June 22, 2024 — We like to celebrate firsts. And yesterday, we got one to celebrate in the first ever drug treatment shown to be effective for sleep apnea – the obesity medicine called tirzepatide. In presenting this new research at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions yesterday, Atul Malhotra reminded us, “sleep is an important part of cardiometabolic […]
May 3, 2023 — We have received enough lectures for a lifetime from people who know just what the root cause of obesity is. The lecturers know the cause and they know the solution: tax, nudge, cajole, and educate people to follow a healthier diet. Eat less of that awful ultra-processed food. But the presumption that it’s all about […]
May 11, 2022 — Many people are not getting enough sleep and the trend is going in the wrong direction. This is a problem for youth and working adults alike. New data again reminds us that good sleep is an important tool for overcoming obesity. But the diet and exercise trope that dominates public discourse about obesity crowds out […]
March 19, 2022 — An amazing thing happened this week. The U.S. Senate voted unanimously to make daylight saving time permanent. The amazement comes from two things. First and perhaps most obviously, it’s amazing that the Senate can do anything by unanimous consent in these contentious times. But more startling is that they could do it without a peep […]
February 8, 2022 — The familiar (and not always helpful) advice to move more and eat less might need to make room for a simpler prescription. Sleep more and you’ll eat less. That is the finding of a new study in JAMA Internal Medicine, published yesterday. In an RCT of 80 adults with overweight, counseling to extend their sleep from […]
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 […]
September 15, 2020 — Outrage is a hot commodity these days. Cable news networks are serving up all we can take. Social media amplifies it. Advertisers reward it. And all over the world, it seems that people can’t get enough. The old advertising maxim was that sex sells. But now, outrage is giving sex a run for its money. […]
September 6, 2020 — Are we anxious? Judging by a huge leap in people filling prescriptions for anti-anxiety meds, the answer is clearly yes. Before COVID-19 was on our minds, those prescriptions were growing by a by a few percentage points, year over year. Once COVID-19 grabbed our attention, they jumped by 34 percent right away. Likewise, Rxs for […]
June 25, 2020 — Even if you missed the email, it’s not too late. June is Men’s Health Month, so we’re doing our part with the OAC to focus on what this really means. After all, men indeed have a lot to think about while COVID-19 lurks for us all. If you’re male and you get this nasty virus, […]
May 5, 2020 — Weight talk can be hazardous to one’s mental health. Right now, we hear a lot of it in connection with the coronavirus lockdown. But perhaps it’s utterly pointless. Because the folks who make digital scales at Withings tell us they can see little evidence of excessive quarantine weight gain right now. The company released an […]
