January 29, 2020 — It seems we can’t quit bickering about dietary recommendations. Especially about red meat. The squabbling continues this week as Frank Hu and colleagues fire back on the subject, publishing a new commentary in Diabetes Care. With appreciation to the Fred Hutch News Service for sharing, we offer the following perspective on where we’ve gone wrong, […]
December 29, 2019 — Can fathers have a significant effect on physical activity in the lives of their daughters? This is an important question. Because right now, girls entering secondary school often don’t have fundamental movement skills that predict lifelong physical activity. Though we have plenty of data to say that fathers more often participate in physical activity with […]
October 26, 2019 — Does jumping rope help teens with obesity? We’re honestly not too sure. But a study that suggests it might is certainly stimulating some excellent dialogue between scholars. And it points to some surprising questions. For instance: does jumping rope for 75 minutes, twice a week over 12 weeks make teens grow taller? Think better? Become […]
October 21, 2019 — Will leafy green vegetables prevent dementia? Or does living near heavy traffic cause it? Writing in JAMA, John Ioannidis describes a media diet of questionable science and minor issues. Meanwhile, more substantial health concerns get little attention. He also offers some constructive ideas for improving the the situation. 1. Focus on Bigger Issues Scientific articles […]
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. […]
October 5, 2018 — Who are they to judge? Overcoming anthropometry through fat bodybuilding. The journal Fat Studies published and has now retracted that hoax study. But this was not a one-off hoax. It was part of a series, concocted to make a point. Academic grievance studies are corrupting scholarship, say Helen Pluckrose, James A. Lindsay, and Peter Boghossian. Harvard lecturer Yascha Mounk […]
October 6, 2017 — Outrage surrounds us. The internet amplifies it. Politicians are feeding on it. Sadly and too often, it drives policymaking. And unfortunately, it gets in the way of talking rationally about nutrition and obesity. Hank Green suggested two years ago that our culture is nursing an addiction to outrage. And events that followed have proved him […]
September 7, 2017 — We live in a polarized age of brittle ideologies. Is the connection between obesity and health merely a product of ideology? A new paper in Critical Public Health argues for that view. And the authors propose “an end to seeing obesity as a significant health issue.” Right now, we need more respect for diverse views on difficult […]
September 4, 2017 — The subject of weight and health and obesity can be a great way to shut down a conversation. Or really stir it up. It all depends on whether people are ready to listen to each other. Does Overweight – Not Obesity – Cause a Shorter Life? A lengthy article in The Atlantic illustrates how quickly people can stop […]
