archive

October 3, 2012 Millions have now watched Jennifer Livingston accuse a viewer of bullying for an email he sent her about her weight.

Summary

September 24, 2012 Public health considerations alone are not enough to justify banning the sale of large containers of soda. Commentator Alva Noë argues that the question at hand is one of the values we hold, not healthcare costs.

Summary

September 24, 2012 Both the drugs — Belviq and Qsymia — were approved in July. They make you feel satisfied with less food — and not as hungry between meals. But there are side effects, including dry mouth, constipation and a slight tingling in fingers and toes; Qsymia can also cause birth defects.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

September 20, 2012 A former hedge fund manager-turned-philanthropist is donating millions of dollars to challenge the conventional wisdom about what makes us fat. The Nutrition Science Initiative says new research will make it possible to significantly lower obesity rates by 2020.

Summary

September 18, 2012 The nation's heaviest states of 2011 are Mississippi, Louisiana, and W. Virginia. But in the thinnest states, more people report eating five fruit and veggie servings a day and report getting more exercise.

Summary

September 16, 2012 The new ban on the sale of soft drinks in large containers in New York City is arbitrary and insulting, argues commentator and philosopher Alva Noë. He says that "just because something is bad, that doesn't mean you should ban it."

Summary

September 13, 2012 People are taking the New York City's proposed big soda ban to heart because it goes after our food. And cultural anthropologists say we have strong attachments to what we consider food — and we don't like it taken away.

Summary

July 23, 2012 Health coaches, part of the newly emerging field of wellness, provide an extra push when patients need help kicking unhealthy habits. In recent years, rising health care costs for obesity-related diseases such as Type 2 diabetes have made health coaches a popular medical resource.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

July 18, 2012 Qsymia was approved for treating obese adults or those who are overweight and have one weight-related condition, such as diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. The drug can cause birth defects and will only be sold through approved mail-order pharmacies.

Summary

July 10, 2012 KHNMost family doctors don't do the math to figure out whether their patients are obese. It's one reason among many that doctors on the front lines are unlikely to be the solution for country's weight problem.

Summary

June 28, 2012 The Food and Drug Administration gave the green light to Belviq, a twice-a-day pill that suppresses appetite and appears to affect metabolism by influencing levels of the brain chemical serotonin. The agency had previously rejected the drug over concerns about safety.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

June 25, 2012 A recent study by researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that obese individuals were 25 percent more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than people of normal weight. They say fat cells also make proteins and estrogen that inflame joints in people with rheumatoid arthritis.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

May 31, 2012 Mayor Bloomberg's proposed ban on large sugary drinks may not slake peoples' thirst for them, or address the obesity problem. A behavioral expert says people who want to buy lots of soda may just rebel at being told what to do.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

May 21, 2012 The proportion of 12- to 19-year-olds who report having diabetes or "prediabetes" increased from 9 percent in 1999 to 23 percent in 2008, according to a paper published in the journal Pediatrics. "This report really sounds the alarm," says one researcher.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

May 7, 2012 KHNTrimming the rise in obesity in the U.S. by just 1 percent over the next two decades would reduce health care costs by by $85 billion. The fight isn't likely to be cheap. But new researchers shows that even a small dent in obesity rates could pay off.

Summary