July 10, 2020 — Humans can rationalize anything. But that doesn’t make it rational. And sooner or later, reality intrudes to lay bare the irrationality of some systems that humans construct. What else should we call the deeply embedded racial and ethnic disparities in systems of healthcare around the world? They are simply irrational. By synergistically destroying the health […]
July 10, 2020 — The common wisdom and scientific evidence holds that physical activity helps your brain function better. Too much sitting time supposedly gets in the way of good cognitive function But now, a new observational study suggests that sedentary desk jobs might be good for your brain. What gives? A Counter-Intuitive Observational Study The first thing to […]
July 9, 2020 — Blame and shame for obesity, it seems, is not just for humans anymore. In fact, a new study in the International Journal of Obesity documents significant bias toward dogs with obesity and their owners. What’s more, these attitudes are strikingly similar to what humans endure. Who’s a good dog? According to some veterinarians, not a […]
July 8, 2020 — If you work with the numbers long enough, you can get the answer you want. In Health Affairs, researchers claim to have found “a 47 percent reduction in obesity prevalence” due to the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. Now that’s impressive evidence for the value of school nutrition! Reducing childhood obesity prevalence is indeed an impressive […]
July 7, 2020 — Welcome to the world of peer review. This is the vital tool for bringing you science that you can trust. Legions of earnest experts look over research papers for strengths and weaknesses and overall merit before they appears in press. But urban legend holds that there’s a villain lurking in the process – Reviewer 2. […]
July 6, 2020 — For decades now, we’ve been debating the role of macronutrients in weight gain. But that fierce debate has yielded precious little consensus. Low-fat dietary guidance ruled the land for decades. Right now, low-carb diets seem to have the upper hand. However, in a new webinar, Kevin Hall suggests that neither calories, carbs, nor fat tell […]
July 3, 2020 — The cost of delayed care for chronic diseases – such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes – is steep in this pandemic. In fact, three separate analyses this week give us a glimpse of excess deaths in the early months of this continuing tragedy. But unfortunately, pinning these numbers down is a tricky business. However, […]
July 2, 2020 — Sometimes, a health crisis serves to clear the mind and prompt scientific curiosity. In fact, we see that in a steady stream of new research building an understanding of how COVID-19 leaves some people unharmed and others devastated. A new paper in Obesity offers a fine example. Ming Deng and colleagues bring new insights to […]
July 1, 2020 — Stay home, save lives! When the edict went out, speculation began immediately. How much will physical activity drop in the lockdown? What will be the unintended consequences? In Annals of Internal Medicine this week, we have a few answers. Based on step counts, physical activity dropped 27 percent worldwide in a sample of data from […]
June 30, 2020 — It’s tough getting good information these days. Good, factual information. Everybody wants to spin it. That’s undeniable in public policy. But it also seems to be true in drug development. Yesterday, the FDA definitively rejected an application from Intercept Pharmaceuticals for a new drug to treat NASH – nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. The company was shocked. Its […]
