Sub-Saharan Africa is no longer a continent just grappling with hunger and starvation — it is now also dealing with obesity and overweight.
Fat stigma can take the form of overt discrimination, but it is often insidious, pervasively entrenched into our society and environment.
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Weight stigma doesn’t have to be malicious or targeted directly at a person to cause harm. Fat microaggressions lead to poorer health, well-being and life outcomes among fat people.
Traditional South African staple, pap or maize meal. An only meal in time of poverty.
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Researchers gave people in the study 5, 10 or 15ml doses of apple cider vinegar and found they lost more weight than those taking a placebo. But the findings need a closer look.
Weight loss can seem like an impossible, unachievable task. But you don’t need to lose a lot of weight to start noticing the health benefits.
Although semaglutide drugs like Ozempic are indicated to treat Type 2 diabetes, they are increasingly prescribed off-label because of their observed effectiveness at inducing weight loss.
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The demand for off-label weight loss drugs like Ozempic is concerning, because of the impact on weight stigma and the health risks of unsupervised weight loss, including developing eating disorders.
People living in larger bodies face constant discrimination and negative messages about their body weight.
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Research shows that focusing strictly on weight loss is not only ineffective in the long term, it can even be harmful and counterproductive.
Obesity is itself a disease, in addition to contributing to the onset and progression of other conditions such as diabetes, heart attack and stroke.
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Obesity is a disease that shares several characteristics with cancer, but does not get the same society-wide recognition of its disease status, so people with obesity are less likely to get treatment.
The BMI does not distinguish between excess body fat, bone mass or musculature. It also does not interpret the distribution of fat, which is a predictor of health.
Researchers asked more than 350 adults to weigh themselves daily or weekly. They found a yo-yo pattern of weight gain over festive periods and cooler months.
For many people, trying to lose excess fat is very difficult without help. Effective treatment is available when obesity affects health.
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Despite the prevalent view that people with large bodies should simply eat less and move more, it’s nearly impossible to fight our genetic heritage or other factors that are not within our control.
Body mass index has been the standard measure to classify obesity and overweight for decades.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics has recently released new obesity management guidelines in order to help address the growing obesity crisis in children.
Permanent weight loss is hard to achieve. But the good news is: there are still benefits to temporary weight loss.
Would you hold the mother responsible for her daughter’s weight?
Courtesy of Steve Neuberg, Arizona State University, and Jaimie Krems, Oklahoma State University
While excess weight arises from a complex interplay of genes, environment, diet and activity, new research finds Americans hold parents responsible for excess weight in their kids.
When it comes to eye care, regular visits to the optometrist or ophthalmologist can detect the early signs of diabetic damage.
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The risk of developing eye complications is high in young people with Type 2 diabetes, which is increasingly affecting children and adolescents, especially those who are more sedentary.
Have you tried eating less and moving more?
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Do you feel the need to clean your plate? Does a bowl of salty chips seem completely irresistible? Understanding your ‘eating personality’ could stop you eating or drinking too much these holidays.
Taylor Swift was accused of fatphobia over her ‘Anti-Hero’ music video.
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By only discussing fatphobia in the context of eating disorders, Taylor Swift illustrates how deeply individualized and depoliticized white feminism is.
Professor and Programme Director, SA MRC Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science - PRICELESS SA (Priority Cost Effective Lessons in Systems Strengthening South Africa), University of the Witwatersrand