMA Surgery adds to the impression that long-term outcomes are better with gastric bypass surgery when compared to gastric sleeve procedures for treating obesity. Specifically researchers found that people who have gastric bypass surgery are better than one third less likely to have heart attacks than those who have a gastric […]
May 8, 2025 — David Kessler is the former FDA Commissioner who laid the groundwork for aggressive tobacco regulation with a simple metaphor. He argued that nicotine is addictive like heroin or cocaine. Now he and many others are working to stretch that metaphor to warn the public about addictive junk food. It is a simple and very appealing […]
May 7, 2025 — The word of the day in obesity is volatility. Minutes ago in Denmark, Novo Nordisk announced their first quarter business results and revealed a 13% drop in obesity drug sales, a reduction in their sales forecast, and yet the response in European stock markets was that the stock rose in value. In fact, it rose […]
May 6, 2025 — Coffee and chicken are fueling nutrition headlines this week. “Black coffee improves insulin sensitivity in women,” say headlines sparked by one study. “Eating chicken could shorten your lifespan, raise cancer risk,” according to headlines from another study. Coffee good, chicken bad. Got it. Eating Chicken Isn’t Killing You Please, don’t hit the panic button if […]
May 5, 2025 — The first ever estimates of the economic impact of cuts to U.S. government-funded research are out from economists at American University in Washington. The current administration has already frozen billions of dollars in research funding. The president’s budget proposal last week called for cutting funding to the National Science Foundation by more than half. The […]
May 4, 2025 — “People with neurodiversity have a greater risk of obesity, yet the involvement in policy development and research of people with neurodiversity and obesity is minimal.” Stuart Flint, Joe Nadglowski, Kim Murray, and Julia Simonetti tell us in the latest issue of Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology that collecting data on lived experiences from people who face […]
May 3, 2025 — Rather quietly this week, Eli Lilly and Company announced that it had withdrawn an application to FDA for an indication to use tirzepatide (Zepbound) in treating heart failure – specifically for HFpEF. This news came up in a briefing for investors, with Lilly’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dan Skovronsky, saying: “Following discussions with the FDA, we’ve […]
