Touring the Flaky Fringe

July 10, 2017
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Whether working mothers hold down jobs by choice or by necessity — they would rather not be blamed for childhood obesity.

Tales From the Flaky Fringe

July 7, 2017
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Today’s punchlines could become tomorrow’s reality, and if there is an underlying cause for the obesity epidemic it’s better to know about it.

A Visit to the Flaky Fringe

July 6, 2017
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We keep collecting stray theories about obesity villains — the factors, substances and circumstances suspected of contributing to the obesity epidemic.

Obesity in Scotland

July 3, 2017
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Studies show two-thirds of adults in Scotland are overweight. About a third of the kids ages 2-15 are overweight, and 17% are obese.

U.K. Obesity Crisis Ongoing

June 30, 2017
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Studies in the United Kingdom are reporting a surge in obesity, anxiety, depression, panic, and eating disorders in kids as young as four.

The Very Wide World of Beverages

June 29, 2017
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This post touches upon the fermented beverages like kvass and kefir, as well as Coca-Cola’s ready-to-drink coffee business in Japan, and its “sleep water.”

More Non-Mainstream Water Substitutes

June 27, 2017
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Whether kids are normal-weight, overweight, or obese, they don’t need soda, sports drinks or fruit juice. All they need is water.

Beverages Emerge

June 26, 2017
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Each year, Coke and its many sister corporations bring 500 new drinks to market, all in search of a solid and lasting hit.

Some Functional Beverages

June 23, 2017
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Instead of appreciating pure water we “enhance” it for “premium hydration” — but are functional beverages, including cold-pressed juice, better for your health?

Emerging Beverages Aim for Weight Loss Market

June 22, 2017
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Childhood Obesity News continues to explore some of the ways that humans have invented to adulterate nature’s perfect liquid. Strangely, criticism of “value-added water” is not as easy to find as might be expected. The idea that water is inadequate to …

Another Kind of Water Pollution?

June 21, 2017
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Is value-added water what it claims to be? Why must water taste of anything at all?

“Value-Added Water” — What the Heck?

June 19, 2017
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The beverage industry continues to make unacceptable moves. There is no respite from the assault upon our bodies and our intelligence.

Soft Science, Hard Science, and Dads

June 16, 2017
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Happy Father’s Day to the dads who consciously try to have a positive influence on their children’s self-images, and try to keep junk food out of the home.

And Still More on Fathers and Obesity

June 13, 2017
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Whether or not fathers realize it, the behavior they model matters a lot, be it sitting down for a family meal or shunning vegetables.

More Fathers and Obesity

June 12, 2017
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Statistics show that children in homes without fathers face higher risks of child abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, and childhood obesity.

Fathers and Obesity

June 9, 2017
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Epigenetic markers reveal that dads and their eating patterns can have previously unexpected effects on babies, even before conception.

Additional Posts About Cravings

June 8, 2017
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Compulsive overeating appears to be at least as much a behavioral addiction as a substance addiction. This post revisits the subject of food cravings.

Encyclopedia of Cravings

June 7, 2017
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This is the fourth Childhood Obesity News post collecting some of the highlights of all the posts about food cravings and the research behind the theories.

The World of Food Cravings

June 5, 2017
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Where do cravings come from and how can they be quelled? Among the overweight and obese, this knowledge is valued far above nutrition facts.

Laugh Your Way to Thin, Says Coke

May 31, 2017
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Coca-Cola seems to blame the consumers for their obesity, heart problems and diabetes, expecting us to offset the damage from consuming sugary drinks ourselves.

The Confusing World of Fat Shame

May 30, 2017
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One problem with the culture’s insistence on fat-shaming is that it encourages a certain type of man to feel entitled to judge every female figure in sight.

Fat-Shaming, Science, and Art

May 26, 2017
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Studies show that certain factors like the FTO and microbiome influence us in ways we cannot do anything about, and no amount of fat-shaming would change that.

Government Official Credits Being Big to Chocolate Milk

May 25, 2017
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Newly appointed Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue rolled back some Obama-era school lunch rules, but every story has two sides.

New Leadership at USDA

May 24, 2017
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The USDA recently acquired a new Big Boss, Sonny Perdue, who once ran a fertilizer business and then spent several years as governor of Georgia.

Culture, Health, and the Appalling Thing About Teenagers

May 23, 2017
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The kids who are drinking even one sugar-sweetened beverage per week are more than twice as likely already to be obese by the time they start kindergarten.

Coke Again

May 22, 2017
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Drinking, throughout the day, anything but water is a subset of grazing. Excessive eating or drinking is as much an addiction as snorting cocaine or gambling.

The Battle for Impressionable Minds

May 19, 2017
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Let’s continue to slog through the complicated history of the United Kingdom’s effort to quell obesity.

Recent Obesity-Related Kerfuffles

May 18, 2017
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The most recent food-related “scandals” involved the research being funded by the food industry, mislabeled olive oil, shady marketing practices, and more.

Where Did Pokemon Go?

May 17, 2017
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We don’t hear much about Pokemon GO anymore. Did people simply stop wanting to play? Did it have anything to do with the health benefits or lack thereof?

Elusive Motivation

May 16, 2017
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How are kids supposed to know there is something better to reach for? It’s even harder without ever having been introduced to positive feelings.

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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