The Conversation

New medical advances marking the end of a long reign for 'diet wizards'

Written by David Prologo, Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University

The Wizard of Oz promised results he could not deliver but was convincing in his presentation. Diet wizards have done the same for decades. Insomnia Cured Here/Flickr.com, CC BY-SA

For many years, the long-term success rates for those who attempt to lose excess body weight have hovered around 5-10 percent.

In what other disease condition would we...

Our fight with fat: Why is obesity getting worse?

Written by Kenneth Cusi, Professor of Endocrinology, University of Florida

A woman exercising. Thousands of people will be doing the same this week in an effort to lose weight, a perennial resolution.UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, CC BY-SA

Gyms across the country will be packed in the new year with people sticking, however briefly, to their New Year’s resolution to lose weight. Most of them do not...

Why are so many of our pets overweight?

Written by Deborah Linder, Head of Tufts Obesity Clinic for Animals, Tufts University

Pet obesity often says more about an owner's relationship with their pet than the animal itself.Susan Schmitz/shutterstock.com

When I looked at my appointment book for the day, I thought something must be wrong. Someone who worked in the fitness industry was bringing his cat in to the Tufts Obesity Clinic for Animals. Did he confuse us for a...

Why walking with your doctor could be better than talking with your doctor

Written by Brad Biskup, Coordinator of Lifestyle Medicine Clinic, University of Connecticut

A man who is overweight walking alone in a park. Walking with a doctor could be helpful for overweight patients. Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, CC BY-SA

Gyms across the country will be packed this week with people vowing to “get moving” to lose weight this year.

Much of the effort will be for naught. And, in fact, some of it...

What thin people don’t understand about dieting

Written by Traci Mann, Professor of Psychology, University of Minnesota

A plate of fattening food is harder for some people to resist than others. Milan Gordic/Shutterstock.com

Diets do not work.

The scientific evidence is clear as can be that cutting calories simply doesn’t lead to long-term weight loss or health gains.

We suspect most dieters have realized this by now too. And yet, here they are again, setting...

What psychiatrists have to say about holiday blues

Written by Linda Saab, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State University

Even Santa can get worn out, which can lead to getting the blues.Stokkete

This time of the year brings a lot of changes to the usual day-to-day life of hundreds of millions of people: The weather is colder, trees are naked, snowy days become plentiful and friendly critters are less visible around the neighborhood. Especially in the Western...

The holiday-suicide myth and the intractability of popular falsehoods

Written by Dan Romer, Research Director, Annenberg Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania

James Stewart and Donna Reed in 'It's a Wonderful Life.'Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

For years, the media have reported that more suicides occur during the holidays than at any other time.

Many of these stories, no doubt, are meant to help people cope with the melancholy and nostalgia that some people experience at this time. Some of them include...

Behavioral economics finally goes mainstream: 4 essential reads

Written by Bryan Keogh, Economics + Business Editor

The year 2017 may turn out to be when behavioral economics entered the mainstream after a leading practitioner in the field won a Nobel prize for his work.

Behavioral economics is the study of how psychology affects the economic decision-making processes of individuals and institutions. Research in the field has led governments like those in the...

How the religious right shaped American politics: 6 essential reads

Written by Kalpana Jain, Senior Religion + Ethics Editor

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stands during a service at the International Church of Las Vegas in Las Vegas in Oct. 2016AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File

In 2017 an evangelical perspective influenced many political decisions, as President Donald Trump embraced the key constituency that voted overwhelmingly in his favor. As recently as Dec....

Why 2017 was so terrible for Mexico: 9 essential reads

Written by Catesby Holmes, Global Affairs Editor, The Conversation US

With three runaway governors, two deadly earthquakes and one Donald J. Trump – not to mention an average 69 murders a day – the past year has been rough on Mexico.

As Americas editor, it has been my job to bring expert analysis of these painful events to an international audience throughout 2017. Admittedly, it wasn’t my favorite...