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2014 Early-Career Research Grants
Letter from the Executive Director
Dear Colleagues,
The Obesity Society (TOS) was founded on a commitment to encouraging research into the causes and treatment of obesity, and keeping the medical community and public informed of new advances. As part of this commitment, each year we award grants to promote, reward and encourage research in the field. These grants are intended to foster and stimulate new research in any area of investigation related to the disease.
In past years, TOS grants have been put toward scientific and medical research published in well-known, peer-reviewed journals and presented at prestigious scientific and research meetings. Most importantly, research conducted based on these grants has benefited the prevention and treatment of obesity and improved the quality of life for millions affected.
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2014 Obesity Society Grants Program — Call for Letters of Intent
TOS
The Obesity Society is pleased to announce two Early-Career Research Grants for up to $25,000 each will be funded for the 2014 grant period. The program targets junior-level investigators and postdoctoral trainees by funding proposals that demonstrate a high likelihood of resulting in new and innovative approaches in obesity research.
Members of The Obesity Society are encouraged to apply by submitting Letters of Intent by the March 31, 2014 deadline. Applicants invited to submit a full proposal will be notified by May 15, and the deadline for full proposal submission is June 15. Funding for the successful applications will be available on August 20, 2014. The award may be expended over a period of up to one year.
You can find more details and application instructions online here.
Call for Papers — 2nd Annual Obesity Symposium at ObesityWeek℠ 2014
TOS
The Editorial Team of Obesity will host the 2nd Annual Obesity Symposium to be presented at ObesityWeek 2014 in Boston, MA, Nov. 2 – 7, 2014. The editors will select 6 winning papers and the session will be promoted to the obesity research community and to the press. In addition, the papers will be published in a special section of the November 2014 issue of Obesity. The deadline for online manuscript submission is June 1, 2014. To be considered for the Obesity Symposium, please submit your manuscript online on or before June 1, 2014 here.
Find out more about the selection criteria and how to submit your article for the symposium here.
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Proposed Food Labeling Can Help Consumers Better Understand What's in Their Food
TOS
During a celebratory event at the White House on Thursday (2/27), First Lady Michelle Obama joined U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg to announce the first update to food nutrition labels in more than two decades.
The proposed modifications to the Nutrition Facts panel reflect changes in serving size, more prominently displayed total caloric content, and the addition of total added sugars, among other improvements, which "have the potential to help consumers truly understand what's in their food," said Steven Smith, MD, TOS President, in a press release.
"It's clear continued work is needed to arm our nation's children, and their parents, guardians, teachers — and doctors — with better tools to make informed choices to prevent and treat this disease," said Dr. Smith.
Read more in the press release here and check out the photos and tweets from TOS's live Twitter coverage of the event @ObesitySociety.
Higher Ambient Indoor Temperatures Linked to Lower Body Mass Index
Contributed by Holly Wyatt, MD
New research published in the March issue of Obesity suggests higher indoor ambient temperatures are tied to lower BMI. The study, conducted by Michael Daly, examined whether indoor temperatures above the thermoneutral zone (23˚C/73.4F) were associated with a reduced BMI. He studied over 100,000 adults in a national representative Health Survey in England. Those individuals living in an ambient temperature above 23˚C (73.4F) were found to have lower BMI than those living in an ambient temperature of under 19˚C (66.2F). Health behavior variables did not diminish the link between high temperatures and a reduction in BMI. This study provides evidence that suggest high indoor ambient temperatures are linked with lower population BMI levels.
Prior research shows that the thermal environment, such as humidity, air speed and local temperature, can influence both energy expenditure and energy intake in humans. Reductions in air temperature have been shown to produce an increase in energy expenditure and a subsequent increase in energy intake. Higher temperatures have been noted to increase energy expenditure and possibly decrease food intake. However, the implications of high or low thermal exposure and how it impacts body weight regulation and human body weight is currently unclear.
Read the full article online here.
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Do Weight Loss and Adherence Cluster within Behavioral Treatment Groups?
Contributed by Issy Esangbedo, MD
The incidence of obesity has been shown to occur in clusters, with the development of obesity in one person increasing the odds that obesity will occur in their close friends. This leads to questions about whether there is clustering of outcomes within weight loss programs. A study published in the March issue of Obesity by Rena Wing and Tricia Leahy et al. examined these questions within the Look AHEAD trial and concluded that there is little evidence to suggest that weight losses cluster among the members of a behavioral weight loss group, although some effects were seen with adherence. According to the authors, this suggests that "it may not be necessary to control for clustering in behavioral weight loss studies and that merely treating individuals in groups is not sufficient to harness social influences on weight loss."
Look AHEAD is a multicenter trial comparing the effects of intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) versus control in 5145 participants with overweight or obesity and type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Weight losses and adherence measured by attendance, use of meal replacement products and minutes of physical activity were examined over 1 year in 2329 ILI participants in 209 treatment groups, which all received the same weight loss program. Weight losses did not cluster among members of a treatment group whereas measures of adherence had moderate clustering. The groups varied in weight loss with a mean of 8.64 percent but neither size nor composition affected the outcome.
Read the full article published in the March issue of Obesity online here.
TOS Welcomes Julie Levin as New Director of Scientific Meetings
TOS
Julie Levin recently joined TOS as the new Director of Scientific Meetings, where her primary responsibilities include coordinating logistics and programming for the Obesity Society Annual Meeting at ObesityWeek. Prior to joining TOS, Julie spent 11 years as the Conference Manager at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). Her duties ranged from program and financial management to event marketing, sponsorship and fundraising for approximately 4-6 annual conferences each year. Overall, her group was responsible for 30-40 scientific educational programs, which took place during a ten-week timeframe each summer.
Julie also has many years of experience managing registration, VIPs, speakers, housing and room blocks, and food and beverage orders. We hope you’ll join us in welcoming her to our team.
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Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is Seeking Bariatric Surgery Experts
TOS
Are you interested in contributing your expertise in bariatric surgery to benefit the profession? The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is seeking workgroup members for its Bariatric Surgery Project. This is a great way to contribute your expertise, benefit the profession and enhance your professional development.
If your passion and expertise lie within the area of bariatric surgery, please forward your CV and personal statement of 300-500 words expressing interest in and qualifications for this project to Taylor Wolfram at twolfram@eatright.org. Visit EAL Get Involved! for more information, including requirements and responsibilities.
Call for Nominations — ILSI North America Future Leader Awards
TOS
The North American branch of the International Life Sciences Institute is seeking nominations for its 2015 Future Leader Awards. ILSI North America is a public, non-profit scientific foundation, seeking to advance the understanding and application of scientific issues related to the nutritional quality and safety of the food supply.
The ILSI North America Future Leader Award, given to promising nutrition and food scientists, allows new investigators the opportunity to add to an existing project or to conduct exploratory research that might not receive funding from other sources. Proposed research must be in the areas of experimental nutrition, nutrition and food safety, or nutrition and food science. These 2-year grants (15,000USD per year) may not be used for overhead or to support the investigator's salary.
Nominees must: have a doctoral degree; be within 5 years of the first tenure track position, or stable employment at a reputable research institute, and; be a resident of the U.S. or Canada. Find out more about applying for the award here. Deadline for applications is Friday, June 20, 2014.
For further information please contact: Ms. Courtney McComber at 202-659-0074 ex. 143.
OAC Hosts 3rd Annual Your Weight Matters Convention in Orlando
TOS
The Obesity Action Coalition will host its 3rd Annual Your Weight Matters National Convention (YWM2014) together with S.H.I.N.E. (Support, Health, Inspiration, Networking and Education), September 25-28 in Orlando, FL. The event is the largest national meeting dedicated to providing evidence-based strategies for individuals impacted by excess weight and obesity.
Registration for YWM2014 will open on April 7, offering a variety of affordable options that start at just $30/day for one-day registrations, and just $95 for the full convention package. The Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld will play home to YWM2014 and offer attendees luxurious accommodations located within minutes from all Orlando-area attractions.
More information on YWM2014 registration, lodging, sponsorship and exhibit opportunities is now available online at www.YWMConvention.com.
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Mathematical Sciences in Obesity Research - A 5-Day Short Course
TOS
The mathematical sciences including engineering, statistics, computer science, physics, econometrics, psychometrics and epidemiology are increasingly being applied to advance the understanding of the causes, consequences, and alleviation of obesity. Such advances at the interface of the mathematical sciences and obesity research require bilateral training and exposure for investigators in both disciplines.
This five day short course, "The Mathematical Sciences in Obesity Research," features some of the world's finest scientists working in this domain to fill this unmet need by providing nine topic-driven modules designed to bridge the disciplines. The course takes place at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Monday, May 12 – Friday, May 16, 2014.
Find full details of the course here and apply online before Friday, March 28, 2014 here. Accepted applicants will be notified no later than Friday, April 4. Women, members of underrepresented minority groups and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. Limited travel scholarships are available to young investigators.
New look for food labels
SheKnows
Nutrition labels are getting a makeover — and the goal is to make you look good.
The Food and Drug Administration is proposing to update the label for "Nutrition Facts," which would be the first time since it was last done in the 1990s.
New obesity guidelines help physicians and patients with weight loss treatments
Medical Economics
Few health problems pose a greater threat to patients than obesity and its related ailments. Primary care physicians are on the front lines of the battle against obesity. That's why, experts say, it's critical for doctors to find ways of instituting health and behavioral modification programs into their practices to help patients make meaningful lifestyle changes.
Obesity decreases in early childhood but remains national threat
The Huffington Post
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially confirmed what many of us have hoped: that we are beginning to make some inroads in the fight against our nation's obesity epidemic. According to the latest data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the prevalence of obesity in two- to five-year-olds dropped by 43 percent over the last 10 years. This number should be celebrated for its significance both from a statistical standpoint and a symbolic one; however, we should not rest on our laurels since no other age groups showed notable decreases in the prevalence of this costly disease.
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Some progress on eating and health
The New York Times
For those concerned about eating and health, the glass was more than half full recently; some activists were actually exuberant. First, there was evidence that obesity rates among pre-school children had fallen significantly. Then Michelle Obama announced plans to further reduce junk food marketing in public schools. Finally, she unveiled the Food and Drug Administration's proposed revision of the nutrition label that appears on (literally, incredibly) something like 700,000 packaged foods (many of which only pretend to be foods); the new label will include a line for "added sugars" and makes other important changes, too.
Opening a casino linked with lower rate of overweight children in that community
ScienceDaily
The opening or expansion of a casino in a community is associated with increased family income, decreased poverty rates and a decreased risk of childhood overweight or obesity, according to a study in the March 5 issue of JAMA.
Do obesity, birth control pills raise risk of multiple sclerosis?
Yahoo News
The role of the so-called "obesity hormone" leptin and hormones used for birth control in the development of multiple sclerosis is examined in two new studies that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, April 26 to May 3, 2014.
Pregnant women who think that they are 'eating for 2' gain excessive weight
Knoxville Times
A new study has found that overweight or obese women, who think that they are "eating for two", are more likely to experience excessive weight gain while pregnant.
Cynthia Chuang from Penn State College of Medicine studied the attitudes and habits of women who gained appropriate weight and those who exceeded guidelines.
Participants in the study were asked about their diet habits, experience with morning sickness and physical activity habits during pregnancy.
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The Obesity Society eNews
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Disclaimer: eNews is a digest of the most important news selected for The Obesity Society from thousands of sources by the editors of MultiBriefs, an independent organization that also manages and sells advertising. The Obesity Society does not endorse any of the advertised products and services. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the author and not of The Obesity Society.
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