Posts Tagged ‘COVID-19’

More than a year ago in Obesity, Paul Ryan and Noel Caplice laid out a theoretical framework suggesting SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) might target and exploit fat tissue. They wrote: “Adipose tissue in individuals with obesity may act as a reservoir for more extensive viral spread, with increased shedding, immune activation, and cytokine […]

We’re on our way to enduring two years of this pandemic, and it’s still killing more than five thousand people daily – more than a thousand in the U.S. alone. But, as each of us has learned, that’s not all. Coping with the pandemic has brought stresses that are showing up in our physical and […]

We have plenty of reasons to think that COVID might be a spark for growth in obesity care. First of all, untreated obesity leaves a person more vulnerable to bad outcomes with COVID. More data is suggesting that effective obesity care might reduce those risks. And then we have anecdotal reports telling us that uptake […]

Vaccinating children against COVID-19 is on parents’ minds, now that Australia’s rollout is open to those aged 12 and over, and regulators are actively considering vaccination for five to 11 year olds.[Note: in the U.S., FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine for children as young as five on October 29.] Many parents will be thinking about […]

This was not entirely unexpected, but the jolt is remarkable. New stats are out for the rates of child obesity in England for 2021 and the numbers are up even more than we might have expected. For children aged four to five years, prevalence jumped from 9.9 to 14.4 percent between the 2019/2020 school year […]

Last year, when we didn’t have many great options for dealing with COVID-19, interest in vitamin D was keen. A number of studies found a correlation between vitamin D levels and COVID risk. So splashy headlines ensued. Even the former president and Tony Fauci told us they were taking it. But in retrospect, those headlines […]

It’s all over – except for the replays and reviews. ObesityWeek® 2021 wrapped up yesterday and with any luck (we’re looking at you, COVID) this will be the last purely online week of obesity research, policy, and practice for a while. Next year, the plan is for a hybrid meeting. So now it’s time to […]

A new report in MMWR this week provides a stark reminder. COVID vaccines save lives – especially for teens with obesity and other medical conditions. The study analyzed 464 patients 12 to 18 years old. Of those, 179 were hospitalized with COVID-19 and 285 were case controls. Nearly three quarters (72 percent) of these patients […]

In so many ways, COVID-19 has turned our lives upside down, and the disruption continues. Casual – and annoying – talk about pandemic weight gain continues to swirl, thought the data on this tells a very mixed story. But something more serious is getting less attention – a sharp spike in eating disorders for young […]

Can healthy people with good nutrition and exercise skip the COVID-19 vaccine? A research scientist and fitness enthusiast explains why the answer is no. I’m a fitness enthusiast. I also adhere to a nutrient-dense, “clean” eating program, which means I minimize my sugar intake and eat a lot of whole foods for the purpose of […]