Linda Bartoshuk University of Florida In the food and health sciences, the medical effects of obesity are well-documented and well-publicized. But, just as obesity may be associated with a variety of health issues, it can also bring a less well-understood effect: stigma and discrimination. In 2005, the battle against More
Understanding food behavior and the “obesity epidemic” requires accurate data on weight. This month Katherine Flegal tells us about how these data are collected and what they show. Flegal is a Distinguished Consultant at the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She More
“What product does the slogan ‘Melts in your mouth, not in your hand’ belong to?” Kelly Brownell challenged his listeners. They chuckled and shouted in unison “M&Ms.” The audience hadn’t expected a pop quiz when coming to hear Brownell’s invited address, “Changing the American Diet: Real Change Requires Real Change,” More
JULY 15, 2010: With the conquest of the cigarette hazard well in hand in the late 1990s, the attention of American health reformers turned to the next treatable threat to immortality: obesity. Though it was possible to eliminate smoking, even the most passionate reformers recognized that it would not be More
The opening to Kelly D. Brownell’s recently published essay “Overfeeding the Future.” In its peak year, the primary U.S. government nutrition education program (called 5 a Day) was given $3 million for promotion. The food industry spends 1000 times that much just to advertise fast foods, just to children. The More
America is tipping the scales, and psychologists disagree on whether the government or individuals should be responsible for a more balanced diet. But one thing’s for certain: There’s no time to lose. Psychological scientists are wading into the thick of a food fight over the super-sizing of America – from More
