Tag: obesity

  • Lancet Publishes Six-Part Series on “Rethinking and Reframing” Obesity

    A series of six articles published online February 18, 2015, by The Lancet reportedly “examines false dichotomies and proposes a reframing of obesity as a consequence of the ‘reciprocal nature of the interaction between the environment and the individual,’ where feedback loops perpetuate food choices and behaviors.” “Our understanding of obesity must be completely reframed…

  • IOM Workshop to Explore Role of Chemical Exposures in Development of Obesity

    The Institute of Medicine’s (IOM’s) Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine is hosting a March 2-3, 2015, workshop in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, to discuss the “interplay between environmental exposures and obesity.” Topics of discussion will include the alleged links “between exposure to environmental chemicals and increased incidence of weight gain, glucose…

  • RWJF Doubles Financial Commitment to Expand Programs Aimed at Reducing Childhood Obesity, Issues Priorities for Next Decade

    The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) will reportedly commit $500 million over the next 10 years to intensified efforts ensuring that “all children in the United States—no matter who they are or where they live—can grow up at a healthy weight.” According to a February 5, 2015, news release, the health philanthropy’s new initiatives will…

  • UK Group to Host Symposium Targeting Potential Impact of POPs on Obesity

    The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT), an independent group charged with providing counsel to various UK government agencies, is holding a March 18, 2015, symposium in Birmingham about the possible role of exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on the development of obesity. The robust agenda will…

  • Study Claims “Obese Children’s Brains More Responsive to Sugar”

    A University of California, San Diego, study has reportedly claimed that the brains of obese children “literally light up differently when tasting sugar,” according to a December 11, 2014, press release. Kerri Boutelle, et al., “Increased brain response to appetitive tastes in the insula and amygdala in obese compared to healthy weight children when sated,”…

  • Rudd Center Report Targets Advertising Sugar-Sweetened Beverages to Children

    The Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity has published Sugary Drink FACTS 2014, a report funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that targets trends in beverage advertising to children. Claiming that companies spent $866 million on advertising for sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) in 2013, the report argues that even though youth-oriented TV programs and…

  • Rome Framework for Action and Declaration on Nutrition Adopted

    According to a joint World Health Organization (WHO)/Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) news release, the ministers and senior officials of 170 countries convening in Rome have adopted a Framework for Action and a Declaration on Nutrition. Opening the Second International Conference on Nutrition, WHO Secretary General Margaret Chan reportedly criticized the production of what she characterized…

  • Prevalence of Fast-Food Outlets Allegedly Linked to Diabetes Rates

    A new study has reportedly found that U.K. residents with at least two fast-food restaurants within 500 meters of their homes have significantly increased odds of developing Type-2 diabetes. Danielle Bodicoat, et al., “Is the number of fast-food outlets in the neighborhood related to screen-detected type 2 diabetes mellitus and associated risk factors?,” Public Health Nutrition,…