Posts Tagged ‘obesity complications’

Untangling the Metabolic Effects of Higher Adiposity

February 3, 2022 — We are pretty much done with the label of healthy obesity, because it is a perfect oxymoron. If a pattern of adiposity is healthy, then it’s not obesity. But newly published in eLife is a more thoughtful approach to this subject. This study seeks to untangle the metabolic effects of higher adiposity from other effects […]

100,000 More Diabetes Deaths, More of Same Policies

February 1, 2022 — It is a familiar pattern, but no less disappointing because of that. A government commission issues a report and cries out for action. “Another health crisis challenges the U.S.: diabetes mellitus,” says the report issued yesterday by the National Clinical Care Commission. The report correctly identifies obesity as a key driver of rising deaths from […]

Preventable COVID Deaths in Adolescents

January 15, 2022 — A new study this week in the New England Journal of Medicine brought home a basic fact. Severe illness and deaths from COVID in adolescents are almost entirely preventable. This is especially true for youth with conditions – like obesity – that would otherwise put them at risk. In a case-control study of 1,222 adolescents, […]

Bariatric Surgery: Half the Risk of Death from COVID

December 30, 2021 — Early in the pandemic, a couple of things were clear about COVID risk. First, and most important, age is a person’s biggest risk factor. But that’s obviously not a modifiable risk. Soon after that was apparent, another risk factor became apparent – obesity. The risk linked to obesity was not as great as age, but […]

Does SARS-CoV-2 Target and Exploit Fat Tissue?

December 9, 2021 — More than a year ago in Obesity, Paul Ryan and Noel Caplice laid out a theoretical framework suggesting SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) might target and exploit fat tissue. They wrote: “Adipose tissue in individuals with obesity may act as a reservoir for more extensive viral spread, with increased shedding, immune activation, and cytokine […]

Uncomfortably Important: Children, Obesity, and COVID

November 26, 2021 — Vaccinating children against COVID-19 is on parents’ minds, now that Australia’s rollout is open to those aged 12 and over, and regulators are actively considering vaccination for five to 11 year olds.[Note: in the U.S., FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine for children as young as five on October 29.] Many parents will be thinking about […]

Cutting NASH Harms by 88% with Bariatric Surgery

November 12, 2021 — NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) is one of the most serious complications of untreated obesity. It’s very hard to treat. It can lead to liver failure, liver cancer, and death. So when a careful study of bariatric surgery shows an an 88 percent reduction in the risk of NASH progressing, this is big news. JAMA published this […]

Doubling COVID’s Toll: Mental Health and Child Obesity

October 10, 2021 — The numbers make it crystal clear. One of the long-term effects of the COVID pandemic will be a jump in child obesity. And it’s not hard to trace that back to the mental health of children and families. Late last week a new report in Pediatrics provided a stark reminder about the impact of COVID […]

The Toll of Untreated Obesity on Global Heart Disease

April 27, 2021 — Big change creeps up on us. Is the American Heart Association moving away from implicit bias that obesity is a simple matter of bad behavior? Reading a new scientific statement from AHA, it seems like it. In fact, this statement makes it plain right up front. “Obesity is a multifactorial disease” is how it opens. […]

Tangled Links Between Sleep, Dementia, and Obesity

April 21, 2021 — Let’s start at the end. Sleep is important. New publications remind us that inadequate sleep is a risk factor for both dementia and obesity. That risk mingles with other risks. Too little sleep brings problems with mood, physical function, and immunity. Those effects show up pretty quickly. But longer term effects are harder to pin […]