obesity

In my case, guilt isn’t a very effective way of curbing my behaviour. It may even be the reason I come back for a second and third helping when I’m feeling down and out. There’s evidence to suggest that shame in the form of public policy designed to curb obesity is similarly useless.

One of the most troubling things about cancer is that it can strike almost anyone, anywhere at any time — and that the likelihood of getting cancer is increasing.

On Monday of this week, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Information released a joint 62-page report on obesity in Canada (PDF). Dr. Arya Sharma is an internationally-renowned Canadian obesity researcher who referred to this report as “thoughtful, insightful, and thorough...” I’ve been reading Dr. Sharma’s blogs for a while, and this is a guy who doesn’t pull punches. He had largely good things to say about the report, but criticised the way the media covered it.

Last week New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg (via The New York Times) announced he plans to institute a large-scale ban on the sale of super-sized sodas and sweetened drinks at movie theatres, restaurants and street carts in the city.

A Nova Scotia woman (via Toronto Star) in need of bariatric surgery has reignited debate about the Canadian health care system’s timely response to obesity by writing her own mock obituary and emailing it to a handful of government and health officials.