ANR nutrition experts take on obesity

Two ANR nutrition experts spent an hour last Friday morning on the air with Michael Krasney, who hosts the daily "Forum" program on KQED, NPR's Bay Area affiliate.

UC Davis nutrition professor Judith Stern and associate director of the UC Berkeley Center for Weight and Health Gail Woodward-Lopez provided commentary on a new study from Sweden that determined heavy adults shed and reproduce fat cells too rapidly. One of the study's authors, Peter Arner, a professor of medicine at the Karolinska Institutet, also participated in the program.

Woodward-Lopez said the study adds to the body of evidence that it is better to prevent obesity in children, than to try to treat it in adults. She said obesity is a symptom of wider societal issues and suggested that changes in policy can create a more healthy environment for children.

Stern said scientists do not know how to prevent obesity. "Studies haven't been done," she said. "The solution is years off."

She said the big questions are, How do we stop excessive replication of fat cells in children and adolescents? and How do we stop the unmerciful teasing of overweight and obese children and adults?

The program is available for online listening or MP3 download.

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