The Washing of the Brains

A brand-new study, published only last month, reveals the folk whose profession is to influence children to nag their parents until the grownups give up and buy Product B instead of Product A. We don’t want those to be our children; or ourselves to be those parents. And yet, entire battalions of silver-tongued orators are at work “shaping a whole generation’s unhealthy eating habits.” We’re talking about (alleged) food with high taste and low nutrition; with high convenience, and (usually) low cost.

The stuff is everywhere. Julia Olech writes,

Studies show children see about 13 food ads every day, while teens see 16. Only 1 out of 10 of these ads are for healthy foods like fruit and vegetables — the rest are all for junk food. These can come in the form of short ad segments slotted into breaks in favorite shows, but also as product placement marketing in movies, TV shows, music videos, and other forms of entertainment.

It has been shown that teens, after hearing pitches delivered by “influencers,” will actually eat 26% more junk food. On social media, a child or a teen might easily encounter more than a hundred junk food promotions in a single week. Multiplied by the number of weeks, that comes out to well over 5,000 doses of brainwashing per year.

Children and teens might be variously described as vulnerable, innocent, dumb, or, as the author says, not having “the cognitive skills needed to understand the intent of junk food adverts.” No matter how you slice it, the baloney is hip-deep and rising. The author gives many examples, and when it comes to YouTube? Don’t get her started!

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 90% of food promotions on YouTube are for types of junk food. Just a quick search on the platform reveals hundreds of videos of kids unboxing new Happy Meal toys, reviewing new Hershey’s chocolates, and receiving PR packages from big junk food brands.

And, no surprise here, adults are also vulnerable to having their lives negatively impacted by this advertising. After all, we were once children, and in most of our lives, no influence has arisen to counteract all the harmful propaganda injected into our heads in the name of entertainment. Olech writes,

According to Cancer Research UK, watching any food content makes children (and adults alike) feel hungry, pushing them to snack between mealtimes. It usually also impacts their food preferences, as marketing teams spend a lot of time and money making their products look delicious on screen.

To make sure the point gets made, Olech lists all the many and varied ill effects to which the marketing of junk food to kids can indirectly lead, including but not limited to:

[…] kidney diseases, Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, malnutirtion, obesity, low self-esteem, heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke, bone issues, low immunity, concentration problems, depression and mood swings, eating disorders, poor brain development, tooth decay…

Of course, the beguiling shills and the corporations that pay them never set out with the intention of making every kid on the planet obese. They are just trying to raise a new generation of consumers, that’s all.

Just a short little digressive item to think about

One of the things that advertising sells is the credo that sports and junk food must go together, whether in person or while viewing electronically. Olech writes,

Another issue with junk food marketing in the US is the misinformation present in a lot of ads. Many companies use celebrity or athlete endorsements, perpetuating the idea that their products are healthier than they are. They also normalize consuming higher amounts of junk food while watching sports or TV, further contributing to the growing obesity pandemic.

Currently, a sports book website called FanDuel builds its commercials around the slogan, “Every night is a watch party!” which tidily encompasses seven evenings of three distinct potential addiction opportunities. You got the booze, you got the junk food, and you got the gambling. How did this racket slip past the War on Drugs?

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Junk Food Marketing Study: What Are Kids Being Fed?,” CyberGhostVPN.com, 02/13/24
Image by Francisco Orsorio/CC BY 2.0 DEED

Study Confirms Genetic Link in BMI As Global Obesity Reaches Alarming Levels

A new study presented at the European Congress on Obesity suggests that middle-aged people are significantly more likely to become obese if one or both of their parents were overweight during that life stage. The research, led by Mari Mikkelsen from the Arctic University of Norway, analyzed data from over 2,000 parent-offspring pairs participating in the Tromso Study.

Study’s main points

Key findings of the study include:

  • Offspring BMI was directly influenced by their parents’ BMI.
  • A mother’s obesity increased the risk of middle-aged obesity by 3.4 times, while an obese father raised the risk by 3.7 times.
  • If both parents were obese, the likelihood of middle-aged obesity was six times higher.

More than just genetics

Mikkelsen explained the reason behind the study and commented on its main finding:

Obesity in childhood, and especially in adolescence, tends to follow the individual into early adulthood, and so we suspected it would also follow them into middle age… We found that this is indeed the case — children whose parents lived with obesity are much more likely to be in living with obesity themselves when they are in their 40s and 50s, long after they have left home.

Most likely, a combination of genetics and environment causes a parent’s weight to affect the subsequent weight of their kids, Mikkelsen said:

Genes play an important role by affecting our susceptibility to weight gain and influence how we respond to obesogenic environments in which it can be easy to eat unhealthily… Some studies also speculate that children tend to develop similar dietary and exercise habits to their parents when they all live together under the same roof, resulting in a similar BMI status.

WHO releases update on obesity and overweight numbers

In other news, the World Health Organization (WHO) just updated its statistics and initiatives status for March 2024. Here are some troubling facts:

In 2022, global rates of obesity and overweight reached alarming levels:

  • 1 in 8 people worldwide were living with obesity, with adult obesity doubling since 1990 and adolescent obesity quadrupling.
  • 5 billion adults were overweight, with 890 million of them living with obesity. This represented 43% of adults globally, with significant regional variations.
  • 37 million children under 5 and over 390 million aged 5-19 were overweight, with prevalence increasing particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
  • The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents has risen dramatically since 1990, affecting 20% of this age group globally by 2022.

As a reminder, the definition of overweight and obesity varies by age and gender, with specific criteria provided by the WHO for children under 5 and children aged 5-19. Another reminder is the numbers above, that more research, an organized approach, and more involvement from all levels (from home to medical professionals and government organizations) are needed. We must keep fighting the fight.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Obesity and overweight,” WHO, March 2024
Source: Odds of obesity derived from parents, study finds,” UPI.com, 3/8/24
Image by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

Sometimes You Don’t Know What to Think

For anyone who wonders exactly how many pediatric patients were prescribed weight-loss drugs in 2023, the headline “Doctors Gave 4,000 Kids Weight-Loss Drugs In 2023” might seem to promise an answer, but similar to many headlines, it leaves out an essential fact. Are these 4,000 kids in the USA, the Northern Hemisphere, the membership of the World Health Organization, or what? (Presumably, it is inside the United States, and in reference to research published in January of this year.)

In the same article, journalist Julianna Frieman names Dr. Joan Han of the Mt. Sinai Health System as an endorser of the idea that “changing one’s lifestyle is often fruitless in fixing obesity due to the significant role of genetics.” Like so many other obesity-related topics, that one has large numbers of both supporters and detractors.

Dr. Han gives a rationale that is often heard from others of the same mindset, especially when they have additional reasons to favor bariatric surgery or a pharmaceutical solution:

It would make sense that sheer willpower is not necessarily going to fix excess weight gain.

Here’s the problem. It may be a Straw Man or it may be Begging the Question, but that statement involves a fallacious premise, namely, that there is only one other possible answer besides drugs or surgery, which would be the Sheer Willpower Cure. If that were the case, it would be reasonable to concede, “That’s right. The Sheer Willpower Cure does not seem to be effective.” But that is not the case at all. Exploring a program like BrainWeighve, for instance, reveals that it suggests and facilitates many additional choices besides Sheer Willpower.

Contemporary relevance

However, the reason for bringing it up now is that it relates to the general question of how and why the “trendy” GLP-1 drugs are prescribed. The reasons are many, and the attempts to make them stand are sometimes less than scholarly and far from impartial. But other times, one has to ask oneself, “What’s wrong with that?”

As an example of the genre, and the sometimes very positive reports, semaglutide is credited with the ability to reduce cardiovascular risks in a particular subgroup:

It is the first such approval from the Food and Drug Administration for a weight loss drug. The approval comes after a five-year study found Wegovy led to a 20% reduction in heart attacks, strokes, and cardiac arrest…

Granted, this is only in one patient demographic, “obese patients over the age of 45 who have heart disease,” but still…

Other suggestions

Only a couple of weeks ago, Dennis Thompson reported on the British initiative to encourage more movement among school-age children. The Active Movement program requires no fancy equipment, gym attire, or specialized environment. It encourages the kids to stand up when speaking, and walk around in the classroom more. Somehow, overall, it encourages 10% more participation in voluntary sports activities and an 8% reduction in the children’s waist-to-height ratio.

Not only that, but senior researcher Mike Loosemore is quoted as saying:

Our results show that reducing sedentary behaviors during school time can be an effective obesity-reduction strategy for primary school children who are overweight. What’s even more encouraging is that this method was effective regardless of the child’s socioeconomic status, age or gender. It is something that schools could introduce without needing to invest heavily in equipment or staff, and everyone will benefit.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Doctors Gave 4,000 Kids Weight-Loss Drugs In 2023,” DailyCaller.com, 02/21/24
Source: “United States of Ozempic: Where anti-obesity drugs are taking off,” Axios.com, 01/18/24
Source: “FDA approves weight-loss drug Wegovy for reducing cardiovascular risks,” Join1440.com, 03/09/24
Source: “One Way to Reduce Child Obesity: Get Kids Moving More in Class,” USNews.com, 02/27/24
Image by John K. Thorne/Public Domain

Tempest in a Very Large Teapot

The huge story of the past year has been the explosion in the use of a whole new genre of weight-loss drugs. Like any such gigantic, all-encompassing development, this one has brought innumerable minor stories in its wake. One such side-piece is the voluntary demotion of superstar Oprah Winfrey from her almost decade-long seat as a Weight Watchers board member. Rather than replace her, the board will reduce its membership to nine seats.

The talk-show star was elected to office in 2015 but will not be running again this May. She has owned a massive amount of WeightWatchers stock, the value of which has fluctuated over the years. Variety says, “Her initial investment for 6.4 million shares of the company totaled $43.2 million.” A few years later, all the new weight-loss drugs showed up on the market, and many investors took their dollars elsewhere. And then, last week, the announcement of her departure from the board caused the stock price to decrease by more than 20%.

According to Variety,

Winfrey owns about 1.1 million shares of WW International, representing a 1.43% stake in the company, according to data provider FactSet. At the current stock price, that’s worth less than $3.5 million.

These remaining shares and all future income from them are being donated to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It is said that Winfrey will continue to work hand-in-hand with WeightWatchers in “elevating the conversation around recognizing obesity as a chronic condition, working to reduce stigma, and advocating for health equity.” The announcement was made in December via People magazine, “after coming to the realization that weight management does not hinge solely on a person’s self-control.”

Contradiction

In every report of this story, statements are made that do not clarify but confuse the issue. On one hand, it seems as if Winfrey’s personal decision, some months ago, to start taking a weight-loss drug is looked upon as treachery. It is said that in seeking and accepting a leadership position, she had undertaken to “not engage in any other weight loss or weight management business, program, products or services.”

So, were people angry because she started injecting herself with one of the new drugs? That would be understandable. But there is more information to assimilate:

Last year, Weight Watchers acquired Sequence, a subscription telehealth platform that offers, among other benefits, access to healthcare providers who can prescribe weight-loss drugs including Ozempic, for $106 million. (Users pay $99 a month, not including prescription costs.)

For NPR, Vanessa Romo wrote,

The move to embrace the drugs as part of its weight management program is a massive shift for the company’s behavior-based program. For 60 years, WeightWatchers coaches have told members that the path to a thinner, healthier version of themselves consisted of exercise, counting calories, points — and, perhaps most of all, willpower.

How can this seeming contradiction be reconciled? Romo says, “That reversal has left many current and former members struggling with their own weight feeling betrayed.” It would seem that, if such were the case, having a prominent authority like Winfrey tell them that drugs are okay would eliminate the conflict.

WeightWatchers announced that Winfrey’s decision not to run for the position “was not the result of any disagreement with the company on any matter relating to the company’s operations, policies or practices.” That seems clear enough, because the company is now in the business of hooking up customers with doctors who will prescribe, and sources that will supply the GLP-1 medications.

Yet somehow, there was perceived to be a conflict of interest if a WeightWatchers board member, and owner of a large amount of stock, happened to personally use a weight-loss drug. According to The New York Times,

Kelsey Merkel, a spokeswoman for Weight Watchers, said that Ms. Winfrey wanted to “advocate authentically” for the weight-loss measures she believed to be most effective, without anyone questioning her profit motive.

Meanwhile, it appears that what faithful members regret most is not the former drugless approach, but the fellowship and sense of community provided by live gatherings in real time. The entire huge Weight Watchers International organization started as a meeting of seven people in a housewife’s basement.

Says The New York Times, “Before the pandemic there were 3,300 in-person workshops throughout the United States.” The COVID crisis spurred “premium members” to pay close to $50 per month for “unlimited access to virtual meetings and other digital tools.”

Really feeling slighted are the so-called lifetime members, “who are rewarded with free access to premium-tier benefits if they stay within two pounds of their goal weight — but who must weigh in at an official workshop at least once a month.” Now, there are fewer than 1,000 local workshops, and even some of those are online.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Oprah Winfrey to Exit WeightWatchers Board After She Announced Use of Weight-Loss Drug,” Variety.com, 02/29/24
Source: “Oprah to Leave Weight Watchers Board,” NYTimes.com, 02/29/24
Source: “After nearly a decade, Oprah Winfrey is set to depart the board of WeightWatchers,” NPR.org, 03/01/24
Source: “When WeightWatchers Ended In-Person Meetings, They Held Their Own,” NYTimes.com, 02/02/24
Image by Mike Mozart/CC BY 2.0 DEED

BPA Study Finds Different Gut Microbiota’s Response Based on BMI

Children with normal weight seem to have a different gut microbiota response to endocrine disruptors like bisphenol A (BPA) compared to those with overweight or obesity, one study finds. Bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic chemical used in various plastic products, is known to disrupt hormone functions in the body and may affect human health. The study, published in mSystems, found differences in microbial communities between normal-weight children and those who were overweight or obese after BPA exposure.

Margarita Aguilera, Ph.D., a microbiologist at the University of Granada in Spain, said:

We found that the gut microbial community responds differently to BPA exposure depending on the BMI (body-mass index) of the individual.

Specifically, children with normal weight hosted more diverse bacteria and showed greater resilience to BPA. Research from the University of Granada suggests that BPA exposure can lead to distinct microbial communities in normal-weight children compared to their overweight or obese counterparts.

BPA is increasingly present in human samples, indicating potential accumulation in the body. Moreover, there’s a growing body of evidence linking xenobiotics like BPA to obesity, especially when exposure occurs early in life.

The study aimed to evaluate how BPA affects gut microbiota in relation to childhood obesity and whether certain bacteria could serve as biomarkers for BPA exposure. Fecal samples from 106 children aged 5 to 10 were analyzed, revealing that BPA exposure led to specific microbial changes.

Certain bacterial species, such as Clostridium and Romboutsia, showed resistance to BPA and were positively associated with microbiota richness. On the other hand, other species were inversely correlated with gut diversity, potentially indicating an obesogenic phenotype.

Children with normal weight exhibited a more enriched and connected gut microbiome network compared to those with overweight or obesity, suggesting greater resilience to the effects of BPA. This finding underscores the importance of understanding the relationship between BPA, obesity, and gut microbiota for informing interventions and policies aimed at reducing childhood obesity risk.

Dr. Aguilera said:

We want to raise awareness about the health risks associated with microplastics that enter our bodies, and those that circulate in the environment… It’s crucial for individuals to be mindful of these concerns.

However, the study’s use of 16S rRNA gene sequencing limited taxonomy resolution, and further research is needed to fully elucidate the relationship between BPA-tolerant gut bacteria and obesity. Nonetheless, the findings highlight the need for awareness of the health risks associated with environmental toxins like BPA and microplastics.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Environmental Toxin BPA Affects Gut Microbial Communities in Children,” Pharmacy Times, 3/5/24
Source: “BPA exposure linked to gut microbiota, childhood obesity in new study,” EurikAlert, 3/1/24
“BPA exposure influences gut microbial diversity and childhood obesity risk,” News Medical, 3/1/24
Image by Jonathan Chng on Unsplash

Landmark — Junk Food Legally Defined

It is one thing to intuitively notice the correlation between increasing child obesity and the ever-mounting abundance of ultra-processed foods on supermarket shelves and in the kitchens of families. To show a cause-and-effect relationship is another thing entirely. It has of course become obvious, in a general way, that what a person consumes in the early years of life will have a great deal of impact on future health. Actionable proof, however, calls for the discipline of science.

To demonstrate the harm caused by ultra-processed foods (familiarly known as UPFs) requires ambitious, long-term projects like the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. From 1998 through 2017, this study gathered information about more than 9,000 British kids, tracking them from age 7 up through age 24, recording their weight, waist circumference, fat mass index, and BMI.

The UPFs common in the subjects’ diets included “frozen pizza, soda, packaged bread, cakes, and pre-packaged meals.” The researchers arrived at stern conclusions regarding the need for policy revisions and stricter regulations.

There are facts that people know (or should know) intuitively, and accept as common sense. But for the information to be acceptable and actionable, it must be phrased in a prescribed academic manner and format. For instance, as study co-author Eszter Vamos, Ph.D., was quoted as saying,

One of the key things we uncover here is a dose-response relationship. This means that it’s not only the children who eat the most ultra-processed foods have the worst weight gain, but also the more they eat, the worse this gets.

In 2020, a European Childhood Obesity Group publication by authors from eight institutions recognized the concept of food addiction. They stated that reliance on ultra-processed foods for a child under two years old “can lead to one or more forms of malnutrition.” Before they even reach the status of toddlers, they can develop overweight and obesity in addition to micronutrient deficiencies:

A tendency of higher consumption of added sugar (refined sugar, honey, corn syrup) and UPF was found among children with overweight, diagnosed with food addiction.

Two months later, several Tufts University researchers published a report about UPF consumption and obesity in American kids. Their particular mission was to “estimate the potential impact of reducing UPF consumption on childhood obesity in the U.S.” In a randomized, controlled trial, they studied the records of 5804 children of ages ranging from 7 to 18 years. The non-UPF consumers reduced their caloric intake by 17%.

According to the report,

Working from this assumption, they “projected weight loss based on estimated weight reduction due to calorie reduction in children accounting for potential changes in energy expenditure and appetite.”

The document also discussed a United Kingdom initiative in 2006 to ban advertisements for specific food types, during children’s typical TV viewing hours. This was considered a major advance because, among other things, using a formula based on food product nutrient profiles, it introduced a legal definition of junk food.

The Conclusions section of the paper noted that…

Reducing current levels of UPF consumption among US children has the potential to reduce the childhood obesity rate in the US to a great extent, especially among adolescents.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children,” University of Bristol, undated
Source: “Ultra-Processed Food Consumption among the Paediatric Population: An Overview and Call to Action from the European Childhood Obesity Group,” Karger.com, 04/28/20
Source: “Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Obesity Among US Children,” NIH.gov, 06/04/20
Image by Knowing Roger/Public Domain

Relating to the Classics

Our recent post referred to the tendency of some things to “go together,” almost as if their pairing was a law of Nature. One of those seemingly inevitable conjunctions links spectator sports and junk food. In 1908, the team of Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer wrote the profoundly American song whose chorus goes like this:

Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd;
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don’t care if I ever get back.

One might think the synergy between sporting events and recreational eating could not go back much further, but one would be mistaken. For Popular Mechanics, Tim Newcomb described the landscape beneath a venerable landmark, and some of the ancient garbage found there:

A recent study of the drainage system at the Roman Colosseum shows that stadium-goers snacked on fruit, meat, veggies, and even pizza.

If the stadium had not already been officially one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the vast, intricate subterranean infrastructure would cinch the deal. A year-long study has identified (among other fascinating items) the detritus of sports fans answering the call of the munchies. Archaeological officer Federica Rinaldi told the reporter, “We have recovered traces of the remains of the meals that were eaten in the stands during the shows.” He also said,

[S]pectators snacked on a variety of meats, vegetables, and fruits… Archeologists found remnants of olives, figs, grapes, peaches, plums, walnuts, cherries, hazelnuts, and blackberries. They also believe that the meat was “cooked at the moment on improvised braziers…”

The only difference is, the Romans did not have “junk food” per se. In those days, no scientists devoted entire careers to making food more palatable but less nutritious. They worked with what the fields and orchards provided, and every item mentioned in that paragraph can be justified as making a positive nutritional contribution.

An eternal truth?

“Drug experts who now study food have learned that cravings destroy willpower,” writes investigative journalist and author Michael Moss in the Los Angeles Times. But is that inevitably true? After all, when Odysseus, who lived more than 1,000 years B.C.E., had himself tied to the ship’s mast in order to resist the deadly allure of the Sirens, he certainly acted on the principle that cravings destroy willpower.

Now, as the author relates, a substance is sold in pill form “that works a little like methadone for heroin addicts.” Gymnema sylvestreis is a woody vine from which compounds can be extracted that “keep the brain from getting overly excited for sugar by disabling the sweet receptors on the tongue… For an hour or so, brownies and doughnuts and Oreo cookies all taste like putty…”

Moss explains that we are helpless against our evolutionary drive to consume maximum calories to fuel our bodies:

We have sensors in the gut and possibly in the mouth that tell us how many calories we’re eating, and the more calories there are, the more excited the brain gets, which makes us vulnerable to the processed-food industry’s snacks…

Sugars and fats are individually quite compelling, but in combination, they grab hold of a part of the brain called the striatum, which is known to be connected with compulsive behavior. Moss writes,

In my research, I found that hyperprocessed, convenient food products can be as addictive as cigarettes, alcohol and drugs, if not more so, using the industry’s own definition.

So, the important thing is to figure out how to get ahead of the cravings, to forestall and neutralize and cancel them out, which is exactly what Odysseus did by ordering his crew to restrain him with ropes.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” Wikipedia.org, undated
Source: “Esplorazione del sistema fognario antico del Colosseo,” YouTube.com, undated
Source: “Here’s What Ancient Romans Ate While Watching Shows at the Colosseum,” PopularMechanics.com, 11/30/22
Source: “Op-Ed: Big Food wants us addicted to junk food. New brain science may break its grip,” LATimes.com, 06/06/21
Image by r.passman/CC BY-ND 2.0 DEED

The Role of Exercise in Sustaining Weight Loss Beyond Medication

For nearly a year, the discourse surrounding GLP-1 weight loss drugs such as Wegovy, Zepbound and Saxenda has been ongoing, with a central focus on what happens when patients stop using the meds. There’s been a prevailing concern: Can weight loss be maintained once these medications are discontinued? A recent Danish study, spearheaded by Professor Signe Sørensen Torekov and her team from the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen and Hvidovre Hospital, sheds crucial light on this matter.

GLP-1 weight loss drugs such as Wegovy have undoubtedly been instrumental in assisting users in shedding excess weight, especially in an era where obesity rates continue to rise. However, the apprehension lies in the aftermath of cessation — the fear of weight regain looms large. But Torekov’s study challenges this assumption. He says,

It is actually possible to stop taking the medication without large weight regain, if you follow a structured exercise regime. Our study offers new hope, as we have shown that the majority of those who take weight loss medication and exercise regularly are able to maintain the beneficial effects a year after treatment termination.

The study, led by Postdoc Simon Birk Kjær Jensen, scrutinized the effects following treatment for obesity, providing valuable insights into the long-term outcomes of these medications. Jensen says,

Even though medical treatment for obesity is effective, people who stop taking the drugs have difficulties maintaining the beneficial effects. Within a year, they will typically have gained more than two thirds of the lost weight. However, our study shows that people who exercise during treatment do not have the same propensity to put on weight post treatment.

Two hours of exercise a week is enough

The study’s methodology included four groups: a placebo group, a group receiving Saxenda (liraglutide 3 mg), an exercise-only group, and a group receiving Saxenda while also exercising regularly. The results underscored the significance of exercise, revealing that just two hours of exercise a week, coupled with medication or even on its own, significantly contributed to maintaining the benefits of treatment.

Jensen explains,

All it takes is two hours of exercise a week that gets the heart rate up and makes you pant. And it may differ from one person to the next. For people with severe obesity and low initial fitness level, a brisk walk may be sufficient, whereas people with higher fitness level may have to practise running or cycling, e.g. interval spinning.

Torekov emphasizes, “We now have an effective drug for obesity, but it’s imperative to combine medical treatment with regular physical exercise.” The study indicates that exercise not only aids in weight maintenance but also enhances overall quality of life, as evidenced by improved energy levels and mental well-being among participants in the exercise groups.

The implications of this study are profound, suggesting a paradigm shift in the approach to obesity treatment. Torekov and Jensen even advocate for the integration of exercise recommendations into prescriptions for weight loss drugs.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “With regular exercise, medical weight loss treatment does not have to be permanent,” EurekAlert.com, 2/20/24
Source: “Healthy weight loss maintenance with exercise…,” ScienceDirect.com, 2/19/24
Image by Yulissa Tagle on Unsplash

Like a Horse and Carriage

The methodology involved in persuading children to pester their parents for certain brands of cereal and other food products has been described as aggressive, pervasive, ubiquitous, tiresome, underhanded, and plenty of other adjectives. Julia Olech, whose work we have quoted before, is the author who confronts the American public with such concepts as, “70% of three-year-olds recognize the McDonald’s symbol, but only half of them know their last name.”

Before that can even sink in, the author piles on additional interesting facts. Based on them, she makes several cogent, related points that suggest a certain line of deduction, loosely summarized here:

  • Children who are not thinking about food are less likely to eat.
  • Children who are consciously thinking about food are more likely to eat.
  • The probability is high that they will choose food unwisely.
  • Children who eat unwisely are more likely to become obese.
  • If we want children not to be obese, we should aim to have them eat less.
  • In the media that children consume and interact with the overwhelming majority of ads sell junk food.
  • And in the unlikely event that a particular ad is for a healthful food, advertising co-opts the person’s attention, and sets their mind on food, increasing the likelihood that they will eat unwisely and become obese.

Startling discrepancies

If we had a nickel for every nugget of misinformation presented in a food ad, they would reach from here to the moon. Though not technically a food, Coke has been notorious for telling fibs. The soft drink empire has set a record to which others can only hope to aspire, as explored in at least four Childhood Obesity News posts.

Dangerous liaisons

Advertising, especially when performed by popular athletes and entertainment figures, reinforces the idea that some things go together like “love and marriage, horse and carriage.” Americans have always known that part of a movie night is eating a bunch of junk food. If you are watching a spectator sport, you are expected to be feeding your face. Whether in the stadium or the living room, particular kinds of nutritionally deficient foods are just part of the deal.

It is in the best interest of Big Junk Food to normalize the consumption of crap on every possible occasion. The industry’s publicity machine is excellent at this, Olech notes, to the point where “many US junk food ads have been banned in countries like New Zealand, the UK, or Australia.” She goes on to say,

This continuous exposure to junk food ads is shaping children’s norms and expectations about what foods are acceptable to eat regularly.

Like, doughnuts for every breakfast, fries for every lunch — why not? All the manufacturer needs to do is find one recognizable celebrity, and voilà! Everybody gets a bonus!

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Junk Food Marketing Study: What Are Kids Being Fed?,” CyberGhostVPN.com, 02/13/24
Image by Holger/CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED

How Big Is 10 Billion?

Childhood Obesity News has cited these figures before, and they are definitely worthy of repetition:

More than 80% of food advertising in the country promotes fast food, sugary drinks, and unhealthy snacks…

Does that signify that four out of five food ads are for junk? Or does it mean that out of every hour of advertising, 48 minutes are peddling junk? Or out of every 100 food images shown, 80 of them depict junk? Well, guess what? However that percentage was calibrated, it is disgusting.

It’s still brainwashing, and journalist Julia Olech mentions the creepy racist/classist angle that makes it even worse:

[R]esearch suggests marketers often target families from poor socioeconomic backgrounds as well as Hispanic and Black communities. In 2021, Black children viewed up to 21% more food and beverage ads than their White peers, while food companies increased their budgets allocated for Spanish-speaking advertisements.

The equally big news on this topic is that every year, the United States food industry spends $10 billion on marketing. Just for grins, let’s plug that figure into a search engine and see where else it applies.

In 2023, American adults lost $10 billion to malicious fraudsters who run investment scams; imposter scams; online shopping scams; prize, sweepstakes and lottery scams; and business and job opportunity scams. Ten billion is how much the federal government contemplates ponying up in subsidies to jump-start American semiconductor manufacturing.

$10 billion is the amount that…

  • Microsoft decided to invest in OpenAI (generative artificial intelligence).
  • In 2021, the administration declared it would devote itself to expanding confidence in and access to COVID-19 vaccines.
  • Facebook stated it would spend, in 2021 alone, “on Facebook Reality Labs, its metaverse division developing AR and VR hardware, software, and content.”
  • In 2022, California’s Governor Newsom vowed to spend on switching to zero-emission vehicles and other measures to attain clean energy and rescue the climate.
  • Last year, was offered to the Walt Disney Co. for a package to include the ABC television network, and the cable networks FX and National Geographic.

Part of the text that goes with the illustration on this page says:

Until now, the biggest supermassive black holes — those roughly 10 billion times the mass of our sun — have been found at the cores of very large galaxies in regions of the universe packed with other large galaxies.

In other words, $10 billion is a serious number, a big-league, no-fooling, we-mean-business kind of a sum — especially when it is mentioned on a per annum basis; when the expenditure is encompassed within a single year. Olech adds,

To put that into perspective, the US government allocates a budget of around $1 billion to promote healthy lifestyles and prevent chronic diseases.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Junk Food Marketing Study: What Are Kids Being Fed?,” CyberGhostVPN.com, 02/13/24
Source: “As Nationwide Fraud Losses Top $10 Billion in 2023, FTC Steps Up Efforts to Protect the Public,” FTC.gov, 02/09/24
Source: “Intel in talks for more than $10 billion in Chips Act incentives,” CrainsCleveland.com, 02/20/24
Source: “Fact Sheet,” WhiteHouse.gov, 03/25/21
Source: “Microsoft to Invest $10 Billion in OpenAI, the Creator of ChatGPT,” NYTimes.com, 01/23/23
Source: “Facebook is spending at least $10 billion this year on its metaverse division,” TheVerge.com, 10/25/21
Source: “Governor Newsom Outlines Historic $10 Billion Zero-Emission Vehicle Package to Lead the World’s Transition to Clean Energy, Combat Climate Change,” GOV.CA.gov, 01/26/22
Source: “Media mogul Byron Allen offers Disney $10 billion for ABC, cable TV channels,” CBSNews.com, 09/15/23
Image by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/CC BY 2.0 DEED

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Profiles: Kids Struggling with Weight

Profiles: Kids Struggling with Obesity top bottom

The Book

OVERWEIGHT: What Kids Say explores the obesity problem from the often-overlooked perspective of children struggling with being overweight.

About Dr. Robert A. Pretlow

Dr. Robert A. Pretlow is a pediatrician and childhood obesity specialist. He has been researching and spreading awareness on the childhood obesity epidemic in the US for more than a decade.
You can contact Dr. Pretlow at:

Presentations

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation at the American Society of Animal Science 2020 Conference
What’s Causing Obesity in Companion Animals and What Can We Do About It

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation at the World Obesity Federation 2019 Conference:
Food/Eating Addiction and the Displacement Mechanism

Dr. Pretlow’s Multi-Center Clinical Trial Kick-off Speech 2018:
Obesity: Tackling the Root Cause

Dr. Pretlow’s 2017 Workshop on
Treatment of Obesity Using the Addiction Model

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation for
TEC and UNC 2016

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation at the 2015 Obesity Summit in London, UK.

Dr. Pretlow’s invited keynote at the 2014 European Childhood Obesity Group Congress in Salzburg, Austria.

Dr. Pretlow’s presentation at the 2013 European Congress on Obesity in Liverpool, UK.

Dr. Pretlow’s presentation at the 2011 International Conference on Childhood Obesity in Lisbon, Portugal.

Dr. Pretlow’s presentation at the 2010 Uniting Against Childhood Obesity Conference in Houston, TX.

Food & Health Resources