Posts Tagged ‘bias’

Let’s talk about two different kinds of bypass surgeries. Both of them are the subject of studies presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific meeting this past weekend. But that’s where the similarities end. Operation C We’ll call the first of these procedures Operation C. More than 200,000 people have these surgeries done every year. […]

Outrage is consuming more of our minds and more of our culture. In part, we can blame the issues we face. Immigration, racism, disparities, fractious politics – the list is long. Plus, we are wired so that calling people out feels good. Social media taps into this primitive impulse and hands us a tool for […]

It’s fairly easy to spot the people peddling empty hype as the answer for obesity, nutrition, and health. To answer tough questions, they tell us it’s really quite simple. We’re all loading up on too much toxic sugar, they might say. In the Federalist last week, James DeLong wrote that Americans are fat “because they’re […]

Objectivity is having a rough time these days. This is true whether the subject is politics, policy, or even a study in a medical journal. Very often, believing is seeing. Not the other way around. A new study on soda policy in JAMA Internal Medicine provides a case in point. Improving Metabolic Profile Very Effortlessly […]

The American Academy of Pediatrics is out with new guidance that says something a very few teens and their families already know. Surgery can be a safe and effective option for a young person with severe obesity. But health systems, ignorance, and bias make it hard for youth with obesity to get the care they […]

Close to 500 science writers gathered at Penn State this weekend for a mix of professional development, scientific briefings, and networking. Within this group, two talented professionals from NIH, Judith Lavelle and Hillary Hoffman, deal with highly stigmatized health conditions every day – HIV, infectious diseases, and immune disorders. But they wanted to do more […]

Some controversies in nutrition seem eternal. People never tire of arguing that no-calorie sweeteners are bad for us. Red meat is either nourishing or noxious, depending upon who’s taking up the argument. The list is endless. And the arguments never fade because feelings are strong, though the data backing them up is often weak. And […]

For most of the first 30 years of the obesity epidemic, the response has been simple. Address it as a failure of personal responsibility. But that hasn’t worked out so well. Marion Nestle explained this in her keynote address for the Obesity Medicine Association Fall Summit yesterday in Boston. Today’s food environment makes it socially […]

The assumption that too much sugar explains our problem with obesity has become ambient white noise. Most people just accept it. Inconvenient facts fade into oblivion. Modelers grab the megaphone claiming to have evidence that sugar is the cause and the key for overcoming obesity. It’s easy enough to solve for the answer you like […]

“It’s about time.” That was the instant reaction of Sarah Bramblette upon reading a new review of lipedema science in Obesity. Bramblette is a tireless advocate for people living with lipedema and lymphedema. The title of the review – A Call To Action! – pretty well describes everything she does. But inaction is more typical […]