January 22, 2021 — When it comes to dietary patterns, one size doesn’t fit all. But when it comes to magical diet thinking, the masses wish for something different. The wish is for a “best” diet – something that will let me lose weight without feeling hungry. For several years now, pop culture assigned that magic to keto diets. […]
January 20, 2021 — Today is a day of transition. But even when defeat is obvious, changing direction is hard. The whole world has seen a vivid illustration of this over the last two months around the U.S. Capitol. And when ideology creeps into the science of public health, we see it there, too. One becomes committed to a […]
January 18, 2021 — The intersection of obesity and eating disorders in teens requires urgent attention, write Hiba Jebeile and colleagues in a new paper. But attention is lacking. Policymakers talk much about childhood obesity. Beyond the talk though, health policies do little to offer help for the youth and families affected. Likewise, screening and care for youth with […]
January 17, 2021 — Appearance has come to dominate our concept of what is healthy. And in turn, our culture links both appearance and health to virtue. Thus, when Cosmopolitan invites 11 women with wildly different appearances to describe their personal journeys to good health, Twitter has a fit. The cardinal sin seems to be declaring This Is Healthy! […]
January 16, 2021 — In a more innocent time, Schlitz, the beer that made Milwaukee famous, was also the beer with sunshine vitamin D. “A priceless source of vigor,” claimed the advertising. Similarly sunny claims are bubbling up for vitamin D in this time of COVID-19. These claims are based on observed correlations. But thinking that vitamin D might […]
January 15, 2021 — To be an educator might not mean much for a person’s income. But it confers tremendous power over the lives of students and thus our communities. Two publications this week remind us of the great power that educators have – for better or worse – in weight bias. Affirmation by a Teacher In a video […]
January 13, 2021 — Mistakes can be hard to admit. We see vivid examples. Someone makes a grievous error and yet claims their actions were “totally appropriate.” Even though they’re obviously wrong. Likewise, when a journal makes a mistake by publishing a flawed paper, a retraction can be quite difficult. But that’s precisely what Scientific Reports did yesterday. The […]
January 12, 2021 — Isaac Bashevis Singer told us we must believe in free will – there is no other choice. Thus, many of us put a great deal of energy into resolutions at this time of year. Often, they involve an effort to eat more healthfully. Resolve fades. Though 77 percent of resolutions last for at least a […]
January 11, 2021 — In the relationship between exercise and weight, one article of faith has held up for years. Exercise is a valuable tool for preventing weight gain. Though you can’t outrun a bad diet, experts are quite clear that exercise helps to maintain a lower weight. However, a new randomized study in Obesity asks a key question. […]
January 9, 2021 — We seem to be living in boom times for home fitness – at least for the folks selling it. In 2019, people wondered if Peloton would be a flash in the pan. After a 2019 IPO at 29 dollars per share, its stock price dropped by more than 30 percent in early 2020. But that […]
