December 31, 2023 — “We have found a way to soothe the pain of living in this society by stimulating the reward pathway with unhealthy foods just as people do with alcohol and drugs.” This blunt obserservation landed in our inbox with a thud from obesity scientist and clinician Caroline Apovian last week. A counterbalance to the optimistic talk […]
January 21, 2021 — In Australia and around the world, research is showing changes in body weight, cooking, eating and drinking patterns associated with COVID pandemic lockdowns. Some changes have been positive, such as people cooking at home more, and eating more vegetables. But many people have also reported snacking more, and eating and drinking in response to stress. […]
April 8, 2020 — Is the coronavirus pandemic giving a boost to ultra-processed foods? Maybe. In any event, it’s an appealing narrative. We’re all a little tired of reading about issues of life or death and confinement. So lighter stories about how people are chowing down on Chef Boyardee Beefaroni are welcome relief. But it’s worth noting that these […]
August 22, 2016 — Who knew that we have a global epidemic of narcissism, much less that it might be fueling growth in the prevalence of obesity? Bruno Lemaitre floats this intriguing hypothesis in the upcoming October issue of Medical Hypotheses. He describes documentation for the growth in “status-striving individualism” and a diminished sense of community in Western populations that is spreading […]
