Obesity in the news

Obesity press clippings
Obesity in the UK
News from the Rudd Centre for Food Policy and Obesity (external site)

Michelle Obama focuses on childhood obesity

(15 February 2010) Michelle Obama has officially announced her campaign to fight childhood obesity. For a medical anthropologist's perspective on the campaign, as well as on other topical health issues, check out Hannah Graff's new blog, Punyu.

Reinvention of traditional practice?

(10 February 2010) There is a growing subculture of people in New York promoting what they term 'Evolutionary Fitness' (EF). Calling themselves 'hunter-gatherers' or 'paleos', they seek to achieve health and happiness by reverting to diet and activity practices of Palaeolithic hunters and gatherers. Their approach to life is based on the idea that the human body has not been able to adapt to a fast-changing modern environment, and that it is best suited to the lifestyle of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Ffor the full article, click here.

Computer game endorsed by the NHS

(25 October 2009) The Nintendo Wii Fit Plus has been the first ever video game to be endorsed by the UK Government's Department of Health. The gaming console, which is said to promote fitness and exercise, has won the right to use the Change4Life logo on its television and in-store advertising.

Newspaper reports that diet, and not exercise, is responsible for obesity

(20 October 2009) The Times Online (19 October 2009) has published an article reporting that diet, and not exercise, is responsible for obesity. Author Helen Rumbelow cites recent findings by several researchers, including Professor Terry Wilkin (Plymouth) and Professor Boyd Swinburn (Australia), who have recently concluded that changes in energy intake are the dominant force behind obesity. Wilkin's research also suggests that inactivity results from obesity, rather than the other way around. What is perhaps even more interesting than the article itself is the rapidly-growing list of comments and protests that follow...

Can 'The Fun Theory' curb obesity rates?

(16 October 2009) Rolighetsteorin.se is a website "dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or something entirely different, just so long as it’s change for the better". Check out their creative, and successful, attempt to get more people to climb stairs rather than take the escalator here.

Health Department tells New Yorkers to avoid 'pouring on the pounds'

(15 October 2009) On 31 August 2009, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene launched a new public-awareness campagin, which centres around a series of posters in the subway system, and a multilingual Health Bulletin. The campaign is based on data from the Health Department's 2007 Community Health Survey and Youth Risk Behavior Survey. In the campaign's official press release, the Health Department claims that their guidelines on reducing the volume and frequency of the consumption of sugary beverages are 'simple strategies to avoid pouring on the pounds'. Download the series of poster advertisements here.

Sugar consumption linked to social factors

(3 August 2009) A paper published in the August 2009 edition of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reported that rate of sugar consumption in individuals is independently linked to race/ethnicity, family income, educational status and gender. The authors propose that these results should be used as a basis for designing tailored interventions that aim to reduce sugar intake. Thompson et al. (2009) Journal of the American Dietetic Association 109(8): 1376-1383.

Childhood obesity epidemic could be slowing down

(27 July 2009) A series of studies from six different countries contain figures that support the claim that childhood obesity rates over the past ten years have plateaued. However, the reports, from the U.S., Australia, France, Switzerland, Sweden and New Zealand, have been heavily disputed. Last week, the Wall Street Journal published an article detailing some of the controversy surrounding the reports.

UBVO wins grant to test new model of population obesity

(10 June 2009) The University of Oxford's Unit for Biocultural Variation and Obesity (UBVO) has been successful in obtaining a BUPA Foundation Grant of £79,000 for 18 months for a project entitled 'A pilot study to test two competing theories of population obesity'. UBVO Director, Professor Stanley Ulijaszek, is the project's Lead Investigator, alongside Professor Avner Offer, Co-Investigator and UBVO Fellow.

Kids' perspectives on diet and physical activity

(13 May 2009) Pearce and colleagues (2009) at UCL have used multiple methods of data collection to explore the perspectives of children aged 9-11 on influences on their diet and activity levels. Photographs, drawings of maps and focus groups were used to collect data. Some major themes that emerged around food and diet were: proximity, convenience, tastes, preferences, choice, social influences, parental influences and familiarity. Pearce et al. (2009) Health & Place 15: 614-621.

Architecture, visual arts and food

(16 April 2009) Stroom, a gallery dedicated to architecture and the visual arts in the Hague, has recently launched Foodprint, a gallery program that will, for the next two years, explore various aspects of the relationship between food and cities. Foodprint will include a programme of talks, projects, workshops and symposia. For more information check out Stroom's website.

Hungry cities

(16 April 2009) Carolyn Steel is an architect, lecturer and writer. She has recently published a book, Hungry City: How Food Shapes Our Lives, which illustrates how food has been central to shaping not only our cities, but our lives. She will present some of the work from her book in Oxford on Friday 24 July 2009 at the TEDGlobal conference themed 'The Substance of Things not Seen'. Steel maintains a lively blog and website with plenty of links and information on visual arts, food and acrhitecture. Check out Carolyn Steel's website for more.

Obesity linked with early death

(16 April 2009) Researchers from the Prospective Studies Collaboration based at the University of Oxford collected data on 894 576 men and women who participated in 57 studies, mainly across Europe and North America. The article, by Whitlock et al., was published in the March 2009 edition of the Lancet. It showed that having a BMI of 30-35 reduced lifespan by two to four years, while having a BMI of 40-45 resulted in a lifespan eight to ten years shorter than average. Authors concluded that the risk posed by obesity was therefore comparable to smoking; although they acknowledged that the problematic nature of BMI means that estimates of risk might not be accurate for all people.

Weight stigma is widespread in adult Americans

(17 March 2009) Researchers from the Rudd Centre for Food Policy and Obesity analysed over 150 studies published since 2000 to show that obese adults are subject to weight-based stigma, discrimination and social inequalities. The authors of the review article, recently published in the journal Obesity, suggested that the harmful consequences of such stigmatisation included vulnerability to depression, low self-esteem, poor body image, eating disorders and exercise avoidance.

How dietary advice has changed across time

(17 March 2009) It seems that every day we are faced with new dietary advice: medical practitioners, interest groups, governments or individuals give guidance which is based on varying levels of evidence. In 55AD, garlic was considered a superfood; in 1957, injection of human chorionic gonadotropin was the most popular weight-loss medication. The Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC) is compiling a timeline of dietary advice through the ages. You can find a link to the timeline on our links page.

Health crisis motivates behavioural change

(9 February 2009) Older adults seem more likely to alter their health behaviour (such as quit smoking or lose weight) following diagnosis of heart disease, diabetes or another serious condition, according to a report in today's Archives of Internal Medicine.The study was based on data from the US Health and Retirement Study, in which 20 221 overweight or obese individuals aged under 75 years, and 7 764 smokers, were surveyed at least twice between 1992 and 2000.

Big Fat Blog to close down

(22 January 2009) The BFB website, which grew from 5 pages to the biggest "fat-acceptance blog" on the internet is set to go offline on October 1, 2009, after eight-and-a-half years of operation. Popular sections such as Big Fat Facts, as well as hundreds of contributed resources will be lost in the process. Self-described as "one of the grandpas of the fatosphere", the BFB is also a popular forum for discussion, debate and advocacy. Its definitely worth a look, so check out the Big Fat Blog while you still can here.

Microbes in gut linked to obesity

(22 January 2009) Researchers at Arizona State University and the Mayo Clinic have identified a link between different microbial populations in the human gut, and body weight. An article on their findings is published in the latest edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Read the report here.

Childhood obesity in the US may have levelled off

(28 May 2008) New figures released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that obesity rates among American children and teenagers did not significantly change between 2003 and 2006 -- in contrast to the previous 20 years, when rates increased dramatically. The findings are reported here.

International perspectives on obesity

(28 May 2008) Obesity is making headlines across the world, including through media outlets aimed at Asian audiences. This commentary on Donga.com summarizes some recent obesity interventions in Japan, the US, France, the UK, and Spain. Look here to read the article.

Missing medical discourse?

(28 May 2008) An emergency room doctor in the US reflects on his previous reluctance to discuss body weight and its potential health implications with his patients. His comments can be read here.

New 'fat gene' identified

(5 May 2008) Researchers from the London Life Sciences Prospective Population (LOLIPOP) project have identified a section of genetic code that may make carriers more susceptible to environmental influences on obesity. A summary of the findings is available here.

Good fat and bad fat

(3 May 2008) While fat is generally viewed negatively, many researchers now highlight its beneficial functions and distinguish between 'good fats' and 'bad fats'. Blogger Bruce Cohen considers whether fat might be a protective adaptation to an increasingly toxic environment. His comments can be found here.

Disordered sleeping linked with disordered eating

(3 Mar 2008) This article highlights binge eating behavior in narcoleptics and discusses metabolic disturbances as a possible consequence of irregular sleep patterns. It is one example of current research that is being conducted into the relationship between sleep and weight gain. (Article available here).

Oxford Health Alliance Summit compares threats from obesity and terrorism

(25 Feb 2008) At its fifth annual conference, experts at the Oxford Health Alliance argue that obesity (and its related chronic illness) is a much greater threat for most of the world's people than terrorism and should be treated as higher priority issue by governments. Read the details here.

Social marketing as part of a UK Government anti-obesity strategy

(10 Feb 2008) As part of its recently launched anti-obesity campaign, the British government has earmarked money for a three-year advertising drive that will encourage Britons to slim down. Some are comparing the plans to the "Make Poverty History" campaign. Coverage is available here.

EU calls for new standards in food labeling

(28 Jan 2008) The European Union's Health Chief wants to introduce mandatory regulations on labeling practices for food and drink companies. He has met resistance from some key industry players, who want to remain self-regulated. Some aspects of the debate are summarized here.

Is obesity surgery a good option for countering Type 2 Diabetes?

(23 Jan 2008) A recent study suggests that people with Type 2 Diabetes, a chronic disease strongly linked to obesity, had higher rates of complete remission with surgical interventions than without. In the absence of long-term studies, debates about the merits and potential dangers of surgery remain heated. For one discussion, look here.

Obesity drugs moderately effective

(15 Nov 2007) Is pharmacological intervention the answer to the public health problem of obesity? A recent study published in the BMJ concludes that anti-obesity medications, such as Xenical and Acomplia, lead to moderate weight loss. A commentary on the study can be found here.

Stay slim to avoid cancer, says the World Cancer Research Fund

(31 Oct 2007) An analysis of 40 years' worth of international research found 'convincing' links between excess body fat and six types of cancer. Its potentially controversial recommendation was that people should stay as slim as possible without being underweight. For the story, click here.

Foresight findings released...

(17 Oct 2007) The results of the UK Government's Foresight project 'Tackling Obesities: Future Choices' were unveiled on Wednesday, 17 October. To access the results online, click here.

...and open to scrutiny.

(18 Oct 2007) The Foresight findings are now available for public and academic scrutiny, with the aim of building on the results to develop effective obesity interventions. Sandy Szwarc, author of the 'Junkfood Science' blog, offers an early criticism of the results here.

Social networks and obesity

(26 Jul 2007) Close friends, rather than family members, may be the most influential people in determining whether we gain or lose weight over the years. Research into social networks, as observed in the Framingham Heart Study, suggests that obesity is not just a problem of individual behaviour or physiology. For details look here.

Could cartoons help to curb childhood obesity?

(27 May 2007) The World Cancer Research Fund has recently launched The Great Grub Club, a website promoting healthy eating that is aimed at 4- to 7-year-old children. Interactive games, food quizzes, and online recipes are posted at www.greatgrubclub.com .

Are you TOFI?

(10 Dec 2006) Professor Jimmy Bell, head of the molecular imaging group at the MRC-funded centre at Imperial College, is using MRI scans to to determine if people are 'TOFI' - thin on the outside, fat on the inside. For a description of his work, click here.

Obesity in the news

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