Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Want To Avoid That Holiday Weight Gain? Keep Stepping On The Scale, Limit The Alcohol, And Don't Skip Exercising
Los Angeles Times: Here’s What It Takes To Avoid Gaining Weight This Holiday Season
Eggnog. Gingerbread houses. Peppermint bark. All those delightful cookies. There’s no doubt it’s the most wonderful time of the year — for putting on a few extra pounds. Studies have found that most of our annual weight gain occurs during the holiday season, when adults typically bulk up by about 1 to 2 pounds. It may not sound like much, but over the course of a decade it adds up to 10 to 20 pounds — enough to fuel the obesity epidemic, researchers say. (Kaplan, 12/10)
CNN: Maintaining Your Weight Through The Holidays
The average person gains 1 to 2 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, and those who are overweight often gain more, including children. Research shows that holiday weight gain is a major contributor to total yearly weight gain, so why not resolve to maintain your weight this holiday season? Here are 10 tips that may help. (Jampolis, 12/10)
In other news on food and nutrition —
The New York Times: What We Know About Diet And Weight Loss
You’d think that scientists at an international conference on obesity would know by now which diet is best, and why. As it turns out, even the experts still have widely divergent opinions. At a recent meeting of the Obesity Society, organizers held a symposium during which two leading scientists presented the somewhat contradictory findings of two high-profile diet studies. A moderator tried to sort things out. (Kolata, 12/10)
The Associated Press: Artificial Dyes Fading, But Food Will Still Get Color Boosts
Many companies including McDonald's and Kellogg are purging artificial colors from their foods, but don't expect your cheeseburgers or cereal to look much different. Colors send important signals about food, and companies aren't going to stop playing into those perceptions. What's accepted as normal can change, too, and vary by region. Up until the 1980s, Americans expected pistachios to be red because they were mostly imported from places where the nuts were dyed to cover imperfections. (Choi, 12/10)
