Posts Tagged ‘obesity causes’

Energy storage? That is the obsolete view about the function of fat tissue that drives much of public health policy on obesity. Energy in, energy out. Eat less, move more. But in reality, fat tissue is an endocrine organ. It is highly active, complex, and essential for health. With exquisite detail, a new review paper […]

Some people really don’t like low calorie sweeteners. So once again we have a wave of fear-mongering headlines. This time, they’re suggesting that pregnant women who consume these sweeteners may harm their babies. The proposed harm is a change in the baby’s microbiome and a higher risk of obesity. The evidence? A study of rats […]

Without really thinking about it, most everyone assumes obesity is all about diet and exercise. But of course, the causes of obesity are not so simple. We have more obesity today than we did 20 years ago because multiple factors in our environment are triggering more obesity in people who are biologically susceptible. One of […]

“Know that BMI is BS.” On NPR’s Life Kit podcast, that’s the advice for coping with the boogeyman of diet culture. Whatever diet culture is, in this season of anxiety about weight and health, it certainly seems to be on the minds of many influencers. So if one defines diet culture as a preoccupation with […]

With the new year on the way, no doubt many headlines will be urging readers to set resolutions to lose the weight they may have put on over the holidays. However, the way the British press talks about weight, obesity, and health has fluctuated markedly in recent years. To learn more about these changes, we […]

Increasingly, the world has two problems that should not go together: persistent high levels of food insecurity and growing rates of obesity. How can this be? The short answer is that there’s no short answer. Food insecurity is largely a function of income and, in wealthier countries, poverty can mean a higher risk for obesity. […]

Jeff Colgan and Miriam Hinthorn have a provocative new paper suggesting that cheap gas drives obesity prevalence higher. At first glance, the title of their paper borders on sensational: “Is cheap gasoline killing us?” It worked. They made us look, even though (or perhaps because) the implicit claim of cause and effect is so absurd. […]

The chronic disease of obesity is tough to wrap our heads around. On one hand, many people consider themselves to be amateur experts. Consumer media – and our spam folder – is full of glib advice about how to “lose belly fat.” Advice about foods that cause weight gain is everywhere. But the truth is […]

A preliminary analysis by a team of scientists at four major research institutions finds disturbing levels of phthalates in a sample of fast food. Lead author Lariah Edwards told WebMD that she wasn’t especially surprised to find this, because the food sold by fast food chains is so highly processed, packaged, and handled. Every step along […]

The concept of food addiction holds strong sway in popular culture. You can find tips for overcoming it. WebMD will tell you how to diagnose and treat it. Psychiatrist Anna Lembke has a book to sell you. In Dopamine Nation, she describes the source of addictive behaviors linked to food, phones, and sex. It was […]