An excellent article in the New Yorker dicusses many leading theories of why we're so fat and highlighting key books on the subject.

In The Evolution of Obesity, Michael L. Power and Jay Schulkin take a Darwinian approach. The human body adapted to fuel a larger brain by becoming very effecient in storing fat...

Eric Finkelstein in The Fattening of America "argues that Americans started to put on pounds in the eighties because it made financial sense. Relative to other goods and services, food has got cheaper, and fattening foods, in particular, have become a bargain"...

A darker view of what's behind our societal weight gain arrives in David A. Kessler's The End of Overeating - best seller on Amazon - "It’s not that sweet and oily foods have become less expensive; it’s that they’ve been reengineered [into eatertainment]"...

Greg Critser in Fat Land tells the story of how "supersizing" began...

No doubt, all are true. A worthwhile read Here's the Article

A new study reports that the cost of treating obesity patients has doubled in the past ten years to $147 billion per year.

Obesity now accounts for 9.1% of all medical spending... Taxpayers picked up about half the $147 billion tab in 2008 through Medicare and Medicaid... Obese patients on Medicare spent about $600 a year more in prescription medications than patients at a healthy weight... Overall, an obese patient has $1,400+ in medical bills a year compared with a patient at a healthy weight.

Two-thirds of people in this county are overweight or obese. "If you really want to rein in health-care dollars, you have to get people dieting, exercising and living a healthier lifestyle," said an expert. "Otherwise somebody is going to be paying for treating these weight-related illnesses, either the government or employers."  Read the Article

Marc Ambinder of The Atlantic has a complementary piece worth a look.

These two features, 30 worst foods in America and 100 best fitness tips, at Men's Health are worth a look.

Based on the bestsellng book Eat This Not That!, the amount of sugar, sodium and fat packed in the 30 worst foods in America is nothing short of shocking. Many of these items have over 100 grams of fat and 2,000 calories. Substitute foods are conveniently offered.

The second feature on fitness tips includes a few gems. Check it out.

A new study suggests that obese and non-obese women respond to high-energy, high-density snacks in different ways.

[Study participants] were given pre-packaged portions of their favorite snack to eat every day for two weeks. For the zero and 100-calorie portions, the two groups, one obese and one non-obese, reported similar motivations.

However, obese women who snacked on 300-calorie portions exhibited an increase in motivation to eat, while non-obese women consuming the larger portion did not.

In some cases, [obese] women reported still wanting the food even though they didn't like it... A pattern that is strikingly similar to that seen in drug addicts.

"We're exploring this idea of sensitization, which happens with drug use," a study leader said. "Response to a drug will actually decrease over repeated use."... And that leads to more drug use.

Researchers concluded, "I stop short of calling overeating an addiction... I don't think it has all of the same properties, but I think we can learn something about overeating behavior from the drug world."   
Read the Article

A new Finnish study reports that men who exercise at least 150 minutes per week show a dramatic decrease in the likelihood of feeling hopeless.

Feeling hopeless has been linked to worse heart health and greater risk of dying... To investigate whether physical exercise might influence hopelessness — just as it has been shown to help reduce depression — the researchers surveyed 2,428 men, 42 to 60 years old, about their mood and physical activity levels and tested their fitness.

The men who got at least 2.5 hours of moderate activity each week were significantly less likely to be hopeless than men who were active for an hour or less weekly... Vigorous physical activity had a particularly strong effect.

These results correlate strongly with the 2008 U.S. physical activity guidelines.   Read the MSNBC Article

This article on fat acceptance explores an interesting dynamic for chronic weight loss fighting. If you have repeatedly tried 'dieting', consider the following:

The [fat acceptance] movement — a loose alliance of therapists, scientists and others — holds that all people, “even” fat people, can eat whatever they want and, in the process, improve their physical and mental health and stabilize their weight.

The aim is to behave as if you have reached your “goal weight” and to act on ambitions postponed while trying to become thin, everything from buying new clothes to changing careers. Regular exercise should be for fun, not for slimming.

All sides [of the fat acceptance discussion] agree that regular exercise, at any size, improves health. “If you want to know who’s going to die, know their fitness level,” says an expert.   Read The Article

A new study of obese children and their parents reaches a noteworthy conclusion. The research strongly suggests that parents are leading their children into obesity.

A study of 226 families found obese mothers were 10 times more likely to have obese daughters. In fathers and sons, there was a six-fold rise. But, in both cases children of the opposite sex were not affected.

Researchers believe the issue is some form of "behavioural sympathy" where daughters copied the lifestyles of their mothers and sons their fathers.

The study leader says: "This has fundamental implications for [childhood obesity] policy... We should be targeting the parents."   Read The Article

The news in this year's obesity report is not good.

Adult obesity rates increased in 23 states and did not decrease in a single state in the past year, according to F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America 2009.

Adult obesity rates now exceed 25 percent in 31 states and exceed 20 percent in 49 states and Washington, D.C. Two-thirds of American adults are either obese or overweight. In 1991, no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent. In 1980, the national average for adult obesity was 15 percent.

Find additional key findings, an interactive map, and key recommendations for addressing obesity within health reform...   Read It Now

Dole, the world's largest fresh fruit and vegetable company, offers a monthly newsletter chock-full of valuable health and nutrition information.

"Science is rapidly discovering new compounds in fruits and vegetables with the potential to prevent disease and lengthen life. While fad diets come and go, countless studies have confirmed that diets rich in fruits and vegetables are the key to losing weight. The Dole Nutrition Institute (DNI) was founded to help propagate such information."

In this month's issue learn how curry helps curb weight gain and tomatoes strengthen your bones. Dole chairman, David H. Murdock, reports he's added blogger to his resume, as well.

The Dole Nutrition Institute newsletter reaches over two million people each month and BodySpex is a proud supporter of their mission.   Read More