Media and Research Roundup - October 2022
Graphic states, "Media and Research Roundup" and shows a photo of a nurse taking the blood pressure of a fat man, a drug injector, and a star on the walk-of-fame for Cass Elliot. Below reads, "NAAFA Community Voices Blog". At the bottom is a blue bar that reads, naafa.org and shows the NAAFA logo.
By Bill and Terri Weitze
Content Warning: Some references to fat shaming in medical offices and discussion of weight loss drugs
For the latest information and research on fatness, check out the Media & Research Roundup. This issue features: Weight stigma in the doctor's office, a new issue of Fat Studies, drugs for blood sugar control being used as weight loss drugs, honoring Mama Cass Elliot with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, studies on hibernation and making fat cells healthier.
September 23, 2022: Weight stigma at a doctor's office can start from the moment a fat patient walks in the door, and continue with small blood pressure cuffs, small gowns, and healthcare professionals who prioritize weight loss over the actual symptoms of the patient.
https://www.vox.com/ad/23180916/weight-stigma-doctor-healthcare-patient-harm
October 2022: Volume 11, Issue 3 (2022) of Fat Studies focuses on fat and fashion.
https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ufts20/11/3
October 1, 2022: The FAA is being urged to revisit the issue of the size of seats on commercial airlines; as the average size of Americans gets bigger, the seats and space between seats continue to shrink.
https://news.yahoo.com/americans-larger-faa-stop-airplane-125741153.html
https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/FAA-2022-1001-0001
October 4, 2022: Semaglutide drugs being used for weight loss (Wegovy being the only one that is FDA approved for this purpose, all others are approved only for blood sugar control) seem effective up to a point (the amount of weight lost can vary greatly), but can yield some serious side effects, are expensive, and provide only temporary weight loss.
https://news.yahoo.com/weight-loss-drug-semaglutide-232810981.html
October 4, 2022: Posthumously, Mama Cass Elliot has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to the recording industry.
https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2022/10/04/Cass-Elliot-star-Hollywood-Walk-Fame-Mamas-Papas/1921664888905
October 5, 2022: Every year during fat bear week, you can vote for the plumpest bear in Alaska's Katmai National Park. Scientists find the process of bear hibernation fascinating on a metabolic level and fat bears could help us learn more about diabetes, muscle atrophy, inactivity, and evolution.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/10/05/fat-bears-hibernation
October 12, 2022: A study finds that exercise might make fat cells "healthier" metabolically, with no need to change size or lose weight but by reducing the size of fat cells while increasing the number of fat cells.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/10/12/exercises-to-shrink-fat-cells/
https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glab356
Pic is of Terri and Bill Weitze, a Caucasian couple, both wearing glasses
Terri and Bill Weitze have been active within NAAFA for years, and they currently coauthor the Media and Research Roundup in the NAAFA Newsletter. They both live and work in Michigan, and met through a fat-positive bulletin board system before the days of the World Wide Web.