The increasingly convoluted relationship of appetite and obesity has recently been suggested by Lowe and Butyrn (2007) to be partially mediated by a mechanism referred to as “hedonic hunger,” or the craving for foods in the absence of energy needs. As gastric bypass surgery results in several neurobiological changes that may impact hedonic hunger, data in this population as well as obese subjects who have not undergone the surgery were collected in a recent study by Schultes, Ernst, Wilms, Thurnheer, Read more [...]

I've been following David Ludwig's commentaries in JAMA with interest lately; some of recent that I especially enjoyed: Extra Calories Cause Weight Gain—But How Much? (with Maritjn Katan) Front-of-Package Food Labels: Public Health or Propaganda? (with Marion Nestle) Dietary Guidelines in the 21st Century-a Time for Food (with Dariush Mozaffarian) - my favorite, which I blogged about here. Technology, Diet, and the Burden of Chronic Disease So I was excited to see on Tuesday that another Read more [...]

We know by now that an increase in calorie consumption since the 1970s by about 500 Calories per day for Americans is primarily fueling obesity.  Physical activity decline at the population level is a lesser contributor (and it is contentious if the 'decline' is significant).  For references, see those from Yoni's presentation in this post.  What is lesser known at this point is why people are eating more- what factors have the most influence on how much we eat per day?  There are many theories, Read more [...]

On May 12 Drs. Yoni Freedhoff and Robert Ross held a debate on what should be the primary focus for obesity treatment: diet (Yoni) or exercise (Robert).  It seemed to me that the talks principally focused on what the primary cause of the obesity epidemic is by Yoni, and how exercise works in controlled environments and the benefits of exercise on co-morbidities by Ross.  Both of course recognize the importance of both for health and weight (especially maintenance as emphasized by Yoni), but that Read more [...]