Even the most conscientious and well-meaning parent can feel like the fictional Alice going down the rabbit hole, when confronted with the plethora of advice intended to help kids avoid obesity. For instance, we all know that vegetables are good, but w …

Last time Childhood Obesity News looked at some criticisms of the teen version of “The Biggest Loser.” As it turns out, medical professionals paid attention to the show also. In fact, doctors from various parts of the world got together on Monday eveni …

Last December, television found yet another way to hit a new low, at least in the opinion of critics of the teen version of “The Biggest Loser.” Not only that, but different people complained for different reasons. The contestants were a 16-year-old gi …

Last time, Childhood Obesity News discussed how Laura Beck of Jezebel took a raging dislike to the California anti-obesity ad that turned a regular little girl into a puffy-cheeked caricature. Among other angry things, she wrote: I’ll tell you what it’ …

Last week the American Medical Association (AMA) voted to call obesity a disease, which is basically a medical condition requiring treatment. In the most simple terms, they’re saying that 12 million American kids need to go to the doctor. According to …

What a lot of excitement! Everyone has something to say about the digital manipulation of a little girl’s picture. Last time, Childhood Obesity News talked about celebrity fat-shaming. This time, it’s more of the same old everyday fat-shaming of  child …

As Childhood Obesity News recently noted, endocrinologist Robert Lustig doubts the efficacy of willpower in helping people to maintain a healthy weight, because our biological chemistry is against us. And once obesity has taken hold, the overweight con …

Gail Gauthier is an author who writes about the works of other authors. Her website discusses the book The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It. Specifically, Gauthier considers the thoughts …

Willpower is one of the most widely touted obesity cures. What is being said about it? The Miriam Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, features the Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center, where a study was conducted on the impact of self-control …

Childhood Obesity News was looking at how the debate between Big Corn and Big Sugar became a battle of dueling experts, with one side claiming that the human body can’t tell the difference between corn sugar and cane/beet sugar, and a large number of d …

Childhood Obesity News has been reviewing the recent history of the substance formerly known as High Fructose Corn Syrup (fondly abbreviated to HFCS) and now going under a variety of different names. Several years ago, the Corn Refiners Association (CR …

So, we’ve been following the life story of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) over the last couple of years. In the fall of 2011, the activist group PennPIRG revealed that each American was being taxed $7.36 per year to subsidize corn farmers, which is no …

Yesterday, Childhood Obesity News quoted a woman who accused the Corn Refiners Association of misquoting doctors who are against high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and making it sound as if they are actually in favor. Dr. Mark Hyman devoted a long column …

Last time, Childhood Obesity News recalled an article from a few years back, full of warnings about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). It wasn’t the only such piece to be found, not by a long shot. But it made the interesting suggestion that HFCS is the …

Is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) the devil’s candy? Many people believe the answer is yes, and the main reasons are mentioned in the unsigned article where Childhood Obesity News first encountered that ominous nickname. First of all, HFCS is found in …

Childhood Obesity News has been looking at the parallels between humans and animals in an area called displacement behavior, which in humans can also be called adjunctive behavior or body-focused repetitive behavior. When feeling boxed in, conflicted, …

What is this thing called displacement behavior, anyway? University of Colorado professor Michael D. Breed says: Research on animal welfare has used displacement behavior as a measure of anxiety induced by captivity or other manipulations… Displaceme …

Richard French, DVM, M.S., Ph.D., of Becker College (where he is a veterinary pathologist and Dean of Animal Studies) is very concerned about obesity among pets. There is a lot of it. American households contain 77 million dogs, of which 53% of the adu …

Last August, Traci Carneal reported of the Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing on the popularity of salty snacks. The numbers were from the previous year, 2011, during which $4.4 billion worth of salty snacks were sold. We’re talking about …

In the late 1980s, the great American crack epidemic was gathering momentum. Reports that fetuses were inevitably damaged by the maternal cocaine use were taken seriously. Years went by and sober research was done, and the whole crack baby threat later …

From Texas A&M University come tidings of new experiments aimed at getting school kids and office workers up off their posteriors. But why? Reporter Nicole Morten has the answers. Standing up to work strengthens the spine, burns 20% more calories, …

A lot of dirty words have only four letters, but this one has nine, and Childhood Obesity News has been looking at why so many medical professionals think “sedentary” is a dangerous word that signifies frightening futures. For instance, Gretchen Reynol …

Yesterday, Childhood Obesity News mentioned the decreased life expectancy of TV addicts, office workers, and other sedentary people. “Sedentary” is, of course, the dirty nine-letter word referred to in our title, and the habit or necessity of long-term …

Though it has more than four letters, “sedentary” is a dirty word in the anti-obesity business. Sure, workers who have to stand up all day suffer from discomfort and physical consequences. But according to an ever-increasing number of authorities, sitt …

“How I Got Back at the Strangers Who Mock Me for Being Fat” is the title of an account by Haley Morris-Cafiero, assistant professor of fine arts and photography at the Memphis College of Art. She takes her students on field trips with an unusual purpos …

Almost a year ago, a concoction known as Belviq received approval from the Food and Drug Administration, the first prescription diet drug to have done so in the previous 13 years. Alice Park wrote “Belviq: 5 Things You Need to Know About the New Weight …

Last time, Childhood Obesity News considered deep brain stimulation, or DBS. Now, we revisit the brain to look at other research where mice took center stage, concerning a change on the cellular level that “accompanies obesity.” ScienceDaily says: The …

Burger Addiction is a new restaurant chain starting up in Australia. Some highlights from online reviews: A woman who went on opening day waited half an hour, from order to first bite, and was disappointed by the meal. The burgers come with all sorts o …

Did you know that YouTube offers over 12,000 items under the heading of “Food Porn”? It comes right through the computer screen, and a person can stare at food porn all day long without being ostracized by the community. The consumption of food porn ha …

Before returning to the fascinating subject of food porn, excuse us for a moment while we pat ourselves on the back for being astute spotters of talent and relevance. Yes, Childhood Obesity News covered ChopChop way before it was chosen “Publication of …