Tag: obesity
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Commentary Cites Lack of Evidence Linking HFCS to Obesity Epidemic
A recent commentary published in the International Journal of Obesity has dubbed high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) “one of the most misunderstood ingredients,” arguing that studies linking the sweetener’s use to increasing obesity rates tend to rely on temporal associations, “an ecologic fallacy in which group data are extrapolated to individuals.” D.M. Klurfeld et al., “Lack…
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National Law Journal Focuses on Obesity and ADA Claims
Employment law practitioners are, according to a recent article, predicting an increase in the number of obesity-related claims filed against employers under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The 2008 amendments have made it easier for employees to prevail in these cases, and a trio of claims filed and resolved in recent months demonstrates that…
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NBER Paper Compares Changes in Smoking and Obesity Rates and Effects on Mortality
The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) has issued a paper titled “Projecting the Effect of Changes in Smoking and Obesity on Future Life Expectancy in the United States.” Funded by the Social Security Administration and a grant from the National Institute on Aging, the research applied Markov modeling to National Health and Nutrition Examination…
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NYC Pushes Health Hospital Initiative Banning Junk Food
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has announced that more than 30 public and private hospitals have joined its voluntary Healthy Hospital Food Initiative, a new program seeking to make healthier food choices available in health care settings. Billed as part of the department’s ongoing effort to curb obesity, the new…
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New Study Alleges Link Between BPA and Obesity in Youth
A recent study has purportedly identified an association between urinary bisphenol A (BPA) concentration and obesity in children and adolescents. Leonardo Trasande, et al., “Association Between Urinary Bisphenol A Concentration and Obesity Prevalence in Children and Adolescents,” Journal of the American Medical Association, September 2012. Relying on data from 2,838 participants ages 6-19 years who were…
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JAMA Publishes Obesity-Themed Issue
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has devoted its latest issue to articles focusing on obesity. Among them is a commentary authored by Thomas Farley, who is affiliated with New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, which recently adopted a prohibition on sugar-sweetened beverages larger than 16 ounces. Titled “The Role…
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Rudd Center Study Examines Obesity-Related Health Messaging
Researchers with Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity have published a study purportedly assessing the effectiveness of “major obesity public health campaigns from the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.” R. Puhl, et al., “Fighting obesity or obese persons? Public perceptions of obesity-related health messages,” International Journal of Obesity, September 2012.…
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Study Allegedly Links Obesity to “Structural Brain Impairments” in Adolescence
A recent study has reportedly documented “lower cognitive performance and reductions in brain structural integrity” among adolescents with metabolic syndrome (MeTS), “thus suggesting that even relatively short-term impairments in metabolism, in the absence of clinically manifest vascular disease, may give rise to brain complications.” Po Lai Yau, et al., “Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome and Functional and…