Posts Tagged ‘politics’

Sometime between July 29 and August 27, Leanne Redman became Editor-in-Chief of Obesity, the official journal of the Obesity Society. We know this because the August issue (published July 29) lists Michael Jensen as editor. But the September issue (published August 27) lists Redman as editor. A One-Sided Grievance The only reason this came to […]

In good conscience, it is hard to ignore the steady stream of scientific publications that tell us we are putting our children at risk by filling the world with plastics. And yet it seems that the convenience and ubiquity of plastics make it hard to resist. A sweeping new review in Lancet Child and Adolescent […]

“The Hegseth hypocrisy: Fat-shaming top generals in land of McDonald Trump.” That headline delivers the essence of fat shaming in the week’s political news. It started with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and quickly spread to detractors of the administration. Hegseth explained that he can’t stand the sight of fat people in the military: “Frankly, it’s […]

Can we think global and act local on chronic diseases and obesity? At the United Nations General Assembly meeting this week, quite a few people gave it a try – with mixed results. At the end of the day yesterday, no one was terribly surprised when U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. threw a […]

Don’t look up statistics on hunger, says USDA. It only causes “fear mongering.” To make sure we don’t have to worry about that, the agency is canceling the survey research on food insecurity it’s been doing for 30 years. That’s right. USDA announced over the weekend that measurement of food insecurity is unnecessary: “The U.S. […]

This week brought us a new report from the MAHA Commission, calling it “a sweeping plan with more than 120 initiatives to reverse the failed policies that fueled America’s childhood chronic disease epidemic.” But on reflection, it seems like MAHA bluster met the reality of health policy and turned into something that looks more like […]

This has been a bad week for the CDC. Wednesday night, a spokesman for President Trump, Kush Desai announced that the White House had terminated CDC Director Susan Monarez because she was “not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again.” She had been sworn into that position only last month by HHS […]

By now, it should be obvious. List prices for GLP-1 medicines like semaglutide and tirzepatide are fiction. If you had any doubt, read up on the deal Novo Nordisk just struck with GoodRx to sell both the Ozempic and Wegovy brands of semaglutide for $499 per month. This deal with GoodRx is happening for two […]

It’s an old refrain. Life is not fair. If you want confirmation of that, just take a look at evolving health policy in the U.S. People of modest means who need obesity medicines to prevent suffering, disabilities, and a premature death cannot get them. But a tax-free wellness sauna for people with a big bankroll? […]

Whatever one’s politics, it should be plain to all that this is a humbling moment for the righteous cause of public health. An essay by John Tierney in The Atlantic says public health has discredited itself. Tierney describes the state of things in stark terms: “Although many skeptics have overreacted, rejecting sound science in favor […]