Archive for the ‘Scientific Meetings & Publications’ Category

Metabolic Surgery in Youth Becoming Less Rare

May 31, 2023 — Plenty of people have strong feelings about metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) for young persons. The idea that it might even be an option for youth can inflame the passions of people who are happy to dictate what medical care should and should not be available to other people. This response drew a lot of […]

Ultra-Processing of Study Results in Nutrition

May 29, 2023 — Expert opinion holds that ultra-processed food is not a good thing. So it’s quite natural to expect that helping people resist the convenience and taste of this ubiquitous type of food will help with dietary health outcomes. So natural that it’s quite easy to dismiss inconvenient, unexpected findings. A little ultra-processing of study results in […]

Enforcing Second Class Status for Obesity

May 26, 2023 — Some health insurance plans seem to be panicking. For years, the order of things was simple. People with obesity had only themselves to blame and besides, nothing could be done about their condition. So health insurers routinely denied coverage for medical care of obesity. “Regardless of any potential medical benefit” was the language written into […]

Goodbye Bariatric, Hello Metabolic Surgery

May 25, 2023 — Are we ready for a re-think of obesity and metabolic health? Ready to change the conversation about obesity medicines and bariatric surgery? Sergio Santoro, Scott Shikora, and Ricardo Cohen certainly think so. Writing in Obesity Surgery, they say it’s time to say goodbye to bariatric surgery and move on to the framework of metabolic surgery. […]

Food Is Mental Health Medicine?

May 24, 2023 — The logic of trying to turn food into medicine simply escapes us. The week, the Washington Post has a new twist on food as medicine – telling us to eat our greens if we want better mental health. It leaves us with mixed feelings. On one hand, we’re all in on the concept of finding […]

Will Oral Obesity Meds Match Injections?

May 23, 2023 — A pair of reports on Monday raised the possibility that we may soon have oral obesity meds that match the remarkable effectiveness of injections. One of these drugs is an oral formulation of semaglutide that’s already available at a much lower oral dose for diabetes under the brand name of Rybelsus. Novo Nordisk makes it. […]

Success in Reducing Self Stigma

May 22, 2023 — Despite a great deal of progress in recognizing weight bias and stigma, many challenges remain in overcoming it. Explicit expressions of weight bias no longer get a free pass. So they are becoming less common. But implicit weight bias is as strong as ever. Perhaps even more challenging is the weight bias that people direct […]

“Deadly Long-Term Consequences” of Sweeteners?

May 21, 2023 — Let’s get right to the point. This point is that it’s always best to stick with the truth. Sometimes it is inconvenient, but it is definitely the best choice. So we’re disappointed in you, WHO. We love you and hated to see you telling a fib this week when you issued a news bulletin, saying […]

ECO2023: An Eye on Future Progress in Obesity

May 20, 2023 — ECO2023 closed today with a clear focus on future progress in obesity. Lee Kaplan offered a view of what that future might look like with a focus on access and delivery of chronic care for obesity. Kaplan told us the future of obesity care lies in getting beyond merely saying that obesity is a disease. […]

ECO2023: Seeking the Determinants of Obesity

May 19, 2023 — One question that holds us captive in obesity is the question of its origins. Why has its prevalence been rising so relentlessly now for decades? At ECO2023, this question inserted itself into one of the major themes of the meeting – a pursuit of the determinants of obesity. Commercial Determinants Emma Boyland and Aileen McGloin […]