August 17, 2019 — Kids these days. Social media seems to consume them. Gen Z, also known as the iGen, has grown up with smartphones and these apps. So it often defines the generation. Cranky codgers might decry it, but thoughtful researchers look at the potential benefits and harms. An association with psychological distress crops up as a worry […]
August 7, 2019 — We’ve known for a while that weight bias is especially strong in the UK. But with a viewpoint in Radio Times, Michael Buerk is breaking new ground. He has moved beyond simple weight bias into vile hate. Let people with obesity die to save the state money, he says. “They’re weak, not ill.” Bubbling Ignorance […]
August 5, 2019 — Facts are stubborn. So, too, is an entrenched bias. The bias that obesity is a simple matter of choice runs especially deep. Thus it creeps into headlines and even scientific journals. A new study in PLOS Genetics provides a vivid case in point. Unwarranted causal language in a paper flows through to a press release. […]
July 31, 2019 — Four principles describe a common framework for healthcare ethics: autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice. That first one, respect for autonomy, requires telling the truth. But unfortunately, it can come into conflict with beneficence – the moral obligation to do good for others. So which comes first? Tell the truth as you find it? Or look […]
July 24, 2019 — Are we doomed to complete the full cycle of macronutrient obsession? First it was fat. Starting in the 1980s fat was at the root of all our dietary woes. Next came carbs. Low carb and keto diets are still a hot topic of discussion and debate among folks who are certain they have the answer […]
July 1, 2019 — The buzz around ultra-processed foods continues to grow. Much of that buzz swirls around the first-ever randomized and controlled study by Kevin Hall and colleagues. It’s sparking a whole range of reactions. Some offer only praise. Meanwhile, others offer diffuse criticism. Still others are asking sharp questions. But some of the most interesting questions are […]
June 20, 2019 — Confirmation bias is a potent motivator. Pollsters get fired when their polls don’t tell the right story. Industry scientists may do better when they find results to advance an employer’s interests. Academics can prosper when they produce evidence to support their hypotheses. And government researchers may feel more job security when their work aligns with […]
June 12, 2019 — Ultra-processed food is such an ugly phrase. Could this friendly little goldfish cracker really be such a threat to health? Defining that threat was the subject of a very collegial, but intense discussion on the closing day of Nutrition 2019 between Kevin Hall and Mike Gibney. But it was hardly confined to that one session. […]
June 8, 2019 — A new study in Diabetes Care is telling us that irregular sleep patterns have a clear association with obesity and metabolic dysfunction. It’s more than just how much we sleep. In fact, this study is all about the regularity of sleep patterns. So does this mean that irregular sleeping patterns will cause obesity? Not exactly. […]
May 27, 2019 — Can we please retire the mantra of making the healthy choice the easy choice? It’s a great concept. Maybe it’s even a good marketing tagline…if you’re a food marketer. But for reducing obesity, it seems more and more like Eat-Less-Move-More version 2.0. Rather than pointing fingers at people for making “unhealthy choices,” we’ve moved to […]
