August 20, 2018 — Ask a thoughtful scientist precisely what has brought us a global pandemic of obesity and you are likely to get an ambiguous answer. We have plenty of suspects. But no sinuglar culprit. So the honest answer is IDK. Faking It vs “I Don’t Know” Most often, neither journalists nor policymakers let the facts get in […]
August 8, 2018 — At the National Academy of Sciences yesterday, the Roundtable on Obesity Solutions got a bit of a jolt. It came in the form of an afternoon spent reflecting on the counterintuitive physiology of obesity. One roundtable member summed it up nicely. “This way of thinking about obesity just smashes our old models for solving the […]
July 11, 2018 — New data on almost 13 million people, from 200 countries around the world, points to a tenfold increase in rates of obesity among children and adolescents over the last four decades. This is the largest study of its kind and it paints a startling and depressing picture of a world with soaring childhood obesity. The […]
July 5, 2018 — JAMA Internal Medicine has just published the latest chapter in a hot debate about insulin and sugar as culprits responsible for obesity. David Ludwig and Cara Ebbeling present the prosecution’s case. A spike in highly processed carbs – like refined starches and sugar – is giving us a high glycemic load, they say. And in turn, […]
July 2, 2018 — How can this be? Reporters tell us that Americans are exercising more while obesity rates are increasing. It was the latest National Health Interview Survey data that prompted reporters to write such headlines. Between 2006 and 2017, the percentage of adults who say they meet aerobic exercise guidelines went from 41% to 53%. The numbers […]
June 20, 2018 — It’s a familiar theme. Urbanization is spreading obesity around the world in low and middle income countries. And the implication is that urbanization has already done damage to higher income countries like the U.S. But like most familiar themes of obesity, this one doesn’t hold up to close scrutiny. Rural Obesity Soaring in the U.S. […]
June 16, 2018 — Yesterday, Michael Schwartz delivered this year’s Blackburn Lecture in Obesity Medicine. The lecture series honors both the memory of George Blackburn and individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the science of obesity. Schwartz painted a remarkably clear picture of some complex neuroscience. Evidence is accumulating to describe the brain’s control center for diabetes and […]
June 15, 2018 — Good nutrition brings good health. That much is easy. Overeating begets obesity? Not so fast, said Lee Kaplan as he opened the 31st Harvard Blackburn Course in Obesity Medicine yesterday. This is a case of an association that is so tight that many people take it for granted. But linking nutrition to health has many […]
June 11, 2018 — Sunday morning at Nutrition 2018, the seemingly endless pursuit of good and bad calories continued. Five distinguished scientists presented diverse views. But it all adds up to the same thing. All calories make a difference. Energy balance is a helpful concept. And physiology usually wins. Jim Hill: A Complex Adaptive System Hill offered a detailed […]
June 7, 2018 — Weight gain is a key feature of a normal, healthy pregnancy. But it’s also a tricky subject that comes back to the core question of what’s normal and healthy. Good nutrition is important for both mother and child. Too little or too much weight gain can bring problems. Two new studies shed some light on […]
