The Latest Science of Weight Loss

"Lesley Stahl reports on how obesity is misunderstood, and the struggle to get new weight loss drugs to people who need them."

Click on the link below for a 60 Minutes segment video presenting the latest research on the causes of obesity and the problems get the best treatment for such:

Promising new weight loss medication is in short supply and often not covered by insurance 

(And, then there is this typical pseudoscience.)

A Promising Legitimate Obesity Treatment

"New study in The New England Journal of Medicine finds impressive evidence that weekly semaglutide injections produce clinically significant weight loss as well as many other benefits, approaching the improvements seen with weight loss surgery. Not a definitive answer to obesity, but a very encouraging step in the right direction. Science works."

Click on the link below for more on this promising addition to legitimate treatment for clinical obesity, as well as an overview of treatment for obesity, good and bad, from a science-based perspective:

A New Medication to Combat Obesity

A Closer Look At Belly Fat

The following article presents the nuances of belly fat.

The Dangers of Belly Fat

Culture And Poor Choices

"Both tobacco use and obesity are caused, in part, by our choices. And our choices are influenced, in part, by our culture. An unhealthy lifestyle can be deeply ingrained in a culture. It's certainly much easier to smoke or make poor dietary choices when a substantial number of your friends and family are doing it."

Here are some other points to ponder.  Consider the states where tobacco use and obesity are the highest.  These same states correlate with poverty, lower education and voting for Republicans.

Regional Patterns of Tobacco Use and Obesity Correlate in the U.S.

Obesity And Cancer

"A recent report by the organization known as Cancer Research UK presents some worrisome data describing the population's lack of awareness about links between overweight status or obesity and several types of cancer."

What People Don't Know About Obesity and Cancer Will Hurt Them

Weight Loss Myths

"So what is our society doing wrong? Clearly, what doctors and policy makers have been doing for the last 15 years to address this epidemic is not working."

The Greatest Myths About Weight Loss

Obesity Epidemic Continues, As Does Hunger

“This epidemic of severe obesity is too extensive to be tackled with medications such as blood pressure-lowering drugs or diabetes treatments alone, or with a few extra bike lanes. We need coordinated global initiatives – such as looking at the price of healthy food compared to unhealthy food, or taxing high sugar and highly processed foods - to tackle this crisis.”

One fifth of adults worldwide will be obese by 2025, predicts study