February 22, 2019 — This week, we’ve watched two vivid examples of biased thinking unfold in medical forums. In one case, we saw demeaning racial stereotypes offered up in Neurology. In another, we have demeaning body weight stereotypes presented by an editor at Medscape. The case of racial bias led to a swift retraction and a resignation. But in […]
February 6, 2019 — Last week, the Lancet Commission on obesity offered us a pretty bleak view of the future. The current approach to obesity prevention is failing. Food and fuel industries are dooming us to a future that is overweight, underwater, and malnourished. But what do the data say? Ruopeng An and Shen Zhang provide a systematic review […]
February 4, 2019 — Three years ago, 45 global organizations endorsed guidelines recommending metabolic surgery to reverse type 2 diabetes. At about the same time the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced a big expansion of the Diabetes Prevention Program with great fanfare. But today, very few of the patients who could benefit from either of these options […]
February 3, 2019 — We like to be optimistic. In many, many ways, things are getting better for dealing with obesity. Science is giving us a much better understanding of the physiology of this disease. AMA and medical organizations all over the world recognize it a chronic disease, not evidence of some sort of character flaw. And treatment options […]
February 2, 2019 — People who live in large bodies find themselves the target of fat-phobic and body shaming messages on a daily basis. Ellen Maud Bennett died of cancer on May 11, 2018, and she used her obituary to ask the medical profession to stop fat-shaming the ill. She is not alone. Weight bias is everywhere in our […]
January 24, 2019 — In the U.S., we’re gearing up for a big political fight over dietary guidelines. But in Canada, they’ve got new guidelines and the story is very different. Dietary harmony best describes the reaction to Canada’s new Food Guide. Canada has an enduring reputation for extreme politeness, so we’re not surprised. An Alternative to Food Fights […]
January 20, 2019 — Civilization is in crisis, the Earth is at risk, and it’s time to put the planet on a better diet. So say Lancet editors Tamara Lucas and Richard Horton as they sum up findings of the EAT-Lancet Commission healthy and sustainable diets. They write: The dominant diets that the world has been producing and eating for the […]
January 14, 2019 — Nowhere will you find a more talented, energetic collection of advocates for people living with obesity. The OAC Board of Directors just spent the weekend in Tampa planning OACAction priorities for the coming year. It’s an exciting time when much is changing and we have much to change. A Community of Action Takers “We are building […]
January 10, 2019 — A new report in the BMJ tells us Coca Cola is controlling health policy in China – as it relates to physical activity and obesity. Harvard professor Susan Greenhalgh says: The company has cleverly manoeuvered itself into a position of behind-the-scenes power that ensures that government policy to fight the growing obesity epidemic does not undermine its […]
January 9, 2019 — Forgive us for saying so. But this seems a bit like opposite day. On one hand, taxing sugar sweetened beverages is popular in progressive enclaves like Berkeley, California. On the other, the conservative Wall Street Journal is warning that such taxes are highly regressive. They’re hurting vulnerable, low-income neighborhoods in Philadelphia, says the Journal. Are […]
