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Oprah Through the Years, Part 6

Pat Hartman January 2, 2025 No Comments

Oprah Winfrey’s drug of choice is reportedly the humble potato chip, or rather, plenty of potato chips — an obsession that is all too easily, understandably, and regretfully shared. At one point, she confessed to having been “controlled by potatoes for 40 years.”

Now, we have just finished up a year during which the star appeared in headlines because of admitting that she used a popular weight-loss drug. Many of her fans felt somehow betrayed, while others experienced relief, as if their mentor had personally given them permission to do the same. Oprah had previously spoken to the press about a realization she came to when moderating a panel about weight.

Calling it an “aha moment,” she said,

I realized I’d been blaming myself all these years for being overweight, and I have a predisposition that no amount of willpower is going to control. Obesity is a disease. It’s not about willpower — it’s about the brain.

For NPR, Vanessa Romo reported that Ms. Winfrey intended to elevate the conversation, advocate for health equity, and work to reduce stigma. In particular, her intention was to be finished with shame, whether flung by others or self-inflicted. She was done with five oppressive decades of “feeling like, ‘Why can’t I just conquer this thing?’, believing willpower was my failing.”

She also said,

All these years, I thought all of the people who never had to diet were just using their willpower, and they were for some reason stronger than me. And now I realize: y’all weren’t even thinking about the food! It’s not that you had the willpower; you weren’t obsessing about it!… I’m not constantly thinking about what the next meal is going to be.

Oprah was referring to the well-known effect achieved by the GLP-1 drugs, of silencing the “food noise” that constantly besieges the brain of a person who tries to cut calories. Of course, it should have been bountifully obvious already that no one who didn’t have a ton of willpower could have chalked up so many First, Best, Most and Only citations.

You heard it here

This blog has mentioned the 2003 TV broadcast during which Oprah gave a Porsche to a man who had lost more than 300 pounds. In a later interview, she explained why that was, for her, such a power moment — because “I know what it takes to lose that much weight… What he did was incredible.”

Years later, her life coach Bob Greene talked to a journalist about Oprah’s accomplishment in being on the cover of Shape magazine, despite her naturally slow metabolism. “She can look at food and put on weight… I know how hard she needs to work. It’s harder than (it is for) 99 percent of the people.”

Regarding the ability to feel this much empathy and share the same quality of awareness, it might lead to a question like, “Who learned what from whom?” To have an alert and untiring pupil is a boon for the specialist in any field. The student’s questions are the opportunity to spell out things that perhaps the expert takes for granted, but which are nowhere near obvious to the novice. It presents an opportunity for the expert to refine the thought and discover exactly how a precept can best be articulated. The teacher also learns.

For a large part of their time together, Greene spent 10 months of each year with Oprah, considering himself to be “on call” pretty much always. To be available for psychological support can be very useful to the counselor as well as the subject. With every out-of-hours request for a listening ear, the helper gets to hear what is going on, from the patient’s perspective, in real time, before there is a chance to edit, embroider, or re-consider. Really, what more could an ever-curious professional ask?

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “After nearly a decade, Oprah Winfrey is set to depart the board of WeightWatchers,” NPR, 3/1/24
Source: “Oprah Winfrey reveals she starved herself ‘for nearly five months’ in ABC weight loss special,” USA TODAY, 3/18/24
Source: “Oprah Winfrey says she has released the shame of being ‘ridiculed’ for her weight for 25 years,” ABC News, 3/19/24
Source: “It’s Not Who You Know… It’s Who You Train,” Chicago Tribune, 8/19/21
Image by Edgar Zuniga Jr./Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic

Oprah Through the Years, Part 5

Pat Hartman December 31, 2024 No Comments

It should be mentioned that the historical notes are not here to boost the ego of a lady who is already about as revered as any human being ever has been. No, the purpose of recalling events is to lay a basis for meaningful questions about what was going on during different stages of an exceptionally well-documented life.

If research means anything at all, it means gathering a ton of facts. Granted: While reporting on one of the most recognizable humans on the planet can generate falsehoods, it also provides a certain amount of hard evidence. The mere awareness of the subject’s life circumstances at any given time can help us ordinary folk to pinpoint the circumstances in our lives that exacerbate or alleviate our personal struggles.

The short answer is, this is someone who managed to lose plenty of weight, and we know a lot about her. And not least, Oprah seems to be an exceptionally self-aware person and a reliable narrator. It is totally possible that she might have something to say that proves to be at least as useful as what a member of our therapy group might offer. It might do us some good to know what decisions Oprah came to, and why, and what resulted.

Sometimes connections are difficult to make because observers and theorists, amateurs and experts, use different vocabularies to describe the concepts that excite them, and sometimes those concepts don’t translate between disciplines. Much transpires beneath the surface. The previous post mentioned a few of the “Mosts” that Oprah Winfrey has accomplished throughout her stunning career, and this one looks at some of her “Firsts” and “Onlies.”

Firsts

In 1975, as a college sophomore, Oprah became the first and youngest African American woman to anchor a show at WTVF in Nashville. In 1988, she became the first woman ever to own and produce her own TV talk show, and the youngest person (and only the fifth woman) to be named “Broadcaster of the Year” by the International Radio and Television Society.

In 2002, at the Emmy Awards, she was the very first recipient of the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award. The following year, with a net worth of around $1 billion, she showed up as the first African-American woman on the Forbes “World’s Richest People” list. By 2003, she was America’s first Black American woman billionaire.

In 2018, she was the first Black woman recipient of the Golden Globe’s Cecil B. DeMille Award, which is given to “a talented individual for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.” This next mention is not quite a first, but Oprah was only the third woman in American entertainment (after Mary Pickford and Lucille Ball) to own her own studio.

Onlies, Others, and Philanthropy

According to the Harpo Inc. site,

Five presidents, five first ladies, one reigning queen, one former queen, six princesses, seven princes, one earl, one lord, one count and one duchess have graced The Oprah Winfrey Show stage…

… Which frankly sounds like a probably unmatched record. In another field, Oprah is almost certainly the only individual to have founded a school in Africa that educates 152 students. She has reportedly poured at least $40 million into The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. Here at home, in 1993, she…

[…] initiated The National Child Protection Act and testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to establish a national database of all convicted child abusers. On December 20, 1993, President Clinton signed into law the Oprah Bill.

The cover of O Magazine was relinquished to someone else only one time, when a portrait of Breonna Taylor by digital artist Alexis Franklin appeared in the September 2020 issue. Oprah wrote:

What I know for sure: We can’t be silent. We have to use whatever megaphone we have to cry for justice.

And that is why Breonna Taylor is on the cover of O magazine. I cry for justice in her name.

In 1985, for her portrayal of Sofia in The Color Purple, Oprah was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1996, she received the George Foster Peabody Individual Achievement Award, which is as prestigious as a broadcasting award gets. In 1999, there was the Emmy lifetime achievement award, and in 2011, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences “Chairman’s Crystal Pillar Award” for her overall television career that had spanned decades.

In 2013, Oprah Winfrey was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 2016, she won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical for “The Color Purple.” Ten years later, a painting of her was installed in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. The following December, Forbes certified her as the world’s 14th most wealthy self-made woman.

In the general category of philanthropy, Oprah, often named one of the world’s most generous celebrities, has an outstanding record. There have been indirect moves, like ceasing to submit her TV show for Emmy awards except in the technical categories. This was done as a generous gesture to help others achieve the recognition they deserve.

In 1997 she started the charitable foundation, Oprah’s Angel Network. She has donated over $400 million to charity and has been called “probably the most significant humanitarian in the history of television.”

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Source: “Harpo Inc.,” Company-Histories.com, undated
Source: “10 Longest Running Talk Shows on US Television,” WondersList.com, undated
Source: “Why Oprah Gave Up Her Cover for the First Time Ever to Honor Breonna Taylor.,” OprahDaily.com, 07/30/20
Image by Paul Sableman/Attribution 2.0 Generic

Oprah Through the Years — Part 4

Pat Hartman December 27, 2024 No Comments

In keeping with the holiday spirit, a pause would be appropriate during which to recall some of Oprah Winfrey’s Firsts, Mosts, Onlies, and other remarkable achievements, and this is by no means a complete list. We are looking at, let’s face it, a very unusual situation.

Aside from being female and Black, which are both disadvantages in some situations, and perceived as disadvantages in others, there is an aspect which almost always disqualifies a person from any sort of public acclaim: size. For most of her long and spectacular career, Oprah has been (depending on who makes the call) thick, chunky, fat, overweight, or obese — and yet, adored.

About this larger-than-life show-business personality, for whom the term “influencer” was seemingly invented, many things have been said. The main information trove for this series of posts is Harpo Inc., and other sources are also noted.

Mosts

In 1984 the TV show A.M. Chicago was in last place among local talk shows, until Oprah Winfrey began hosting, and within weeks it rose to the top of the rankings.

After its 1986 inception, The Oprah Winfrey Show took only a year to become the top syndicated talk show in the country. During its lifespan it consistently appeared at or near the top of various polls, like Best Daytime Talk Shows, Best 1980s Talk Shows, and so forth. By the turn of the century, it could be seen in around 140 countries. At its height, the show’s viewership was said to be 48 million in the U.S. alone. Over its lifetime, approximately 1.3 million people participated as live audience members.

At the 2004 People’s Choice Awards, Oprah was awarded the title of “Favorite Talk Show Host;” and somewhere along the way, became a first-name celebrity, not just in her native land but around the globe. In 2018, the National Museum of African American History and Culture engaged the public with an exhibit demonstrating how Oprah influenced the culture through TV.

Also, Apple announced an Apple TV partnership. A press release said,

The Oprah Conversation debuted on July 30, 2020, with Winfrey “[continuing] to explore impactful and relevant topics with fascinating thought leaders from all over the world…”

When after 25 years The Oprah Winfrey Show ceased, it had become the nation’s longest-running daytime talk show, and maybe even the number one talk show, period. It has even been called the highest-rated talk show in history. It won 47 Emmy Awards, and the 1993 interview with Michael Jackson was the most-watched interview in TV history (90 million viewers) and the fourth highest-rated television program of all time. After 4,561 episodes, Oprah was firmly entrenched in America’s brain. In 1996, TIME magazine designated her as one of America’s 25 most influential people.

Mental Floss says,

The show didn’t enter into licensing deals or paid endorsements, even though she had plenty of companies banging at her door to become one of her “Favorite Things” or to see their latest releases as part of her Book Club. But Winfrey’s recommendations were all her own.

Of course, this multi-talented, infinitely compelling woman had other projects underway. In 1997, Newsweek named Oprah Winfrey “Most Important Person” in the books and media category. She was selected as TV Guide’s “Television Performer of the Year,” and also was given a People’s Choice Award for “Favorite Television Performer.”

In this century’s first decade, Oprah was being called the “Queen of All Media,” though the origin of the nickname is obscure. From the moment she was first named “the most influential woman in America,” that assertion would have been hard to disprove.

She and personal trainer Bob Greene co-wrote a health guide, and sold the rights in 2005 for an amount that was rumored to be the world’s highest-ever book advance fee. Generally acknowledged as one of the most powerful and wealthy show business figures, by 2007 she was known in some quarters as the most influential woman in the world.

The current Forbes.com list of the world’s most powerful women places Oprah at #33, in a field of 100. (She is, incidentally, one of the oldest.) Along the way, she has often made another Forbes roster, that of the highest-paid entertainers.

(To be continued…)

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Harpo Inc.,” Company-Histories.com, undated
Source: “15 Chatty Facts About The Oprah Winfrey Show,” MentalFloss.com, 09/08/16
Source: “Smithsonian’s ‘Watching Oprah’ a powerful reminder of why we miss her,” ChicagoTribune.com, 07/20/18
Source: “Oprah Winfrey launching new show on Apple TV+,” CNN.com, 07/28/20
Source: “15 Most Popular Daytime Talk Shows Ranked,” ScreenRant.com, 07/15/24
Source: “Oprah Winfrey Biography,” IMBD.com, undated
Source: “The World’s Most Powerful Women,” Forbes.com, 12/11/24
Image by spablab/Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic

December Holidays Generate Half the Yearly Weight Gain

Tatyana Meshcheryakova December 27, 2024 No Comments

With the holiday season in full swing, let’s bring our attention to a study that specifically addresses how to handle the issue of overeating during the festive season that’s typically laden with rich foods, food-centric gatherings, tempting sugar bombs, and not necessarily focusing on healthy eating.

A recent systematic review and meta-analysis published in Obesity Reviews, highlighted and analyzed in a recent Medscape article, suggests that interventions during holidays and school breaks could help prevent weight gain in both children and adults. Research indicates that certain times of the year, including Christmas and summer vacations, are particularly linked to weight gain. For adults, nearly 50% of their annual weight gain happens during December.

Study overview

The study was led by Dr. Michelle Maree Haby de Sosa, an epidemiologist at the University of Sonora, Mexico. She explained that the research team first conducted a narrative review of weight gain during the holiday season. They found that the six-week period between December and mid-January is a critical time when people gain up to half of their annual weight. This finding emphasizes the importance of addressing obesity and overweight through lifestyle changes and prevention efforts.

The research team then performed a systematic review of global interventions aimed at preventing weight gain during these periods. They searched multiple databases, including Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane, and focused on randomized controlled trials. Additional data were also gathered from gray literature and studies not included in the original search.

Key findings

The review covered studies from the United States (10), the United Kingdom (1), and Chile (1). The studies varied in their risk of bias, with two showing low risk, two moderate, seven high, and one critical. Most interventions targeted children and adults, and interventions for adolescents were particularly challenging due to the difficulty in changing behaviors at this age.

In children, interventions implemented during summer vacations (lasting 6-8 weeks) included physical activities, nutrition classes, and the provision of healthy meals. These programs resulted in slightly less weight gain compared to control groups. One meta-analysis of four studies found a small but significant reduction in body mass index (BMI) z-scores in the intervention group.

Among adults, interventions also showed positive effects, though results varied based on how the programs were carried out. A meta-analysis of five studies involving 462 participants indicated a slight reduction in body weight, although the result was not statistically significant.

Three main intervention areas were identified: nutrition, physical activity, and psychological support, including behavioral and cognitive strategies. Rather than strict diets, participants were encouraged to reduce their intake of high-calorie foods and sugary drinks and to increase vegetable consumption.

Promising interventions

The study highlighted effective interventions for both children and adults:

For children, 6- to 8-week summer camps with daily physical activities and nutritious meals proved effective.
For adults, daily weight monitoring, along with nutrition counseling based on social cognitive theory, also showed promise, especially during the critical holiday period between mid-November and early January.

Expert recommendations

Dr. Carlos Cristi-Montero, a researcher at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso in Chile, emphasized the importance of portion control for children, particularly during the holidays when families often serve calorie-dense foods. He also recommended using tools like dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to assess not just weight, but also fat and muscle mass.

Cristi-Montero also stressed the importance of physical activity and the need for education on healthy eating and weight management. Both he and Dr. Haby de Sosa agreed that teachers, parents, and primary care professionals have a crucial role in reinforcing healthy behaviors and driving effective interventions.

Future research

The University of Sonora team is currently conducting a controlled trial in Hermosillo, Mexico, focusing on adult participants. Early results highlight the effectiveness of strategies such as nutrition education, physical activity, regular weight goals, and psychological support in promoting long-term behavior changes.

The study’s authors concluded that interventions to prevent weight gain during the holidays and school breaks are crucial, and they call for more research to assess their effectiveness in different regions.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Strategies to Manage Metabolic Health During the Holidays,” Medscape, 12/19/24
Source: “Interventions for the prevention of weight gain during festive and holiday periods in children and adults: A systematic review,” Wiley Online Library, 9/14/24
Image by Adrian Vieriu/Pexels

Oprah Through the Years, Part 3

Pat Hartman December 24, 2024 No Comments

Harpo Productions Inc. began in 1986, and much of what will follow here comes from the Harpo Inc. website. In the same year, The Oprah Winfrey Show won three Emmy Awards. Ten years later, Oprah’s Book Club was formed, and astute readers purchased millions of books on her recommendation. The turn of the century marked the premier of O, The Oprah Magazine, which was published for 20 years. In 2007 the star was troubled by medical problems including confusing diagnoses first of hyperthyroidism, then of hypothyroidism.

In 2009, an episode of the TV show consisted of a hardcore intervention session for 16 obese teenagers led by medical professionals and counselors, and it brought a lot of attention to an under-recognized problem. Having already learned many things from the fitness guru Bob Greene, Oprah remarked about the adolescent guests, “How they got here goes way beyond junk food.”

Focus on the young

Before too long, another episode featured formerly obese young people, their parents, and grownup experts who spoke, complete with animated graphics, about the difference between gastric bypass and Lap-Band® surgery. A friend of the show Dr. Oz opined that the great majority of obese people eat to satisfy emotional need, and the huge advantage they have over other types of addicts is the legality of their preferred substance.

Eating is a socially acceptable addiction, and he is absolutely correct about that. One thing we know for sure about the earliest humans is that they shared food. Social eating has always been acceptable, since forever, in every dwelling place of humankind.

Dr. Diana Farmer, very wary of potential long-term problems, expressed reluctance about letting adults influence a child’s surgical fate. One of the dangers of bariatric surgery is the tendency of post-op patients to find other substances or processes to replace their food addiction. Some will instead take up drinking, which is especially dangerous because their drastically re-engineered interiors now respond to alcohol differently from how other people’s organs deal with it.

There is some speculation that bariatric surgery makes it impossible to cheat by routinely consuming too much. But that isn’t true, because a patient who is dedicated to self-destruction can easily eat their way over, under, around, and through what the doctors did, and mess themselves up big time.

And what about the star?

In his book Oprah Winfrey: The Real Story, CBS journalist-turned-biographer George Mair mentioned his subject’s several romantic disappointments, like a very sad parting in the early 1970s. Then in New York, there was a long affair with a married man over which, in 1981, she seriously considered ending her life, and to which she later attributed much of the blame for her weight problem.

Speaking of other loves, she referred to herself as having been addicted to various men. But at the base of that was an insatiable need for approval, because she really did not approve of herself, and wearing a layer of fat helped to “cushion herself against the world’s disapproval.”

How long has Oprah Winfrey been talking to the public about her weight, and the endless conflict caused by trying to keep it under control? Fifteen years ago, she observed that while her TV show and magazine were all about showing people how to live their best lives, her own behavior was far from exemplary. Here are two quotations from that era and one from 2010:

I was talking the talk, but I wasn’t walking the walk. And that was very disappointing to me.

I don’t have a weight problem — I have a self-care problem that manifests through weight.

My drug of choice is food. I use food for the same reasons an addict uses drugs: to comfort, to soothe, to ease stress.

There she was, one of the wealthiest women on earth, able to afford quality groceries, a personal trainer, spa retreats, a home gym, and virtually anything else that might help the slimming process — and her best efforts led to dismal failure. Having previously been able to get down to 160 pounds, she was unpleasantly surprised when one day the scale read 200. That kind of joke, no one has the sense of humor to handle.

In 2011, The Oprah Winfrey Show ended, and right around the same time, something pretty terrific happened — the publication of Bob Greene’s book, The Life You Want: Get Motivated, Lose Weight, and Be Happy. It wasn’t the first Oprah-related book that someone who worked for her had published. In 1994, there had been “In the Kitchen With Rosie: Oprah’s Favorite Recipes,” by Winfrey’s former chef, Rosie Daley.

Greene had always been wary of attributing too much importance to food, because “Weight is a symptom of something that needs to change. It’s usually not simply about food.” He formulated three questions that a person needs to answer if the weight-loss commitment is sincere:

1. Why are you overweight?
2. Why do you want to lose weight?
3. Why haven’t you been successful?

It is necessary to identify the life circumstance that needs change, and the answer is highly individual. And, what if the answer is “I want a divorce” or something equally incendiary? Ideally, a person wants a better life, but defining that is an art form in itself. Also, it is necessary to name the factors that led to failure in the past, because they will certainly recur unless and until the person just figures out how to come at it in a different way.

All of which helps to explain why Oprah said of Bob Greene, “This guy has changed my life — affected my life — more than any other person on the planet.”

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Harpo Inc.,” Company-Histories.com, undated
Source: “On abandoning “fattertainment”: Why the way we talk about childhood obesity matters,” Salon.com, 03/22/24
Source: “Oprah Winfrey: The Real Story,” by George Mair, 1996
Image by Richie Diesterheft/Attribution 2.0 Generic

Is the U.S. Obesity Epidemic Finally Turning a Corner?

Tatyana Meshcheryakova December 20, 2024 No Comments

For the first time in more than a decade, there’s a glimmer of hope in the battle against obesity in the United States. According to a recent study published in the JAMA Health Forum, obesity rates in the U.S. have shown a slight but meaningful decline. After years of relentless increases, the percentage of American adults considered obese dropped from 46% in 2022 to 45.6% in 2023 — a small but significant dip that offers a new sense of optimism about the country’s ongoing struggle with obesity.

The study’s findings

For ABC News, Niki Iranpour, M.D., who is an internal medicine resident at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit, took a look at the study’s findings and implications.

The study, which tracked the body mass index (BMI) of 16.7 million U.S. adults over a 10-year period, revealed an important milestone. After a decade of rising obesity rates, the average BMI, which reached 30.24 in 2022, plateaued and then slightly decreased to 30.21 in 2023. For many public health experts, this marks the first real sign that the alarming trend of rising obesity may be reversing.

John Brownstein, the study’s co-author, and a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, expressed cautious optimism about the findings. He said:

What we’re seeing for the first time is that curve is bending and shows a sign of hope for something that was really a threat to American public health for so many years.

While the drop is small, it’s still a hopeful shift in a battle that has been fought for decades. Since the early 2000s, the obesity rate in the U.S. has steadily climbed, contributing to a host of health issues including diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers. A decline, even a modest one, suggests that something — perhaps multiple factors — is finally starting to make a difference.

The role of semaglutide and GLP-1 medications

While they’re still being evaluated for safety, especially for children, one factor that may be contributing to this positive change is the increasing use of weight loss medications, particularly semaglutide. Semaglutide, the active ingredient in the medications Ozempic and Wegovy, belongs to a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. Originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, these drugs have been shown to significantly aid in weight loss, making them a game-changer for people struggling with obesity.

Between 2019 and 2023, the use of GLP-1 medications for weight loss increased by a staggering 700%, according to one study published in Annals of Internal Medicine. These drugs work by mimicking a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar and appetite, leading to reduced hunger and weight loss. Given their growing popularity and effectiveness, many experts believe that the widespread use of semaglutide may be helping to turn the tide on the obesity epidemic.

Brownstein and his team pointed out that regions in the U.S. where these medications have been dispensed most — particularly in the South — saw some of the most significant declines in obesity. The South also happens to be a region where obesity rates have historically been high, and the use of weight loss medications is rapidly growing.

Other factors at play

While semaglutide and other GLP-1 medications likely play a key role in the decline, experts caution that there are likely other contributing factors as well. For one, the pandemic had a profound impact on lifestyle habits, and as people returned to more normal routines after the height of COVID-19, some may have become more active and healthier.

Benjamin Rader, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and a co-author of the study, suggested that the emergence from pandemic isolation could be influencing this trend. He said:

People are potentially starting to be more active again, stopping the sedentary habits they picked up during COVID… This shift toward more physical activity, combined with a greater awareness of the risks of obesity, may be encouraging healthier choices.

Additionally, the South’s high obesity rate and increased use of weight loss medications were also accompanied by a disproportionately high number of COVID-19 deaths among people with obesity. This tragic impact could have prompted more individuals to seek medical intervention, including weight loss treatments, as a way to manage their health.

A long road ahead

While the findings of this study are encouraging, experts warn against jumping to conclusions. Anne Peters, M.D., a professor at the Keck School of Medicine, emphasized that it’s still too early to determine whether this slight decline in obesity rates will persist in the long term. She told ABC News:

We need to look at this as a positive indicator in a specific database… That may mean that people are doing better and that including therapies [is] helpful, but we need to see how that plays out over time.

Will the trend continue?

As we move into 2025 and beyond, all eyes will be on the U.S. obesity rates to see if this downward trend continues. The increased availability of medications like semaglutide, combined with a renewed focus on physical activity and healthier lifestyles post-pandemic, offers a glimmer of hope that the U.S. may finally be on the road to reversing its obesity epidemic.

For now, the slight decline in obesity rates is a reason to celebrate — but also a reminder that the journey toward healthier habits and improved public health is a long one. The real question is whether this momentary dip will continue into the future or whether the country will face new challenges ahead in the fight against obesity.

Only time will tell.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “US obesity rates drop for 1st time in a decade, with possible help from weight loss medications,” ABC News, 12/13/24
Source: “Changes in Adult Obesity Trends in the US,” JAMA Network, 12/13/24
Image by Ketut Subiyanto/Pexels

Oprah Through the Years, Part 2

Pat Hartman December 19, 2024 No Comments

As a young woman, Oprah scored a great media job as a local news show co-anchor, but to witness the tragedies of people’s lives every day was emotionally demanding, and in terms of job satisfaction the experience wasn’t the greatest, either. Consequently, she learned how easy it is to bury problems under a ton of food.

By 1986, with her own national TV show, she had the opportunity to meet quite a number of relatives, many who whom had fallen on hard times. There was a basic desire to help family members, as well as a need to ask many hard questions in the process, and the conflict between those conditions was an emotional stumbling block. Then, there was guilt for feeling bad, which must be a sign of ingratitude. Shouldn’t her fabulous luck and newly won fame be enough to vanquish all anxiety?

In 1988 came the “biggest, fattest mistake” of Oprah’s public life so far. It was all part of creating 200 TV episodes per year, throughout several years of 16-hour workdays, and diet efforts that didn’t stick. And then at her heaviest, over 230 pounds, she met personal trainer and exercise physiologist Bob Greene, the person who taught her that while eating was a band-aid that could cover up any wound, it did not have to be the guiding force in her life.

“The answer to my prayers”

Greene didn’t judge; he didn’t label. Pointing out that the fabulously successful Oprah, of all the people in the world, was uniquely positioned to have the life she wanted, he asked the right questions:

Why don’t you do it? What do you really want? What is the best life possible for you?

She got down to seriously working out, and paying attention to her food intake, but focused most keenly on those life questions that concerned both her outer manifestation in the world and her inner relationship with herself:

You cannot ever live the life of your dreams without coming face-to-face with the truth. Every unwanted pound creates another layer of lies. It’s only when you peel back those layers that you will be set free… Tell the truth and you’ll learn to stop eating to satisfy emotional hunger and to stop burying your hopes and dreams beneath layers of fat.

Perhaps because Oprah never thought solely of herself, things only got better. In 2003 she described what had been one of the most satisfying experiences of her career, dealing with a show guest named David Caruso, who had lost over 300 pounds. He had always wanted to be able to sit behind the wheel of a Porsche automobile — so she gave him one, and later commented,

One of the reasons that moment was so powerful is that I know what it takes to lose that much weight. Do you know how many carrot sticks you have to eat? What he did was incredible.

By 2005, Oprah was down to a “toned 160 pounds.” In 1996, she and Greene had published a co-authored book, Make the Connection, and in 2007 they collaborated on Greene’s “Best Life Weight Loss Challenge” TV show, bringing six contestants to public attention. The doctors almost disqualified one man because he was in such terrible shape, but he ended up losing 71 pounds — more than any other participant — and no longer needed pharmaceutical intervention to maintain his health.

By 2008, Oprah’s weight had bounced back up again, and the medical profession was confused. She was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, and then with hypothyroidism, and the whole situation was really starting to get to her, causing emotions that included anger. The fat had won.

There may be people incapable of embarrassment, but Oprah is not among them. Being such a highly visible public figure, she had to try on clothes in front of a whole team, and spent the year as “one of the most visible people in the world, trying not to be seen on the cover of my own magazine.” She felt defeated but still, deeply influenced by Greene’s teachings, realized that it wasn’t about the food:

It’s about using food — abusing food… Too much work. Not enough play. Not enough time to come down. Not enough time to really relax… I am hungry for balance. I’m hungry to do something other than work.

(To be continued…)

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “When Oprah Met Bob,” Oprah.com, January 2007
Source: “Oprah’s Top 20 Moments,” Oprah.com, undated
Source: “The Final Weigh-In,” Oprah.com, 11/28/07
Source: “Oprah’s Weight Loss Confession,” Oprah.com, 01/05/09
Image: Make the Connection/Fair Use

Oprah Through the Years, Part 1

Pat Hartman December 18, 2024 No Comments

The entire world is familiar with Oprah Gail Winfrey’s early biography. Born in the deep South; constantly shuttled from one relative to another; abused, molested, and impregnated as a child; a bereaved mother herself at age 14…

This all seems like the standard first chapter in a sordid tale of ruin. But no. Somehow, this extraordinary woman became a media professional before age 20, won awards for both her beauty and her brains, and went on to earn for herself a long list of descriptors that included the word “first” or the word “only.”

In 1986, she was nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her performance in the role of Sofia in The Color Purple. The press mentioned her hefty figure as often as her multiple talents. In the mid-eighties, her weight often topped 200 pounds, and TV fans adored her.

The Oprah Winfrey Show, which had begun as a tabloid-type production, evolved into a venue for more serious topics. Some criticized the host for giving a platform to medical professionals with less-than-stellar credentials, while others admired her taste in literature. In any case, she became a trendsetter of unrivaled influence.

The big oops

In 1988, after existing for four months on a liquid protein diet and losing 67 pounds, Oprah acquired the equivalent number of pounds of animal fat and loaded it on a little red wagon. Wearing size 10 designer jeans and a form-fitting top, she pulled the wagon out onto the stage to graphically illustrate just how much of her former self no longer existed. The jeans were legit — her own pair that had actually been worn back in her Baltimore show-biz days.

It was an audacious stunt, but one that she later came to regret. In a 2005 interview, the star admitted, “Two hours after that show, I started eating to celebrate. Of course, within two days those jeans no longer fit!”

The episode was incredibly popular with audiences everywhere, but a few months later, Oprah had to admit that she had regained almost 20 of those pounds, and as time passed, the situation became much worse.

Years later, in a 2005 interview, she acknowledged what an embarrassing gaffe the stunt had been — “my biggest, fattest mistake.” Fat had become her trademark, a combination of a curse and a blessing. On the plus side, she was doing what she has always done best — looking after other people. She recalled the red wagon fiasco, using the ineradicable memory to grab attention for her current charity fundraising:

Winfrey has released a six-disc DVD collection of her biggest moments and interviews during the past 20 years of her show, with net profits going to Oprah’s Angel Network, a charitable foundation dedicated to helping educate and advance women and children around the world.

The more things change, the more they stay the same

Weight remained both a personal and a public issue. Many fans unburdened themselves by writing to Oprah, including a trio of young girls who appeared on the show along with their mothers, these live appearances presented along with candid films of moments in their daily lives.

According to the written description of the episode,

The children and their mothers address the emotional roadblocks that contribute to childhood obesity. By providing solutions, rather than showcasing problems, the show hopes to use the power of broadcasting in a positive manner.

Overall, a useful service was being performed. Audiences were being enlightened and delighted. Thanks to Oprah Winfrey, millions of Americans were learning things about which they might never have become aware, including the fact that a woman can be intelligent, talented, philanthropic, beautiful, successful, and overweight — all at the same time. Meanwhile, fate had something wonderful in store for the star.

(To be continued…)

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “The Stars of The Color Purple, Past and Present,” OprahDaily.com, 12/15/23
Source: “Oprah’s ‘Fattest’ Mistake,” CBSNews.com, 11/16/05
Source: “Oprah’s Top 20 Moments,” Oprah.com, October 2005
Source: “Oprah Winfrey laments her ‘biggest mistake,’” TODAY.com, 11/15/05
Source: “On abandoning ‘fattertainment’: Why the way we talk about childhood obesity matters,” Salon.com, 03/22/24
Image by get everwise/Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

A Probiotic, and a GLP-1 Non-Substitute

Pat Hartman December 12, 2024 No Comments

For months, we have been hearing claims concerning the importance of GLP-1 and the expensive process of injecting a substance that acts like it into the body. Meanwhile, some researchers work on ways to induce the body to make more of its own hormone, right inside the gut microbiome, where it does the most good. The concept is to get in there where food cravings originate and stop them in their tracks.

According to an illustrated explanation, here is what happens. In the distal colon, beneficial bacteria go to work on fiber and metabolize it into butyrate, acetate, and propionate, meanwhile secreting P9 and other essential proteins, and stimulating mucin rejuvenation. All this activity in turn stimulates the production of GLP-1, which tells the pancreas to make insulin, which then alerts the brain to deactivate the mouth from eating, and instructs the stomach to hold onto its contents and not empty so fast. Et voilà! Food cravings are vanquished!

Now, this is based on preclinical studies, a phrase which often translates as, “Come back in a year, when we have solid results.” But the makers of this “powerful, multi-strain probiotic” sound very sure of themselves. The whole secret to their product or, to be fair, any similar products that might come along, is to encourage the thriving of the very best, most helpful and efficient strains of gut bacteria — in this case, a strain called Akkermansia and another known as Clostridium butyricum.

Here is the paragraph that catches the reader’s attention and encourages the eternal springing of hope:

Gut bacteria can significantly impact weight, independent of genes. Transplanting the microbiome from an obese twin drives obesity. Conversely, transplanting the microbiome from a healthy twin drives weight loss.

Moving on… A previous post took a deep dive into berberine, which turns out to not be everything that some folks say it is. The longer the subject is pursued, the more it seems that debunking berberine has become a minor industry. Yes, the substance appears to lower fasting blood sugar levels, and even to reduce BMI in some cases. And it does seem to encourage beneficial gut bacteria while suppressing the harmful kind.

On the other hand, it also produces unpleasant side effects like nausea, constipation, and diarrhea, just like the expensive injectables. Also, the list of people who should avoid it altogether includes “children and adolescents, pregnant and breastfeeding women, diabetic individuals and individuals with liver or heart disorders…” — so there’s that. On the third hand, unlike the GLP-1 RA drugs, berberine has not been observed to cause mental health issues, which would be a definite plus, if only it actually did a useful job.

In France, the agency that looks into food, environmental and occupational health, and safety, is called ANSES, and it…

[…] draws the attention of healthcare professionals to berberine’s ability to interact with numerous drugs, which could compromise the efficacy of certain treatments… [C]onsuming berberine-containing food supplements in combination with a drug treatment can inhibit its effects or lead to adverse effects… [T]he safety of use of these food supplements cannot currently be guaranteed.

Via a website in the business of selling a brand of semaglutide that costs only a fraction of what Ozempic does, Dr. Melissa VanSickle says this of berberine:

A significant challenge is its poor bioavailability; only a small portion is absorbed into the bloodstream when taken orally… Human clinical trials are few and often lack robustness. Some studies indicate that Berberine can lower blood sugar and improve cholesterol in type 2 diabetes patients, but these results are not definitive enough to recommend it as a standalone treatment.

A McGill University article comes right out and uses the H-word in the title: “Berberine. Don’t swallow the hype. Or the pill.“:

Berberine may indeed be “natural,” not that this has any relevance… Berberine has nothing to do with GLP-1.

The piece scoffs at the barely relevant studies found in “low-impact journals” with wildly varying dosages or the inclusion of other substances; or which have not tested the substance in subjects whose only problem was extra weight. Via another source, Dr. Lisa Kroon, who holds a very high academic position, confirmed:

It’s absolutely not nature’s Ozempic and does not work like Ozempic… It is a completely different mechanism… I think people are just grasping here and manufacturers of these supplements are just kind of creating a hype to try to be appealing for people looking for a magic potion to help them lose weight.

So. Definitely not a substitute for the GLP-1 drugs.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “The Science Behind GLP-1 Probiotic,” PendulumLife.com, undated
Source: “Use of berberine-containing plants in food supplements,” Anses.fr, 11/25/19
Source: “Berberine vs Ozempic®: Understanding the differences,” BMIDoctors.com, 01/12/24
Source: “Berberine. Don’t swallow the hype. Or the pill.,” McGill.ca, 06/22/23
Source: “Berberine Isn’t ‘Nature’s Ozempic.’ But It May Help Manage These Conditions,” VeryWellHealth.com, 06/08/23
Image by NIH Image Gallery/Attribution 2.0 Generic

Are GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Safe for Children?

Tatyana Meshcheryakova December 11, 2024 No Comments

Weight loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy are becoming increasingly popular, especially as alternatives to the traditional and often ineffective advice of “eat less and exercise more.” These drugs, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, have gained favor among adults but are also becoming more widely used by children and teenagers (here’s a good rundown on their types, benefits and side effects).

Adolescent use of GLP-1 medications surges

A recent article published on the MedicalXPress website cites a CDC statistic that roughly one in five children in the U.S. is affected by obesity. And, according to a University of [BLOCKQUOTE] study, the use of GLP-1 medications among adolescents has surged, with over 30,000 young people aged 12 to 17 taking the drugs in 2023.

Are weight loss drugs safe for children under 12?

Doctors generally agree that addressing obesity early can prevent future health problems, but prescribing weight loss drugs to children brings its own set of challenges. Dr. Chris Straughn, a pediatrician in Dallas, explains that while research indicates that GLP-1 medications can be effective and safe for children and teens, the available studies only track their effects over a few years. As these drugs are relatively new, more time is needed to fully understand their long-term impact.

Wegovy, a version of Ozempic, is FDA-approved for children as young as 12, though it has not been approved for those younger than 12. There are ongoing studies on its use in younger children, and some research on Saxenda (a precursor to Wegovy) shows it can be effective for kids aged 6 to 12. This kind of research is promising for the potential use of GLP-1s in younger patients.

The study, which included 82 participants, found that when children discontinued Saxenda, their BMI began to increase once more. This suggests that to maintain the weight-related benefits as they grow, children may need to stay on the medication. The findings were presented Tuesday at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Madrid and were also published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Dan Cooper, a pediatric researcher at UC Irvine, agrees that GLP-1 medications can be useful in certain cases, such as when a child is already developing or has developed diabetes. However, he cautions that the risk-benefit balance is less clear in other children, especially since there is limited research on the long-term effects of GLP-1 use in growing bodies. Puberty is a critical period for bone, muscle, and brain development, and Cooper warns that altering a child’s energy balance during this time could have lasting consequences.

Dr. Cooper reminds parents not to feel ashamed if their child struggles with obesity or weight-related issues. He says,

No one should feel ashamed… Obesity is often driven by biology, and it’s not something to blame yourself or your child for.

The need for alternative solutions

As obesity rates continue to rise, many people are turning to prescription medications like Ozempic for weight loss. However, these drugs come with significant side effects, accessibility challenges, and high costs, highlighting the need for alternative solutions. We’ve discussed them before, including berberine and natural supplements.

A new natural treatment emerges

Researchers at the University of South Australia have developed a new, natural, food-grade treatment for obesity that not only helps reduce weight and improve metabolic health but allegedly does so without the negative side effects commonly associated with other medications.

The new treatment, called InuMCT microcapsules, is made from a combination of plant fiber (inulin) and MCT oils derived from coconut and palm kernel oils. This formulation helps reduce inflammation and improve key metabolic markers, such as blood glucose levels.

In a 21-day study, the InuMCT microcapsules demonstrated several significant benefits:

Weight reduction: The microcapsules led to a substantial decrease in weight gain caused by a typical western diet, which is high in fats and linked to obesity.
Blood sugar control: Blood sugar levels were reduced by 15%, an important factor in managing both obesity and diabetes.
Reduced inflammation: Inflammatory markers dropped by 78%, which is crucial, as inflammation is a major contributor to obesity and related diseases.
Liver health: Liver enzyme levels decreased by up to 47%, as high liver enzymes are often associated with poor diet and obesity.
Gut health: The microcapsules improved protective gut bacteria by 8.3-fold, supporting the gut lining and helping prevent conditions like “leaky gut syndrome.”

Amin Ariaee, a Ph.D. researcher at UniSA, explains that InuMCT offers a natural solution for obesity and related metabolic conditions:

Obesity is a global epidemic with many complex health issues beyond just weight gain… It’s a state of systemic inflammation driven by complex biochemical processes, rather than just excess calories. Unfortunately, current treatments often overlook the role of the gut microbiome, focusing instead on symptoms like weight and high blood sugar. Additionally, anti-obesity drugs can harm the gut microbiome, leading to unpleasant side effects like nausea, stomach pain, and diarrhea, and potentially making long-term inflammation and weight gain worse.”

Our research is different. The InuMCT microcapsules are made from natural, food-grade ingredients that support a healthy gut microbiome, reduce inflammation, and effectively address excess weight. The results have been very promising, both in terms of weight reduction and overall metabolic health.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Are weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy safe for kids?,” MedicalXPress, 12/9/24
Source: “Obesity drug worked in children ages 6 to 12, study says, raising hopes and concerns,” StatNews.com, 9/10/24
Source: “New food-grade natural solution created for tackling obesity,” News-Meidcal.net, 12/2/24
Image by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

Oprah Through the Years, Part 6

You heard it here

Oprah Through the Years, Part 5

Firsts

Onlies, Others, and Philanthropy

Oprah Through the Years — Part 4

Mosts

December Holidays Generate Half the Yearly Weight Gain

Study overview

Key findings

Promising interventions

Expert recommendations

Future research

Oprah Through the Years, Part 3

Focus on the young

And what about the star?

Is the U.S. Obesity Epidemic Finally Turning a Corner?

The study’s findings

The role of semaglutide and GLP-1 medications

Other factors at play

A long road ahead

Will the trend continue?

Oprah Through the Years, Part 2

“The answer to my prayers”

Oprah Through the Years, Part 1

The big oops

The more things change, the more they stay the same

A Probiotic, and a GLP-1 Non-Substitute

Are GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Safe for Children?

Adolescent use of GLP-1 medications surges

Are weight loss drugs safe for children under 12?

The need for alternative solutions

A new natural treatment emerges

Profiles: Kids Struggling with Weight

The Book

About Dr. Robert A. Pretlow

Presentations

Food & Health Resources