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☆ Being overweight not linked to dying early, study says, but questions remain
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Being overweight as defined by the body mass index rating scale is not linked to an increase in death when considered separately from other health issues, a new study found. “The use of the word ‘overweight’ is misleading here, as it excludes anyone with a BMI above 30. “This paper found an unequivocal association between BMI and mortality, before and after adjustment for risk factors,” said Leurent, who was not involved in the study. Being overweight may not lead to an early death, but may add to the risk of chronic disease, experts say. While the study did control for smoking and a variety of other diseases linked to early death, that information was only gathered once for each person in the survey.

Persons: ”, Aayush, Rutgers Robert Wood, ’, Baptiste Leurent, Leurent, Robert H, Shmerling, “, Soko, Visaria, Naveed Sattar, ” Sattar, Tom Sanders, Beth, they’ve, It’s, ” Visaria, it’s, University of Glasgow’s Sattar Organizations: CNN, BMI, US Centers for Disease Control, Rutgers, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University College London, Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School, Rutgers School of Public Health, University of Glasgow, King’s College London, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical, “, American Heart Association, American Medical Association, University of Glasgow’s Locations: New Brunswick , New Jersey, Boston, Scotland, “

☆ Forget TikTok claims: ‘Nature’s Ozempic’ is no such thing, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —If TikTok and Reddit influencers are to be believed, the plant-based compound called berberine can be a replacement for such popular diabetes and weight loss drugs as Ozempic and Wegovy. Is berberine’s weight loss effect meaningful? Berberine may enhance the body’s natural production of GLP-1, or glucagon-like peptide 1, a gastrointestinal hormone that’s used in Ozempic and other new weight loss drugs. However, in terms of its weight loss benefits, they are modest at best,” he said. “Metformin lowers blood sugar, and berberine lowers blood sugar,” Levitt said.

Persons: Berberine, “, ”, Caroline Apovian, Justin Ryder, Ryder, Joshua Levitt, Ashurbanipal, ” Levitt, Gaston Ernesto Gonzalez Avila, Levitt Organizations: CNN, US Food and Drug Administration, Harvard Medical School, Center, Weight Management, Wellness, Brigham, Women’s Hospital, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, BMI, National Library of Medicine, FDA, American Chemical Society Locations: Boston, Chicago, Ayurveda, Hamden , Connecticut

Summary Oil prices rise early in second sessionPolitical instability in Russia adds to supply concernsHopeful expectations for summer driving season demand remainJune 27 (Reuters) - Oil prices edged higher on Tuesday, spurred by worries about political instability in Russia and possible supply disruptions, as well as U.S. demand hopes ahead of the summer driving season. Following the weekend's events, ANZ analysts said, the complacency among traders about Russian oil continuing to seep into the international market could no longer be assumed to the same extent. The challenge has fed questions about President Vladimir Putin's grip on power and some concern about possible disruption of Russian oil supply, although loadings have kept on schedule. Oil fell about 3.6% last week on worries that further interest rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve could sap demand as China's economic recovery disappoints investors. Traders were also watching for signs of a pickup in demand for transport fuels, such as gasoline, in the United States ahead of the peak summer driving season.

Persons: Brent, Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Saudi Arabia's, Morgan, Stephanie Kelly, Trixie Yap, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Brent, U.S, West Texas, ANZ, Saudi, BMI Research, U.S . Federal, Traders, American Automobile Association, Global, American Petroleum Institute, Energy Information Administration, Thomson Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russian, Rostov, Saudi Arabia, United States, U.S

☆ Daily pill from Eli Lilly leads to 15% weight loss in midstage study, rivaling Wegovy results without the shot
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Meg Tirrell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Currently approved medicines for weight loss like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy are given as once-weekly injections. Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic, which contains the same key ingredient as Wegovy, called semaglutide, and Lilly’s Mounjaro are both approved for Type 2 diabetes but used off-label for weight loss. Weight loss at 36 weeks ranged from 9.4% to 14.7%, compared with 2.3% on placebo, the results showed. Lilly’s is just one of a crop of experimental weight loss drugs seeking to join blockbusters like Wegovy on the market. Novo Nordisk reported results last month showing that a pill version of semaglutide yielded 15% weight loss over 68 weeks, similar to Wegovy’s results.

Persons: Eli Lilly’s, what’s, Lilly, Lilly’s, ”, Nadia Ahmad, orforglipron, “ you’re, Dr, Sean Wharton, White, Ahmad, it’s, Sanjay Gupta, semaglutide Organizations: CNN, New England, of Medicine, American Diabetes Association, Nordisk’s, Nordisk’s Ozempic, Wharton Medical Clinic, CNN Health, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer Locations: San Diego

☆ Analysis: Auto firms race to secure non-Chinese graphite for EVs as shortages loom
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Eric Onstad | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Auto firms have been slow to plan for graphite shortages, focusing mainly on better-known battery materials lithium and cobalt, even though graphite is the largest battery component by weight. Graphite shortages are expected to rise in coming years, with a global supply deficit of 777,000 tonnes expected by 2030, Project Blue projections showed. China produces 61% of global natural graphite and 98% of the final processed material to make battery anodes, BMI said. Agreeing graphite supply deals is complex, requiring extensive safety testing for material going into each model of EV that can take up to three years. Natural graphite anodes tend to be cheaper and are beneficial for cell capacity and power output, allowing cars to run further distances before charging.

Persons: Tomas Bergman, Handout, there's, Mark Thompson, Australia's, Northvolt, Thompson, Talga, Mercedes, Brent Nykoliation, Tesla, George Miller, Reitumetse, Eric Onstad, Veronica Brown, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Talga Group, Reuters, Mercedes, Auto, Australia's Talga, BMO Capital Markets, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, BMI, Reuters Graphics, Toyota, Ford, Tesla Inc, Toyota Motor Corp, Ford Motor, Benz, Renault, NextSource, Syrah Resources, Magnis Energy Technologies, U.S, European Union, Thomson Locations: Norrbotten, Sweden, China, Madagascar, Mozambique, United States, Europe, U.S, Mauritius, CHINA, Western

☆ Bone loss occurs in teens who have weight loss surgery, study says. Is that unique?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The bones of teens and young adults who lost significant weight after bariatric surgery were weaker than those of youth with similar levels of obesity who did not have surgery, a new study found. Despite counseling, teens and young adults who did not undergo weight loss surgery continued to gain weight over those two years, the study found. However, it’s difficult to accurately study bone loss in adolescents and young adults. A study would need to follow teens who underwent surgery for at least 10 years to determine if the bone loss seen in the new study lasts, Inge said. “That’s why we insist that people undergoing weight loss surgery take their multivitamin with calcium and vitamin D every day, just like medicine.”

Persons: Miriam Bredella, “, ” Bredella, Don’t, Thomas Inge, Robert H, Lurie, ”, Inge, they’re, Bredella, it’s, Justin Ryder, Ryder, Heike Faber, iStockphoto, haven’t, ” Ryder, ” Inge Organizations: CNN, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Ann, Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, NASA, BMI, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, “ Locations: Massachusetts, Boston, Chicago

☆ Obesity changes the brain, with ‘no sign of reversibility,’ researchers find
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“This study captures why obesity is a disease — there are actual changes to the brain,” said Apovian, who was not involved in the study. They wanted to know if that would be different in people with obesity compared to those of normal weight. At the same time, levels of dopamine rose in those at normal weight, signaling that the reward centers of the brain were also activated. Losing weight did not reset the brain in people with obesity, Serlie said. Until science answers these questions, the study emphasizes, once again, that weight stigma has no place in the fight against obesity, Serlie said.

Persons: ’ ”, Caroline Apovian, ”, Apovian, Sadaf, they’ve, “, Mireille Serlie, ” Faroof, ” Serlie, Farooqi, Serlie, it’s, ” Farooqi, ‘ Organizations: CNN, Harvard Medical School, Center, Weight Management, Wellness, Brigham, Women’s Hospital, BMI, University of Cambridge, Yale School of Medicine Locations: Boston, New Haven , Connecticut

☆ El Nino is approaching and your next cup of coffee could be at risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Extreme weather conditions brought on by an approaching El Nino are fueling concerns that robusta beans in major coffee producers like Vietnam and Indonesia could be hit, resulting in soaring prices. "The now widely-expected transition to El Nino conditions in Q323 has stoked fears of reduced output in Vietnam and Indonesia, both major coffee robusta producers," Fitch Solutions' research unit BMI said in report dated May 24. Robusta beans are known for their bitter characteristics and higher acidity, containing more caffeine than their premium and pricier arabica counterpart. El Nino is a weather phenomenon that typically brings hotter and drier than usual conditions to the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Climate scientists are predicting that this year's El Nino could descend in the second half of 2023.

Persons: El, El Nino Organizations: Fitch Solutions, BMI Locations: El Nino, Vietnam, Indonesia, Southeast Asia

A Model 3 starts at $40,240 and the price may fall to $25,240 when the $7,500 federal tax credit and another $7,500 from the California tax rebate kick in, depending on income and other requirements. SUPPLY CHAIN TWEAKSAnalysts said Tesla may have tweaked its battery supply chain to meet both battery mineral and battery component requirements for federal subsidy. Tesla used CATL's LFP battery cells for its Model 3 Rear Wheel Drive and nickel-based cells from an unidentified supplier for its Model 3 Long Range, analysts said. CATL and other suppliers like LG Energy Solution (373220.KS) do not have factories to make Tesla cells in the United States. Tesla has also started delivering China-made Model 3s and Model Ys to Canada, freeing up some capacity for U.S.-made models.

Persons: Tesla, Biden, Caspar Rawles, CATL, Morgan Stanley, Adam Jonas, Hyunjoo Jin, David Shepardson, Zoey Zhang, Mark Porter Organizations: FRANCISCO, Toyota, Panasonic, U.S, Mineral Intelligence, BMI, LG Energy, Panasonic Holdings, Tesla, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, California, Nevada, KS, United States, North America, U.S, China, Canada, Shanghai

☆ Ozempic is taking China by storm. Drugmakers are scrambling to boost supplies
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —Ozempic, originally a medication for treating diabetes, is in high demand worldwide with celebrities and social media users touting it as a miracle drug for weight loss. “This is a wonder drug,” according to a popular series of posts on Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social app similar to Instagram. Soaring pricesThe social media hype was so enormous that Xiaohongshu launched a crackdown in February and deleted more than 5,000 posts sharing weight loss experiences with Ozempic. Fill the shortageThe weight loss drug market in China is expected to boom in the coming years. Novo Nordisk has applied to China’s drug regulator to widen the scope of use for semaglutide, according to the National Medical Products Administration.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Ozempic, they’ve, ” Ozempic, Xiaohongshu, Ozempic, Kevin Frayer, hasn’t Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Daily, First Affiliated, of Sun, University, Novo Nordisk, Tebon Securities, National Medical Products Administration, ., CNN, Huadong, Intellectual, Beijing Intellectual Property Locations: Hong Kong, China, Ozempic, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Beijing

☆ Milk prices in the world's dairy powerhouse India have spiked 15%
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

India is facing an increase in milk prices, and it's not expected to ease up until November. Matthew Lloyd | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesIndia, the world's dairy powerhouse, is facing an increase in milk prices, and it's not expected to ease up until November. India, the world's leading producer of milk, accounts for 22% of global milk production and followed by the U.S. China, Pakistan and Brazil. Higher feed costsHigher cattle feed prices that coincide with the peak demand season are feeding into the spike in milk prices. India is facing an increase in milk prices, and it's not expected to ease up until November.

☆ The good, bad and ugly about BMI
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Short for body mass Index, BMI is nothing more than a crude measurement of a person’s body fat based on height and weight. Yet critics say the term BMI has become a societal judgment by lumping individuals into arbitrary categories that perpetuate misconceptions about body weight. “Yet it has become completely medicalized that health equals weight, weight equals health based on BMI. Conversely, BMI can underestimate body fat in older adults and anyone who has lost muscle, according to the Harvard T.H. More conundrums: Women naturally have more body fat and less muscle mass than men, while some racial and ethnic groups are genetically predisposed to carry more or less lean muscle mass and body fat.

☆ How promising are new drugs to treat obesity?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Katia Hetter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly announced last week that a medication developed to treat diabetes, tirzepatide, also had a substantial effect on reducing weight. Another pharmaceutical company, Novo Nordisk, manufactures the medication semaglutide, which the FDA has already approved to treat diabetes under the brand name Ozempic and to treat obesity under the brand name Wegovy. How promising are they to treat obesity? CNN: How promising are these drugs to treat obesity? It is really important to treat obesity as the disease that it is — and having effective medications to do so is crucial.

☆ Can ChatGPT be a doctor?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Asia Martin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

My colleague Emilia David will take over for the rest of this week until Diamond Naga returns from her much-needed vacation. Can ChatGPT be a doctor? One physician said the AI chatbot was "better than many doctors" he's observed when it came to clinical diagnosis. The doctor said the diagnosis didn't differ from what he would have determined. ChatGPT may have passed the exam, but it's still unable to take the Hippocratic oath, where doctors swear to abide by a set of professional ethical standards.

☆ Former NBA star Zach Randolph & Marcus 'Head' Howell on building NLess Entertainment and the rise of Moneybagg Yo
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( John Lynch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

NLess Entertainment co-founders Zach Randolph and Marcus Howell spoke to Insider about the trajectory of their independent record label. After signing with NLess in 2016, Moneybagg Yo released his debut studio album, "Reset," and steadily built momentum with each subsequent LP. "Man, staying in the studio," Howell reinforced. "Bagg work hard. I asked Randolph and Howell what separates Memphis from the rest of the US in their minds.

☆ I'm a plastic surgeon who does Brazilian butt lifts. BBLs are my most popular procedure, but some people shouldn't have it done.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Jen Glantz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Dr. John Paul Tutela has offered Brazilian butt lift surgery since he started his practice in 2014. I started offering the BBL procedure as soon as I opened my practice and it continues to grow in popularity. Getting a Brazilian butt lift requires pretty aggressive liposuction to help sculpt the body's shape. I'd never tell this category of people to gain weight for the surgery, I'd just recommend they don't do it. What is the recovery time for a Brazilian butt lift?

☆ New weight loss drugs trending with billionaires and celebrities are about to enter more American homes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Barbara Collins | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

GLP-1s also have been found to help with weight loss as they make individuals who use them feel fuller for a longer period of time. Using GLP-1s drug injections for weight loss has become one of the latest ways some big names in the market are shedding extra pounds. That's why his company has launched a program to offer GLP-1 drugs and corresponding medical care to individuals struggling with obesity or weight loss issues. Pairing personalized coaching with GLP-1s is the key to effective weight loss treatment, Reitano said, and helping patients maximize their results. A new real-time approach to weight managementReitano said it should not be an either/or scenario involving diabetes management of weight loss and that will change over the next decade.

☆ I prescribe the popular weight-loss drug semaglutide to my patients. I hesitate to call it a magic bullet.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Hannah Moseley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Dr. Paul Kolodzik has been prescribing semaglutide to his diabetic patients since 2017. The one regret he hears from patients on the drug is they can't enjoy food as much. Before that, I was an emergency physician for about 25 years, caring for patients with strokes, heart attacks, and diabetic emergencies. I started prescribing semaglutide under the label Ozempic to my diabetic patients in 2017Novo Nordisk, a global pharmaceutical company, developed Ozempic as a medication for diabetics to control their blood sugar. So, physicians started prescribing some patients who weren't diabetic Ozempic off-label since Ozempic is not approved for weight loss — even though it's the same generic medicine.

☆ U.S. experts recommend weight-loss drugs for obese children
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Bhanvi Satija | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Metformin has been used off label to achieve weight loss in children. Of the 27 randomized trials of metformin for weight loss in children reviewed by the guidelines panel, 74% showed some positive effect of the medication. Wegovy last month won U.S. approval for chronic weight management in children ages 12 and older. For children ages 2 to 12 years, AAP said there was not currently enough evidence to recommend use of these medications. They also include recommendations for diagnosing obesity annually in children ages 6 years and older, through checks on BMI, and practices such as motivational interviewing.

Now, I wish I had more — but some life insurance is better than none. That meant that suddenly, life insurance went from something I knew I should get some day, to something that I needed immediately. I'm a plus-sized person, and I knew that could make getting life insurance more difficult or more expensive. I know that life insurance companies use weight and height to calculate your body mass index, or BMI. Insider's Featured Life Insurance Companies Lemonade Life InsuranceNationwide Life InsuranceGuardian Life Insurance Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.

So if workplace weight loss programs don’t actually improve employee health — what is it they are attempting to do? And yet, workplace wellness programs that focus on weight loss and other fatphobic-related measures like BMI and fat percentage persist. There’s not much evidence to suggest these workplace weight loss programs even reduce costs. So we’re shaming fat folks, excluding people with disabilities and triggering those of us recovering from eating disorders for ... absolutely no reason at all. And any workplace wellness program that specifically incentivizes weight loss should be acknowledged as harmful and ended immediately.

☆ ‘Something to Talk About’ songwriter Shirley Eikhard dies
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK — Shirley Eikhard, the singer-songwriter who supplied songs for Cher, Emmylou Harris, Anne Murray, Chet Atkins and found lasting fame penning Bonnie Raitt‘s Grammy-winning 1991 hit “Something to Talk About,” has died. Eikhard died Thursday at Headwaters Health Care Centre in Orangeville, Ontario, due to complications from cancer, said publicist Eric Alper. The blues-rock smash hit “Something to Talk About” was written in 1985 and Eikhard had offered it to Murray and other artists, who all declined to record it. Then years later Raitt left a message on Eikhard’s phone saying she she’d just recorded it. Raitt said later she’d discovered the song on a demo Eikhard had sent and admired it.

From spodumene ore through lithium carbonate to lithium hydroxide, prices have more than doubled again this year after an explosive rally in 2021. Even Goldman Sachs, which outraged lithium bulls with a bearish market call in May, now thinks global supply will fall 84,000 tonnes short of demand this year. New EVs rolling off the automotive production line are the end of the lithium supply chain, but the chain itself is also expanding fast. All of them need raw materials, so their collective stock-building accentuates the rising EV demand curve. Moreover, much of lithium's supply growth is coming from new sources such as China's lepidolite deposits which come with their own new disruption potential.

☆ Growing obesity crisis in U.S. prompts CDC to expand body mass index charts for severely overweight kids
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday released new body mass index charts for children in response to the growing obesity crisis in the U.S. More than 4.5 million children and teenagers had severe obesity in 2018, according to the CDC. The BMI charts from 2000 will still be used for children who are not obese, according to CDC. By 2018, 19.3% of kids were obese and 6.1% were severely obese, according to National Center for Health Statistics. Severe obesity is a BMI that is 120% higher than the 95th percentile.

☆ Analysis: Turbulence still haunts LME nickel, months on from trade debacle
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Pratima Desai | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Months after turbulence highlighted shortcomings in LME oversight, the nickel contract remains broken. Declining liquidity, together with low stocks, has led to high LME nickel prices this year, pushing up costs for industrial users already grappling with surging inflation. LIQUIDITY SLUMPSMany investors, traders, consumers and producers have abandoned LME nickel in the aftermath of the chaos in March. LME nickel typically trades at a discount to the Shanghai Futures Exchange (ShFE) contract because China is a net importer of nickel and the ShFE nickel price takes into account logistical costs and local taxes. "There's a major disconnect between LME nickel (futures) and the physical market," a nickel trader said.

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