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28 Mar 2010 23:07

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U.S.: Obese people study: They’re like drug addicts, except with food

  • Obesity may be a form of compulsive eating. Other treatments in development for other forms of compulsion, for example drug addiction, may be very useful for the treatment of obesity.
  • The Scripps Research Institute researcher Paul Kenny • Describing a study they did which showed that overweight rats reacted to food the way that drug addicts react to drugs. They found that as the rats gained weight, a dopamine receptor that signified reward went down. So, you know what this means, obese people. Start doing drugs. Replace one addiction with another. (Actually, don’t do that. That’s terrible advice. But then again, we’re not advice columnists.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Mar 2010 16:41

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Biz: Who wants to kill Ronald McDonald (well, besides obesity)?

  • The group that got Joe Camel killed now wants to kill a certain clown. Corporate Accountability International, a business watchdog group, is trying to get McDonald’s to “retire” (a.k.a. kill) their key corporate icon, due to the fact that he has so much influence on kids. They plan to release a poll suggesting this, too. McDonald’s, for their part, isn’t budging, saying he’s a huge part of the company and its charities. We think he won’t be as easy to kill as Joe Camel, kids; he’s too well-known. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Mar 2010 20:57

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U.S.: How young is too young for major weight-loss surgery, anyway?

  • I want to be able to run. I haven’t been able to run since I was 5 years old. … I just want to be normal.
  • 14-year-old Maria Caprigno • Regarding her decision to go under the knife for purposes of losing weight. Caprigno, who weighs over 400 pounds even after losing 45, says that many of her weight problems come from a mix of genes (her parents are also overweight), couch potato status, and overeating. But the gastrectomy surgery she got, which involved removing much of her stomach, is often used on people three times her age (or older). Her doctor, though, claims holding back the surgery would have been unethical. “Her BMI [body mass index], which is a measurement we use to determine how obese someone is, put her in the highest risk category,” said Dr. Evan Nadler. “Not just morbidly obese, but two categories higher than that.” Holy crap. We’re glad she got help. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Mar 2010 18:50

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Offbeat: Dear morbidly obese woman: What you’re doing isn’t honorable

Meet Donna Simpson, who’s TRYING to become the world’s fattest woman. At 12,000 calories a day, her svelte 600-pound frame should be up to 1,000 in no time flat. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 8 Comments • Permalink

14 Feb 2010 21:28

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Culture: Southwest Airlines throws off the wrong fat guy: Kevin Smith

  • Hey @SouthwestAir I’ve landed in Burbank. Don’t worry: wall of the plane was opened & I was airlifted out while Richard Simmons supervised.
  • Director Kevin Smith • Regarding a harrowing experience where he was booted from a flight because he was too fat, according to the pilot. He later got on another flight, but not before he tweeted about it to his 1.6 million followers on Twitter. The director, who helmed the upcoming Bruce Willis/Tracy Morgan awesomefest CopOut, says he’s not that fat yet. In case you’re wondering, Southwest responded, claiming they’ve had the “persons of size” policy for 25 years now. Our question: Where’s your private jet, Silent Bob? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Feb 2010 13:21

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U.S.: Fat children apparently “set” as fat kids at really early ages

  • 50% of overweight teens were overweight by 24 months of age
  • 90% of overweight teens were overweight by 5 years of age source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Feb 2010 09:53

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Politics: Michelle Obama doesn’t know Sarah Palin, and that makes us happy

  • I think it’s wonderful to have strong female voices out there, but I don’t know her.
  • Michelle Obama • Talking to Larry King last night about her new childhood obesity plan and, specifically for this quote, some lady named Sarah Palin. She doesn’t know her. Good answer. Stay out of it. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

28 Dec 2009 22:21

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Offbeat: A cheeky Santa obesity study fooled a ton of major news outlets

The best part about this story is that it’s a hilarious example of how something gets published everywhere quickly. Even better? We didn’t post it. Hooray! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Oct 2009 10:27

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U.S.: The biggest problem facing New York City’s schools: Bake sales

It’s a crisis of epic proportions. The city’s education department, in an attempt to improve the health of its students, has banned bake sales. Monsters! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Sep 2009 10:40

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U.S.: Are taxes needed on junk food to offset their effect?

  • $147 billion the estimated cost of treating and preventing obesity-related illnesses source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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