Posts Tagged ‘politics’

This day (the American Fourth of July holiday) has us thinking more about liberty in America than obesity. So, as we read current news reports and think about the words inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, we cannot help wondering if it isn’t time to retire this relic. These words currently land with a thud: […]

It is jarring to hear much talk about making America great while we see signs that American biotech leadership is fading. Until now, America has been the unquestioned leader in biotechnology innovation. But hard data suggests that China is chipping away at that. Recent actions by the U.S. federal government seem to be opening the […]

The previously unquestioned American leadership in science is evaporating. Groundbreaking medical research is stopping abruptly. Research institutes at NIH are disappearing. As this unfolds, the response of many people in supposed roles of scientific leadership has been to duck and take cover. Tell us when it’s over and we can get back to work. Yes, […]

The new MAHA (Making America Healthy Again) report on the health of American children is out and, in a word, things are terrible. In the words of the report, “it presents the stark reality of American children’s declining health.” We have a whole generation at risk because of toxic chemicals, ultra-processed food, unnecessary medical treatments, […]

Who needs 164 pages of nutrition mumbo jumbo? The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, yesterday told the House Appropriations Committee he will be releasing a four-page document that sounds a lot like U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Dummies. He says it will be done by August: “We have until January, […]

The first ever estimates of the economic impact of cuts to U.S. government-funded research are out from economists at American University in Washington. The current administration has already frozen billions of dollars in research funding. The president’s budget proposal last week called for cutting funding to the National Science Foundation by more than half. The […]

Is this a grand finale? Or a requiem? In The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology yesterday, a new 21-year analysis of outcomes from the Diabetes Prevention Program memorialized an epic study. Even after 21 years, the Diabetes Prevention Program yielded a 24% reduction in the cumulative risk of developing type 2 diabetes, along with detailed outcomes […]

It’s back. Weight talk about the U.S. President has returned, with reporters judging whether President Donald Trump’s reduced weight came “the hard way” or with “help.” The Daily Beast writes: “In the White House, there are whispers that the new slimline Trump used a little pharmaceutical help to lose 20 lbs since his last presidential […]

The author of some of the most compelling scientific research on ultra-processed foods, Kevin Hall, is leaving NIH because of censorship of his science at the agency. “I experienced censorship in the reporting of our research because of agency concerns that it did not appear to fully support preconceived narratives of my agency’s leadership about […]

“Political cynicism is rising in many democracies throughout the world.” Explaining this, Ariel Hasell, Audrey Halversen, and Brian Weeks ascribe it to the influence of social media and demonstrate it with data from the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The trouble is that when cynicism proliferates, everything seems like B.S. So this week when Education Secretary […]