Tag: obesity
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Study Questions Alleged Link Between Junk Food in Schools and Childhood Obesity
A recent study attempting “to isolate the causal effect of junk food availability on children’s food consumption and body mass index (BMI)” has concluded that access to competitive foods in schools “does not significantly increase BMI or obesity among this fifth-grade cohort despite the increased likelihood of in-school junk food purchases.” Ashlesha Datar and Nancy…
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Employer Settles ADA Claim Filed on Behalf of Obese Woman
According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the owner and operator of a long-term residential treatment facility for chemically dependent women and their children has agreed to pay $125,000 to the estate of an employee allegedly terminated from her position because she was severely obese. EEOC v. Res. for Human Dev., Inc., No.…
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Maternal Metabolic Conditions Allegedly Tied to Increased Autism Risk
Researchers with the Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (MIND) Institute at the University of California, Davis, have published a study claiming that maternal metabolic conditions (MCs) during pregnancy “may be broadly associated” with neurodevelopment problems, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in children. Paula Krakowiak, et al., “Maternal Metabolic Conditions and Risk for Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental…
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Texas Hospital Refuses to Hire Employees with BMI Exceeding 35
Citizens Medical Center, located in Victoria, Texas, has reportedly instituted a prohibition on hiring any employee with a body mass index (BMI) higher than 35, or 210 pounds for an individual 5 feet, 5 inches tall or 245 pounds for someone 5-foot-10. Apparently, the hiring policy is not based on the expense of health care…
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Body Mass Index May Underestimate U.S. Obesity
A New York University School of Medicine study claims that Body Mass Index (BMI), the traditional method used to measure obesity, may underestimate the number of Americans who actually qualify as obese. Nirav Shah and Eric Braverman, “Measuring Adiposity in Patients: The Utility of Body Mass Index (BMI), Percent Body Fat, and Leptin,” PLoS One,…
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New Study Claims That Obese Adults Impose Higher Health Care Costs Than Smokers
Researchers studying 30,000 adult Mayo Clinic employees, retirees and dependents over a seven-year period have concluded that health care costs for the morbidly obese are far higher than those for smokers. James Moriarty, et al., “The Effects of Incremental Costs of Smoking and Obesity on Health Care Costs Among Adults,” Journal of Occupational and Environmental…
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“60 Minutes” Segment Claims Sugar Is Toxic, Addictive
Anti-sugar crusader Robert Lustig was among the scientists participating in an April 1, 2012, “60 Minutes” interview claiming that studies indicate that sugar is toxic, addictive and can lead to obesity, Type II diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Lustig, an endocrinologist at the University of California, San Francisco, has written extensively about the topic, including…
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IOM Report Looks at Role of Obesity in Cancer Survival
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has issued a workshop summary examining the role of obesity in cancer survival and recurrence. Held October 31-November 1, 2011, by IOM’s National Cancer Policy Forum, the workshop included presentations from experts on “the latest laboratory and clinical evidence on the obesity-cancer link and the possible mechanisms underlying that link.”…