October 28, 2020 — It’s that time of year. Many people are picking health plans. For folks who get health insurance through their employer, that might mean looking through confusing options to pick the one that best suits their needs. For others with Medicare, that might mean choosing between insurance options that provide better coverage than bare bones Medicare. […]
October 27, 2020 — Just in time for Halloween, JACC has published another scary study about diet drinks. The study finds an association with cardiovascular disease. It’s great fuel for the health news machine, but not so helpful for informing people about real health risks. CNN says this is part of a “growing body of research” suggesting something scary […]
October 25, 2020 — After two decades of really bad publicity, sugar is reinventing itself. Just last week, FDA finalized its rules for allulose, a rare but natural form of sugar. It looks and tastes a lot like regular sugar, though it’s about one third less sweet. But the really sweet deal is that the final rule from FDA […]
October 22, 2020 — In the face of uncertainty, humans often rely on the ring of truth. Facing a pandemic and big changes to daily life, reports of depression and anxiety grow. Surely this will bring a spike in suicides, people say. Equally certain is the belief that childhood obesity will rise. But sometimes, the ring of truth is […]
October 16, 2020 — We understand. Surgery is daunting. Bias against people living with obesity is rampant. Some friends and family will criticize. Some doctors will discourage. Health plans often make it hard. So many people feel reluctance about seeking bariatric surgery. But a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine reminds us. This is not right. […]
October 15, 2020 — The list of ways we woulda, coulda, shoulda prevented obesity keeps growing. In PLOS Medicine this week, another study is spawning headlines about a really effective tool for preventing obesity. The claim is that banning ads for unhealthy food can do the trick. The headlines are promising. For example, PLOS issued a press release that […]
October 14, 2020 — Objectivity is something that gets a lot of attention here. We prize, pursue, and advocate for it. Especially in matters of health, nutrition, and obesity. Conventional wisdom suggests that objective numbers for health outcomes are important tools for this pursuit. But are we kidding ourselves when we rely on numbers for objectivity? Professor Deborah Stone […]
October 13, 2020 — On a recent visit to our least favorite dentist, with a mouth full of cotton, we heard this: “People die all the time. This coronavirus thing is not such a big deal.” A new report in JAMA, tells us just how wrong she was. Deaths indeed do happen all the time. But from March to […]
October 12, 2020 — At first glance, it’s a fascinating study. An intermittent fast, gut microbiota, and an effect on the risk for heart disease – the title of this new study in JCEM pushes all the right buttons. But a look under the surface tells a different story. The primary outcome measures for this study were BMI and […]
October 11, 2020 — This week, the CDC added overweight to its list of conditions that might bring increased risk for severe symptoms with COVID-19. By that, the agency means anyone with a BMI between 25 and 30. For a BMI of 30 and above, CDC does not mince words. Your risk is higher. Think about it. This means […]
