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.)

Metabolism Boosters For Weight Loss?

"It's an adage that gets repeated again and again: you can speed up your metabolism and lose weight by eating certain foods or taking supplements.

"There's just one fairly large problem with that statement. Namely, that it's not true at all.

"No matter what the claims on that bottle of raspberry ketone supplements say, nothing you eat can speed up your metabolism to the point of slimming down. What's more, obese people don't necessarily have slower metabolic rates than thin people. And science can prove it."

Click on the link below for a debunking of one of the most common advertisements on the internet (Sorry, Dr. Oz):

Why "metabolism boosters" are bullshit

Non-Science Based Weight Loss Attempts

A Study:

"Dietary supplements and alternative therapies are commercialized as a panacea for obesity/weight gain as a result of the minimum regulatory requirements in demonstrating efficacy. These products may indirectly undermine the value of guideline-driven obesity treatments. Included in this study is a systematic review of the literature of purported dietary supplements and alternative therapies for weight loss." (link)

Intermittent Fasting: The Evidence

 Like popcorn, there is a kernel of truth surrounding the use of intermittent fasting for weight loss. But, much of it may be just hot air. Click on the link below for what the science says about it presently: 

Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss isn't a miracle

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

Body Sculpting to Reduce Body Fat

One on the newer treatments in the effort to get rid of unwanted fat deposits from localized areas, CoolSculpting may reduce a small amount of fat deposits.  However, the treatments are expensive and requires attention to the causes of the fat deposits.  In addition, there is a small risk of fat cells returning after the procedure.

You Can Freeze Your Fat and Poop It Out

You can also heat it and vibrate it.

The effect of Heat, and Other Measures

Why Dieting For Weight Loss Is A "Soft" Science

"Tobias urged dieters not to lose sight of the bigger picture. "Low-carb versus low-fat should not be the focus for people selecting a weight loss diet." The focus, she said, should be on improving the quality of food that people eat instead."

We’ve long blamed carbs for making us fat. What if that's wrong?