Weight-Loss Research: Want to lose body fat? A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that focusing on calories — not the balance of protein, fat and carbohydrate — is the key, the WSJ reports. Those on a low-protein diet did gain less weight than those on regimens with more protein, but body fat increased by about the same amount among study participants, the paper reports. Meantime, a separate study appearing in JAMA suggests that the benefits associated with weight-loss surgery are tied to biological changes that can occur independently of weight loss, the paper reports.
Blunt Childhood Obesity Ads: A new ad campaign running in Georgia is causing controversy for its blunt portrayal of childhood and adolescent obesity, Time’s Healthland blog reports. The Strong4Life campaign, from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, features overweight kids and teens saying things such as “Mom, why am I fat?” Experts are torn on whether such shock tactics work; some say a better approach would be to offer practical advice for families on eating more healthfully.
Concern Over Dioxin Limits: Farmers and others in the food industry are worried that pending federal guidance on consumption of chemicals known as dioxins will set a safety threshold that falls below what consumers eat now, leading to confusion and alarm, the WSJ reports. Dioxins can appear in agricultural products such as meat and dairy products. A spokeswoman for the EPA says the final guidance will take public comments into consideration.
Higher Readmissions: A study published in JAMA finds that heart-attack patients in the U.S. more often find themselves back in the hospital within a month than patients in other countries, possibly because of a shorter initial stay, the Los Angeles Times’ Booster Shots blog reports. The median length of hospital stay in the U.S. was three days, compared to eight days for Germany.