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The International Association for the Study of Obesity Newsletter

December 2011

Greetings!

 

News from IASO
 

The 2011 Stock Conference on "Obesity: Lessons from Evolution and the Environment" was held in Budapest from November 11th-13th with Margriet Westerterp (Netherlands) and Berit Heitman (Denmark) as the cochairs. In addition to the cochairs there were 10 other speakers and 28 other invited delegates from 15 countries present (see photo below). Participants reflected a diverse group including established researchers and some young doctoral and postdoctoral fellows. As usual, the format of the conference emphasized discussion time over formal presentations which covered the interactions between genes and the environment in determining obesity and taste, the evolutionary changes in physical activity and its role in the obesity epidemic together with discussion of the environmental influences on childhood physical activity. Further presentations highlighted insights that could be obtained from studies of Aborigines and the effects of obesity on lactational performance and offspring development. The role of protein needs in promoting the obesity epidemic and the evolutionary importance of food reward were the topics for the final session. The conference was supported by generous educational grants from Alpro, Unilever and Slimming World. A full report on the conference presentations and discussions will appear in Obesity Reviews in 2012.

In the meantime, we would appreciate suggestions for topics and possible cochairs for future Stock Conferences, remembering that the focus should be a basic science area but one that has significant clinical implications. Please send suggestions to Professor David York at david.york@usu.edu

            Stock 2011 
 

 

The SCOPE e-learning programme is set to launch in January 2012!

 

E-learning modules are designed for all health professionals, providing evidence-based content developed by leading experts in the obesity field. The series of short, interactive modules are designed specifically to fit into the schedules of busy professionals, and are accessible via mobile device. Modules offer practical guidance and assessments on a wide range of topics related to management of overweight and obese patients. In addition to e-learning modules, practitioners will have access to the SCOPE e-learning environment, featuring a highly functional portal for tracking personal learning progress and CME/CPD points. Professional in look and feel, this system will provide access to an international community of obesity experts to facilitate collaboration and sharing of best practices.

SCOPE globe logo

 

Read more about the SCOPE programme...

 

Enroll before 21st January for a special early-bird rate of �175. Please contact Ange Aikenhead at aaikenhead@iaso.org for more details. 

 

News from IASO's President, Philip James
le Subheading

60th AnPhilip Jamesniversary of the Austrian Nutrition Society...

Philip James took part in this meeting to highlight the challenge of global obesity. The meeting organised by Ibrahim Elmadfa (who is also President of IUNS to which IOTF is relating on the problem of obesity in a nutritional context) involved the Ministry of Health with many representatives particularly from Germany but also the Middle East and the range of countries whose representatives who are on the IUNS Council which were due to meet with the European Nutrition Society in Madrid. It became clear that the interlocking of several global initiatives is going to be a challenge. For example salt reduction programmes now being advocated in Europe need to take account of the findings that iodine deficiency or at least inadequate iodine intakes affect up to half of the European population. So all salt supplies should be legally iodised at concentrations which take account of the falling salt intakes.   

 

World Health Summit Berlin...
Philip James agreed to help Ala Alwan in a WHO supported session at the 3rd World Health Summit at the end of October sponsored by the Presidents of Germany and France with the collaboration of several major universities across the world. The panel aimed to consider how best to implement practical steps to counter the chronic disease pandemic. The tobacco initiative is well under way but the alcohol programme has just started and no explicit guidelines were set out in the UN Summit. Although WHO has recently produced a new expert report on alcohol. Philip James was asked to talk about the food system where the challenge is that the policies and developments of almost all government departments other than health are responsible for having exacerbated the obesity and chronic disease epidemic. The debate therefore turned on how WHO - now challenged to take on an interactive leading role can persuade the treasury, agriculture, planning, urban environment, transport, industry, sport, industry and other government departments to implement policies to reverse the current escalating epidemic. Read more from the Summit...
 

Obesity in the News

 

Latest articles of obesity in the news...

 

Please note that all external links are provided for information only, their inclusion is not indicative of IASO endorsement.

 

Gillard Government rejects traffic light food labelling  (December 1st, 2011)

Health groups have reacted angrily after the Federal Government rejected traffic light food labelling.

 

Out of school activity organisations unite to combat childhood obesity (November 30th, 2011)

Whilst the organisations differ widely they have agreed key principles that are sufficiently flexible to cope with the differing environments. Drink Right: Choose water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages. Move More: Boost movement and physical activity in all programs. Snack Smart: Fuel up on fruit and vegetables.   

 

American study shows Americans now 20lbs heavier than 20 years ago (November 30th, 2011)

The survey based on self-reported heights and weights also found that only 39% of Americans believed they were overweight when in reality over 60% were actually overweight.

 

Click headlines to see the full story

 

To see more of the latest articles of obesity in the news please visit: http://www.iaso.org/news/obesity-news/ 

 

Upcoming IASO Event
                                       IASO 2011 LOGO                       
 
Royal College of Nursing and IASO joint event
 
'Let's talk about weight'
14th March 2012 - London
 
Do you know how to raise the subject of weight and can you use motivational techniques to help people:
  • Change their lives
  • Reduce their weight and
  • Reduce the risk of developing a Long Term Condition or making an existing condition worse?

Read the full programme

 

To guarantee your place please download the booking form today and benefit from the early bird rate!!

 

Publications
 
Clinical Obesity...

 

 

COB COVERHave you read these key articles from our second issue? In his Editorial, the Editor-in-Chief, Nicholas Finer, questions whether weight loss is the best clinical end point for trials of anti-obesity drugs.    

 

T. Handjieva-Darlenska et al. present "Predictors of weight loss maintenance and attrition during a 6-month dietary intervention period: results from the DiOGenes study".

 

Michael Turner asks "The measurement of maternal obesity: can we do better?" in his commentary.

 

Read more articles... 

Please submit your clinical research papers via our online-peer review system. We publish high quality translational and clinical research papers and reviews focusing on obesity and its co-morbidities. 

            

 

Obesity Reviews Volume 12 Issue 12...

 

A message from Professor David York, Editor-in-Chief...

 

OBR COVERThe December edition of Obesity reviews contains 7 reviews that cover obesity prevention, Public Health approaches to the obesity epidemic, obesity management, obesity comorbidities and etiology and pathophysiological aspects of obesity. The first paper by Kesten et al is a systematic review of interventions for overweight and obesity in pre-adolescent girls that concludes with a number of recommendations. The second manuscript (Jenkin et al) discusses the interactions between industry and public health in New Zealand in framing the debate upon obesity and the development of public health policy that probably reflects the ongoing conflicts in many countries at this time. The next paper (van Dongen et al) reviews the financial returns on worksite health promotion programmes and identifies the conflicting conclusions reached from non-randomized and randomized controlled studies on the financial savings achieved. Two reviews in this edition focus on the link between obesity and cancer. The first (Ali et al) discusses the possible role of microRNAs in providing a molecular link between cancer and obesity/diabetes; the second (Chen) reviews the roles of multiple signaling pathways (mTOR, MAPK, PI3K/Akt, STAT3) in obesity related cancers is described and a unifying hypothesis is proposed. Physical mobility becomes a major problem for the obese individual and the final two manuscripts in this edition both focus on this problem. Runhar and colleagues review the biomechanical changes that occur in the lower extremities of obese individuals and their possible role in the development of osteoarthritis while Gill et al review the benefits of bariatric surgery to obese patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis.

I encourage everyone to read those papers of interest and remind everyone to visit the Wiley website for Obesity Reviews where you can have free access to two virtual supplements that have been compiled from recently published papers, one on Obesity Prevention and Management and one on Diet and Physical activity in the Development and Treatment of Obesity. More virtual supplements will come in 2012. Good reading!

 

Obesity Reviews December 2011 Issue  

 

 

 Pediatric Obesity...    

 

POB COVER

 

Pediatric Obesity is a peer-reviewed, bi-monthly journal devoted to research into obesity during childhood and adolescence; it was previously known as the International Journal of Pediatric Obesity.
 

Submit your best work to the leading journal in the field, via our online peer-review system.  Look out for new features including a free 'In This Issue' article and free Virtual Issues that collate content on key topics of interest.  

 

 

 

 

 

From everyone at IASO, have a safe and enjoyable Christmas, we look forward to working with you in 2012! 

 

 

If you have any comments or information you would like us to include in the next IASO newsletter please contact:

 

Emma Graham

Publishing and Communications Manager

email: egraham@iaso.org

phone: +44 (0) 20 7685 2580

web: http://www.iaso.org

 

 

 

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