January 28, 2022 — For people who care about the science of obesity and metabolism, this is a fascinating story – still unfolding. For others, it can be a source for cherry-picked factoids. Whatever your pleasure, you can find important insights in a new study published yesterday in Obesity. Catia Martins, Barbara Gower, and Gary Hunter analyzed detailed metabolic […]
December 17, 2021 — We can’t believe it either. This weird, messy year is winding down and it’s time to figure out what just happened as we prepare to go into an new year of promise and uncertainty. In obesity and health, 2021 was full of change, confusion, and new insights. We started the year with a raging pandemic, […]
January 13, 2020 — Is there such a thing as too much sweetness and light? This is a question that bugs people who just don’t trust artificial sweeteners. Thus, a new study in Nutrients will add fuel to their fires of suspicion. Researchers led by Alexander Nichol conducted a small, randomized crossover study of sucralose (Splenda®) and its effect […]
April 20, 2019 — We are in the midst of a great change in how our food is labeled for nutrition. The Nutrition Facts label goes back to 1993, with no changes since 1999. That’s when trans fats gained a place on the label. Now, starting in 2020, the label will call out added sugar. That should be simple, […]
November 29, 2018 — Health reporters have a news flash for us. Soda is the worst! All those other sugary foods? Not so bad, say the headlines. For diabetes risk, soda is the thing to fear. A Very Nuanced Study vs Sensational Headlines Why are we suddenly awash in such headlines? A study in the BMJ is at the […]
November 15, 2018 — It’s a recurring frustration. Science is a difficult process of stepwise efforts to uncover the truth. We never get it all at once. And then – especially when the subject is obesity and nutrition – a battle of headlines vs science emerges. Yesterday, this frustration was on vivid display in a packed lecture hall at ObesityWeek. On […]
October 14, 2018 — Our society seems to have accepted that gaining weight is an inevitable consequence of growing up in a place with easy access to calories and where physical activity plays a declining role in our professional and private lives. Aging just makes weight loss even more difficult. In the short term, the consequences of excess weight […]
August 30, 2018 — A fascinating new study in the JCI Insight is spawning some tantalizing headlines. “Cardio Boosts Metabolism More Than Strength Training” says the Independent. Wow! Can a study of just ten healthy men really support such a sweeping claim? The short answer is no. But it’s still a fascinating study. A Careful Metabolic Study Thomas Morville […]
April 23, 2018 — You’ve probably heard that dieting can wreck your metabolism. It’s a simple way to explain repeated cycles of losing and regaining weight. But it’s a pretty poor explanation for the complexity of metabolic adaptation. A new study in Obesity asks us to consider an alternate view. Calorie Restriction or Overfeeding? It’s true enough that when […]
May 10, 2017 — What could be simpler than salt? Plenty, it seems. New research in the Journal of Clinical Investigations suggests that some basic concepts about dietary salt are way off the mark. You think it makes you thirsty so you’ll drink more water? As it turns out, that’s not how it works. Instead, salty food and drink […]
