Posts Tagged ‘public health’

U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Dummies Coming in August

May 15, 2025 — Who needs 164 pages of nutrition mumbo jumbo? The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, yesterday told the House Appropriations Committee he will be releasing a four-page document that sounds a lot like U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Dummies. He says it will be done by August: “We have until January, […]

A Cost of Cynicism: The Preventable Death of a Child

March 2, 2025 — Stuff happens. That was the response of a cynical U.S. health secretary last week to the needless death of a child from measles in the midst of an outbreak growing worse in Texas and New Mexico. The situation tells us the cost of cynicism can be death – in this case, the death of an […]

Cynical Health Leadership for a Cynical Age of Politics

February 16, 2025 — In its modern usage, cynicism has two principal meanings. It is a belief that only self-interest motivates people, an outlook that distrusts human sincerity or integrity. Expressions of contempt and mocking follow from such thinking. The other meaning is to show concern for self-interests while disregarding accepted norms. Under either meaning, the U.S. Senate this […]

Anthony Fauci Pardoned for Being an Eminent Scientist

January 21, 2025 — In case you missed it, we are going through a transition in American government. Unlike four years ago, this one is peaceful and we can look forward to four years of a different approach to government in the United States. One of the most unusual facets of this turning point was an eminent scientist, Anthony […]

Will a “Radical Left Lunatic” Actually “Go Wild” on Health?

December 1, 2024 — One of the more colorful nominations the U.S. president-elect has made is certainly, from our perspective, Robert F. Kennedy Jr for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Described by Donald Trump as a “radical left lunatic” earlier this year, Kennedy is now getting the nod from Trump to “go wild on health and dramatically shake […]

Tirzepatide Is 99% Effective in Preventing Diabetes. Who Cares?

November 14, 2024 — In the New England Journal of Medicine yesterday, detailed results of a three-year study showed that tirzepatide was 99% effective in preventing diabetes in people with prediabetes and obesity. This was a placebo-controlled trial. Every person in the study, whether they received tirzepatide or not, received regular lifestyle counseling. Compared to the control group getting […]

Obesity-Related Heart Deaths More Than Doubled Since 1999

November 12, 2024 — For several years now it has been apparent that success in reducing deaths due to cardiovascular disease has slowed or stopped. This is part of the story of declining U.S. life expectancy that headlines often overlook. New research at the upcoming AHA Scientific Sessions tells us rising obesity might explain much of this trend. In […]

Shifting Dynamics of Obesity Rates in the New NHANES Data

September 24, 2024 — This is a milestone we’ve been anticipating. New NHANES data on obesity are out and they mark a shift in the dynamics of obesity rates. We now have data to suggest that the overall rate of obesity – which has been climbing relentlessly for four decades – appears to be leveling out at about 40%. […]

What’s Known and Unknown About the UK Sugar Tax Effects

July 30, 2024 — The soft drinks industry levy came into effect in the UK in early 2018. The first study to investigate the effect of this “sugar tax” on individual-level consumption has just been published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. The headline finding is that adults reduced their daily added sugar intake by about two […]

10 Years of Obesity Solutions at the National Academy of Sciences

July 25, 2024 — It has been ten years that diverse stakeholders have been meeting at the National Academy of Sciences in the Roundtable on Obesity Solutions. In our role as advisor to the Obesity Society, we participated in a symposium at the Academy focused on looking back and moving forward. A Fraught History of “Solutions” For looking back, […]