

Artificial Sweeteners: Agents of Death or Harmless Scapegoats?
Do artificial sweeteners cause weight gain? One epidemiologist feels that diet sodas (and other artificial sweetener containing foods) lead

Can You Trick Your Brain to Lose Weight? "The Hungry Brain" Review
Summary: Don't let anyone tell you there is only ONE factor driving obesity (sugar, fat, insulin, sedentary behavior, etc.) because there are many. But take heart, understanding the complexity can help us take better control of our eating behaviors, our health, and maybe inspire a little self-compassion. This one's on me for being so late. Stephan Guyenet, PhD's book "The Hungry Brain" was published in February and I am reviewing it now. But don't be like me, get this book NO


"Ever Seen a Fat Fox? Human Obesity Explored" Review
This book and review are also featured in the post: Nutrition Summer Reading. For the other books I'm (attempting) to read this summer and for other folks' thoughts, pop over to the post to see! I have just completed reading "Ever Seen a Fat Fox?" and I have to say I was extremely impressed. This is NOT a light read- it contains an extensive lit review and a slightly more academic tone that is occasionally punctuated with Professor Mike Gibney's irreverent (and sometimes no


ROUND UP RXNS: Dr. Kevin Hall & the Metabolic Chamber of Secrets
UPDATED Jul 11, 2016 - includes 2 more responses AND response from Kevin Hall (re: diet sequence) The paper is out! The NUSI study long awaited as the poster-session-heard-round-the-world has been published and the reactions are swift. Check out the study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. If you don't remember, Dr. Yoni Freedhoff and Dr. Kevin Hall discussed Hall's poster at the International Congress of Obesity (it's a longish video, click here for a transcript)

"Biggest Loser" Weight Loss Led to Lower Leptin: Could This Drive Regain?
Research completed on The Biggest Loser contestants showed how much participants' metabolisms changed, even six years after completing the competition. Hall, et al., demonstrated not just a slowed metabolism, but altered circulating levels of the appetite-controlling hormone, leptin. To learn more about how leptin could have affected the weight regain, I asked Stephan Guyenet, PhD, neurobiologist and writer at Whole Health Source, to explain what all this means about why diet


Is the Insulin Theory of Obesity Over?
Kevin Hall, PhD, says his most recent metabolic ward study combined with the paper his team released over the summer falsifies the insulin-carbohydrate theory of obesity. The insulin theory of obesity, in short, posits that higher carbohydrate diets increase insulin secretion, which then drives fat storage and essentially “starves” muscles and organs of energy. This causes increased hunger and overeating. The reason a low-carb diet works, according to the theory, is that th