Activists in the U.S. and overseas campaign for sale bans or at least warning labels for sugar-sweetened beverages.

It would have been nice to go back to ignoring the Coca-Cola Company for a while, but it is such a busy corporation, the notices keep piling up. Regarding 2015, the final quarter alone provided plenty of fodder for criticism as the company appeared to …

In a very recent post, we quoted Dr. Ruopeng An, whose research team determined that… If people simply substitute diet beverages for sugar-sweetened beverages, it may not have the intended effect because they may just eat those calories rather than d …

While not much progress has been made in preventing childhood obesity, it is known that early is better – early as in pre-conception, if possible. It is more than clear that the younger a child starts being overweight, the longer that child will probab …

The Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery, which is known as Teen-LABS for short, aims to document “the efficacy and complications of bariatric surgery in the adolescent surgical patient and its role in the overall management of obesity pri …

Is disease prevention a sufficient justification for performing surgery? Opponents of neonatal circumcision would say no; on the other hand, women with the genetic predisposition to breast cancer want the choice of bilateral mastectomy just in case. It …

Gastric sleeve-themed items by Etsy craftspersons A piece in GeneralSurgeryNews.com makes an excellent point – Although bariatric surgery is performed on unprecedented numbers of teenagers today, the number of procedures performed—and the availability …

Weight loss saves lives and reduces the likelihood of numerous co-morbidities. Alas, the effects rarely last. Without surgical intervention, it is said that “only 2% of severely obese teenagers can lose weight and keep it off.” So a case can be made th …

In her very thorough 2010 article for Reuters about teens and weight-loss surgery, Debra Sherman referenced a study done by Dr. Susan Woolford, a specialist in the area of medicine where pediatrics and obesity meet. When she surveyed 381 doctors, almos …

In his Huffington Post article, Dr. Pretlow mentioned that although bariatric surgery has been successful for some teens, there are inevitable risks, and when the long-term outcome is considered, there is a 20% – 30% failure rate. Even this is not cert …

Gastric sleeve surgery, also called sleeve gastrectomy, is in the category known as restrictive bariatric surgery. Because it doesn’t interfere with absorption, it is appropriate for people with anemia or Crohn’s disease or other conditions where gastr …

Here’s the rundown on gastric bypass surgery, according to Cheryl Ann Borne, founder of the website My Bariatric Life. To qualify, a person needs a BMI of over 40, or a BMI of over 35 with a complication such as type 2 diabetes. Of course there is a ph …

Current information about gastric banding comes from Cheryl Ann Borne, the individual behind the website My Bariatric Life. A very useful page outlines the criteria and preparatory steps. Borne says: After you have been approved for gastric band surger …

Dr. Pretlow has mentioned the costliness of bariatric surgery, which is quite a significant drawback. In Britain, the National Health Service offers two varieties—the gastric band and the gastric bypass. The band option is simpler and less expensive. I …

In his Huffington Post article, “Eating Addiction: There’s an App for That,” Dr. Pretlow gave weight-loss surgery a mixed review. On the one hand, he credits bariatric surgery with being the only obesity treatment that has resulted in “significant long …

Motivational interviewing is one of the tools of choice in the childhood obesity field. Why? Dr. Martin T. Stein suggests that, in primary care settings, childhood obesity is relatively unresponsive to more customary interventions. Doctors are urged to …

Imagine a program for children that would build their core strength and other muscle groups as well. Endurance and agility would also be among the beneficial results. Thanks to the University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions, t …

Animal-assisted therapy and animal-assisted intervention are two names for an aspect of “green care,” described in a previous Childhood Obesity News post. Real live animals are not the only ones who can help kids out of obesity. Imaginary animals made …

This is what I’d say to a teen, or even a pretty smart kid, who’s a lot like I was then. Full disclosure: The Childhood Obesity News blog exists for many reasons. One of them is to show any overweight or obese young person that W8Loss2Go is a good idea …

Publication by the Huffington Post is a pretty big deal, so we are pleased to find Dr. Pretlow’s byline there. This piece, titled “Eating Addiction: There’s an App for That,” presents the complete rundown on the W8Loss2Go smartphone application. Boiled …

This is not just any “formerly fat” narrative. Theresa Bowick of Rochester, New York, attended the Rochester Educational Opportunity Center (where she has subsequently returned to address the graduating class). After acquiring Licensed Practical Nurse …

Mark Manson is an author greatly interested in happiness, self-knowledge, habits, relationships, and several other areas of human awareness. He invited a guest blogger with a fascinating story, Kelvin Burnett, who lost 266 pounds by “getting his mind s …

One obstacle to activism is the human tendency to become fed up. A cause can raise awareness, then reach a point of diminishing returns and even develop an emotional backlash. People get compassion fatigue. More than five years ago, Neville Rigby wrote …

“Kids Eat Right Month” is now over. KERM seems to be the invention of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), recently suspected of being an “astroturf” (as opposed to “grassroots”) group whose decisions seem to be unduly influenced by corporatio …

Research at Washington University showed that fat lab mice have in their intestines more Firmicutes, which are a type of bacteria. Thin mice have more Bacteroidetes. When both groups of mice are given the identical amount and type of food, the Firmicut …

While we can’t set these words to music, we hope Justin Williamson will take them to heart anyway. The outstandingly talented, morbidly obese youth has embarked on a path of changing his life and inspiring others to do the same. As Dr. Pretlow says, “T …

When Justin Williamson was invited to California to be a guest on TV show “The Doctors,” the big question was whether he would even be allowed to fly there from Texas. A video clip on his homepage was made on the day of his preliminary visit to the air …

World Karate Champion Johnny Linebarger is based in Tucson, where he teaches martial arts. He wants to fight childhood obesity by sharing with the world something the KoSho Karate school franchise has known about for 20 years—Pad Tag, which he calls “a …

Childhood Obesity News has often offered many suggestions for parents. There is always a certain amount of reluctance involved in doing that, because most parents do the best they can. Telling them about their mistakes feels unkind, and no one wants to …

Because all of Dr. Pretlow’s time is spent working hard on a program to guide millions of children out of the prison of obesity, he is not able to respond to every individual. A recent letter, a true cri de coeur from an English mother at her wits’ end …