Soaring obesity rates have led to widespread interventions as public health professionals try to stem the tide. As treatment is notoriously difficult, prevention of overweight and obesity, particularly in children and teens, has become a major focus of these interventions.…
If you’re confused about the best strategy for weight loss, it’s no surprise. Despite voluminous research, there is no clear “best” approach. Unfortunately, media messages contribute to the confusion. Consider one recent article in published in the New York Times…
The smiley faced 4 year old was tagged as obese during a pre-school screening for body mass index (BMI), much to the surprise of Mom who thought her child looked healthy. At above the 99th percentile for age, this child…
Stumped by conflicting advice on how to eat for success? You’re not alone! Search the internet for information on sports nutrition and you’ll find sites proclaiming that athletes must avoid gluten, carbohydrates and fat and others asserting that the surest…
We’re all abuzz about gut microorganisms these days. We’ve come to appreciate the many benefits that all those little bugs living in our intestines provide for our health. They help us digest food, make vitamins, bolster our immune system, control…
If you were paying attention when the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans was issued on January 7, you may have heard that teen boys and men were singled out as eating too much protein. This is a problem for 2…
As the New Year dawned on January 2, The New York Times Well posted “Most Popular Health Questions You Asked This Year.” I was curious, of course, and particularly struck by a question addressing nutrition and exercise for weight loss,…
Updated federal dietary guidelines were published by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on January 7th, 2016, and the blogosphere went wild with commentary. Based on recommendations made by a…