obesity
Does my doctor understand obesity? The Differences between an Obesity Medicine Specialist and a Primary Care Physician
Obesity is a disease, like diabetes or high blood pressure — a fact that was recognized by the American Medical Association in 2013. Because obesity can be perceived as like many other diseases that you would see a primary care physician for, it seems only natural to ask your primary care physician to help you with your weight, doesn’t it? Why then do so many physicians give uninformed answers ranging from “Eat less, exercise more!” to “Push away from the table and close your mouth?” Often, patients leave their doctor’s office feeling more demoralized and frustrated than before they had asked for help with this sensitive issue. As a family physician, I completed four years of medical school and three years of …
One Common Belief: What to Expect at Your First Appointment with an Obesity Medicine Specialist
Each office will look different. Each treatment plan will be individualized. Each Obesity Medicine Specialist (Bariatrician) will have a unique educational journey that has led them to this medical field. But there is one common belief that unites all Obesity Medicine Specialists: they all apply scientifically studied medical interventions and compassionate counseling to all of their patients who are affected by the disease of obesity. An Obesity Medicine Specialist has committed educational time to deepening his or her understanding of the complex disease of obesity and is eager to help you. However, unique circumstances will dictate how an individual provider can offer Obesity Medicine services. As a result, you may find a wide variety of office settings, office hours, medical insurance coverage, staff and primary medical specialty …
The OAC’s Convention Scholarship Fund: A Dream Becomes a Reality
A longtime dream for the OAC became a reality in 2012 when we hosted the organization’s Inaugural Your Weight Matters National Convention in Dallas, Texas. A meeting that was truly the first of its kind, the OAC’s Convention has grown to be the leading patient educational event that brings high-quality, evidence-based education intended for the everyday layperson to individuals in search of the right information on weight and health. For the past four years, we have welcomed with open arms thousands of individuals who made the personal decision to seek this unique opportunity to experience in-person education and interact with the foremost experts in the field. We have had the honor to hear countless testimonies in which attendees described the meeting as “the best education,…
Why It’s Time to Stand Up to Charles Barkley’s Fat-shaming and Weight Bias
Editor’s Note: Last week, the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) was alerted by a dedicated OAC member, Abby Lentz, to a weight bias issue in the media. In 2015, the OAC spoke out against NBA analyst Charles Barkley, and he has once again targeted women in the San Antonio area for their weight and size. Mr. Barkley made disparaging remarks on a recent Inside the NBA broadcast on TNT about women affected by obesity. As a result of these insensitive, weight-bias fueled comments, the OAC has called for TNT to suspend Charles Barkley and for the NBA to encourage Mr. Barkley to make a public apology. One dedicated OAC member, Sarah Bramblette, has spoken out publicly about how Mr. Barkley’s comments not only affect her as an individual …
Organic Life: Eight books about organic food systems
I did an interview last year with Rebecca Straus of Organic Life about books of interest to the magazine’s readers. I never heard what happened to it but learned from a recent tweet that it is now available online. So consider this a late catch up. Marion Nestle’s Favorite Organic Books: Eight reads to get you thinking about where your food is coming from. Organic Life, September 11, 2015. Food advocate Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition and food studies at New York University, has long been outspoken in her support of organic farming and opposition to GMO crops. Her books and articles on how science, marketing, and society impact food choices and obesity have influenced everyone from Michelle Obama to Michael Pollen, who named her the …
The Guardian’s article on the “sugar conspiracy”
I mentioned yesterday that whenever something comes out saying that “everything you thought you knew about nutrition is wrong,” it’s a sign that some skepticism may be in order. Here is another example: The article on the “sugar conspiracy“ by Ian Leslie published in The Guardian. This strongly criticizes the work of Ancel Keys, whose work was largely but by no means exclusively responsible for the diet-heart hypothesis linking excessive intake of animal fats to heart disease risk. I love conspiracy theories as much as anyone else and appreciated how the author made his case for this one. My sense of his article was that it had grains of truth (Gary Taubes and Cristin Kearns, for example, report that Keys had funding from …
How much is the soda industry spending to defeat public health?
Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Mike Newall says the beverage industry is spending a lot of money (“flowing like a Big Gulp”) to defeat the City Council’s soda tax initiative—$2.6 million so far (but see footnote below). Here’s the catch – this time around, the beverage barons only have to win over City Council. There are 17 Council members, so that comes out to about $152,000 in ad dollars each. Philadelphia is a battleground Big Soda cannot afford to lose. The soda industry spent more than $10 million to fight soda tax measures in San Francisco (the industry succeeded) and in Berkeley (the industry lost—76{7920e18cf5186565893a18d1f69fa52bf2806dc683a7bfcea51d671d2f7d8125} of voters were for the tax). But what I really want to know is how much the soda industry …
At last! Menu labels in 2017!
Wonder of wonders, the FDA at last has issued its Final Guidance on Menu Labeling to go into effect a year from now. Why astonishment? New York City has had menu labeling since 2008. The national process started in 2010. Here’s the chronology: YEAR DATE ACTION 2010 March 23 President Obama signs the Affordable Care Act which includes a provision requiring chain retail food establishments with 20 or more locations to provide calorie information for standard menu items. July 7 FDA publishes Federal Register notice soliciting comments and suggestions Aug 25 FDA requests comments on “Draft Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers Regarding Implementation of the Menu Labeling.” 2011 Jan 25 FDA withdraws draft implementation guidance; announces intent to exercise enforcement discretion until rulemaking process is complete; requests comments. April 6 FDA issues proposed rule. May 24 …
More on corporate funding of nutrition research: exchange of letters
In January this year, JAMA Internal Medicine published my Viewpoint on corporate funding of nutrition research: science or marketing. Richard Kahn, former chief scientist and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association, wrote a letter in reply (see below for more about him**). The journal published his letter, along with my response, in its current issue. Here’s what I said. In Reply Dr Kahn requests evidence that nutrition research funded by food companies is of lesser quality than studies funded by independent agencies or performed by investigators with nonfinancial conflicts of interest. Concerns about such issues are relatively recent; few published studies address them directly. Instead, concerns about industry sponsorship of nutrition research derive from comparisons with the results of studies of funding by tobacco, chemical…
Big Ag forces firing of long-time Farm News cartoonist
I love cartoons (witness Eat, Drink, Vote: An Illustrated Guide to Food Politics) and was appalled when I read this tweet: Here’s the offending cartoon: In a Facebook post the cartoonist, Rick Friday, explained: I am no longer the Editorial Cartoonist for Farm News due to the attached cartoon which was published yesterday. Apparently a large company affiliated with one of the corporations mentioned in the cartoon was insulted and cancelled their advertisement with the paper, thus, resulting in the reprimand of my editor and cancellation of It’s Friday cartoons after 21 years of service and over 1090 published cartoons to over 24,000 households per week in 33 counties of Iowa. I did my research and only submitted the facts in my cartoon. That’s okay, hopefully my children …
Weekend reading: Jennifer Pomeranz’s Food Law
Jennifer L. Pomeranz. Food Law for Public Health. Oxford University Press, 2016. I’m told that food law is the hottest area in legal education right now. At a time when law schools and lawyers are struggling, food law offers opportunities. Food issues are so controversial that they constitute a full employment act. Jennifer Pomeranz is my colleague at NYU. Her book could not be more timely, and I was delighted to give it a blurb: If you want to know how laws and regulations affect what you eat, how those laws are made, and why they cause so much controversy, Food Law for Public Health is a terrific place to start.
Coca-Cola items: Warren Buffett’s gaffe. Share a Coke and a Song.
Warren Buffett, the billionnaire who owns 9.3{7920e18cf5186565893a18d1f69fa52bf2806dc683a7bfcea51d671d2f7d8125} of Coca-Cola stock, understandably defends its products. When challenged by shareholders in his company, Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett said: He also said he drank 700 calories worth of Coca-Cola each day (translation: 44 teaspoons of sugars). As Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest put it, this much sugar is not in the interest of anyone’s health. Maybe the Wizard of Omaha can maintain good health while consuming more than three times the added sugars recommended by the nation’s leading health officials, but it’s a sure-fire prescription for increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, obesity and tooth decay for the rest of his fellow citizens…the American Heart Association whose scientific panels have reviewed the …