November 13, 2019 — “We can’t treat our way out of this.” That simple declaration about the rising prevalence of obesity among children and youth has profound consequences. One of those consequences is children, youth, and families left without options for dealing with a serious health problem. For one thing, good obesity care is hard to find and hard […]
November 6, 2019 — Bad habits and bad choices. That’s where the public thinking lies on the subject of obesity. So at ObesityWeek yesterday, a string of researchers told us about their efforts to close the information gap on obesity. They’re looking for ways to warn people about sugary drinks. They’re trying to figure out if posting calorie counts […]
November 3, 2019 — It’s fairly easy to spot the people peddling empty hype as the answer for obesity, nutrition, and health. To answer tough questions, they tell us it’s really quite simple. We’re all loading up on too much toxic sugar, they might say. In the Federalist last week, James DeLong wrote that Americans are fat “because they’re […]
October 17, 2019 — On the occasion of World Food Day, Pope Francis had a message for the world about food and health and social justice. Food for profit at any cost has led to a world of hunger, obesity, and waste. Indeed, he said, food has cultural, social, and symbolic importance we are neglecting. The logic of the […]
October 12, 2019 — Marking World Obesity Day, leaders from all over the world took a moment yesterday to reflect. Stigma and neglect amplify the threat of obesity to global public health. For decades now, efforts have gone into amping up the problem. But little has gone into real solutions. Prevention receives lip service. Presumptions about what should work […]
October 11, 2019 — Is there such a thing as righteous deception? If you want to make your head hurt, try to ask yourself that in the context of plant-based food alternatives. Fake meat and fake milk are going mainstream. But the folks who make real meat and real milk don’t like it. Not a bit. They think these […]
October 5, 2019 — For most of the first 30 years of the obesity epidemic, the response has been simple. Address it as a failure of personal responsibility. But that hasn’t worked out so well. Marion Nestle explained this in her keynote address for the Obesity Medicine Association Fall Summit yesterday in Boston. Today’s food environment makes it socially […]
October 2, 2019 — It feels like adolescent obesity care is about ten years behind the recent progress in care for adults. Of course, we have the foundation of intensive behavioral support, though it’s hard to find effective programs for this age group. Very few options for pharmacotherapy are approved for teens. Finally, surgical treatment is becoming a bit […]
September 27, 2019 — “It’s about time.” That was the instant reaction of Sarah Bramblette upon reading a new review of lipedema science in Obesity. Bramblette is a tireless advocate for people living with lipedema and lymphedema. The title of the review – A Call To Action! – pretty well describes everything she does. But inaction is more typical […]
September 17, 2019 — At the National Academies yesterday, we found ourselves immersed in mixed messages on obesity. The occasion was a public workshop on effective communications strategies for obesity. OCEANS President Faith Newsome summed it up for us: I left with a lot of questions, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We talk about “solutions” and promote “healthy” […]
