Keeping pounds off long-term is difficult for even the most successful dieter, and scientists may now be on the path to determining why.

A study published recently in The Journal of Clinical Investigation shows that high-fat foods cause damage to the hypothalamus – an area in the brain responsible for hunger, thirst and the body’s natural rhythms and cycles – in rodents.

“These are really important papers that begin to push the idea out that we’re not in control as much as we think we are,” says Dr. Steven R. Smith, co-director for the Sanford-Burnham Diabetes and Obesity Research Center, who wasn’t involved with the study. [Read more...]

When you journey to the safety net hospitals and clinics that serve some of the neediest Americans, you will invariably find yourself in the heart of the urban core.

Nearby you will see establishments such as liquor stores, convenience stores and fast food restaurants.

But often you will not see grocery stores that offer healthy foods at affordable prices.

This is certainly the case at the urban core campus of Truman Medical Centers in Kansas City, where I am the president and CEO. [Read more...]

A diet rich in ‘good’ fats, like olive oil, whole grains, vegetables and quality meat can tackle your mood as well as your waistline, a new book has claimed.

It is well known that a diet high in fat, sugar and processed food is bad for our waistlines, but authors of The Happiness Diet say it is also making us depressed.

They believe that what we eat can affect mood as much as it does weight.

Drew Ramsey, a clinical psychiatrist at Columbia University, and health writer Tyler Graham say that eating the right food is “the foundation of good mental health.” [Read more...]