Obesity
Hundreds of programs over the past four decades – from the removal of junk food from school vending machines to Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign – have tried to get kids in the U.S. to eat healthier food and exercise more often. But none of these efforts lowered national child…
Thomas Zheng had taken round after round of powerful antibiotics to treat the Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infection in his colon, but it kept coming back. Finally, his doctor recommended fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), a procedure in which a donor’s fecal matter is transferred into his colon through a colonoscopy…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has now approved the diabetes drug Wegovy (semaglutide), previously okayed for diabetes, for weight loss. I wonder why? I was the consumer representative on the FDA advisory panel that voted to approve Wegovy (semaglutide) for diabetes. I voted for it reluctantly and only because…
For those with Type-2 diabetes, bariatric surgery has been shown by certain studies to have therapeutic effects on metabolic function independent of just weight loss. However, a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine has shown that it is indeed weight loss ls which yields the most dramatic…
Happy Monday. We’re hoping that your week is off to a good start. We’re pleased to have good news to report this week. First, Phase I and II trials of a COVID-19 vaccine show promising results. Also, patients who are mildly obese and taking hypertension medications may benefit from bariatric…
We knew it was too good to be true – free and cheap drugs aren’t worth it. Also, taking a magic pill to lose weight could give you cancer (!). One ray of sunshine: a pain therapy device using shortwave is now available over-the-counter. Have a lovely Valentine’s Day! Be…
New FDA-approved anti-obesity drugs, novel devices, implants, and surgical approaches have all hit the market but do they work and are they safe? Is a combination of diet and exercise better than drugs?
In Episode 1, founder Su Robotti and editor Jonathan Block discuss the AspireAssist medical device.— “mechanized bulimia” or a useful obesity fighter? Su: Hi I am Su Robotti and I am the founder of MedShadow Foundation. This is Jonathan Block who is the content editor for MedShadow Foundation. We inform…
AspireAssist is essentially a pump that connects to a tube implanted in the stomach to suck food out. But is this a good way to achieve weight loss? Overweight Americans’ battle of the bulge has lasted decades, and every time a new diet, drug or device comes out claiming it…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a supplemental New Drug Application for Xenical (obesity management drug) regarding new drug interactions and adverse reaction updates to its labeling. Xenical is indicated for obesity management including weight loss and weight maintenance when used in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet. The…
Despite the disastrous outcomes of some diet drugs — including Redux (aka Fen-Phen) in 1996 and Meridia (Sibutramine) in 2003, the pharmaceutical industry keeps trying to find a safe, effective medication that will help the 160 million Americans considered obese or overweight lose weight. In the past 3 years, 5 drugs have been…
Good for you, India! Despite the fact that Pespi dangled $5 billion in front of India’s top officials, the country’s minister of food processing industries, Harsimrat Kaur Badal (pictured left), met with Pepsi’s chief executive, Indra Nooyi (who was herself born in India, though she is American now), to request…
Over the past six months, we at MedShadow Foundation have published the following information on the obesity epidemic: packaging of children’s food (BPA) might cause obesity, scientists have found a link but don’t yet understand the connection diabetics who lose weight are no less likely to have a heart attack,…
MedPages Today reports on a study published in the journal Pediatrics that ties obesity and a chemical found in packaging, BPA. BPA was one of two chemicals for packaging found in the urine of children. While BPA was linked with obesity, the other chemical, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), was linked to…
