Nikhil Swaminathan, The Skinny of Fat: You’re Not Always What You Eat
Serotonin and the regulation of energy metabolism. See Laura’s nice psychology take here.

Science Daily, Psychological Stress Linked to Overeating, Monkey Study Shows
Stressed out monkeys like calorie-rich foods

Science Daily, Hunger Hormone Increases During Stress, May Have Antidepressant Effect
Ghrelin, being hungry, and not getting anxious about what you’ve got to do (at least in mice)

Jonah Lehrer, Caloric Rewards (Or Why Diet Soda Isn’t Good for Diets)
Sweet soda without calories confuses energy tracking; but real sugar can also make dopamine spike

Dr. X, Sugar and ADHD
Is sugar getting a bad wrap for getting kids wired? Plus the power of belief

Medical News Today, Childhood Obesity Epidemic Fueled by Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages
Kids taking in 20% more calories from soda and fruit juices than ten years ago in the US

Charles Goldman, More on “Who Needs Exercise”
Vigorous physical activity makes a difference growing up—stem cells in muscle and bone respond

Rachal Mahan, Fat Findings Reveals Why Diets Won’t Work
Number of fat cells set by age 20; diet and exercise during childhood matters

Medical News Today, Sedentary Lifestyle Not to Blame for Obesity
We’re still burning the same amount of energy as 20 years ago, just eating more calories

William Saletan, Saturated Fat: The Genetic Limits of Obesity
Child obesity has stopped increasing in the US. Did we actually do anything that made a difference?

Jeffrey Kluger, How America’s Children Packed on the Pounds
Calories, calories, calories and the “American vision of what it means to succeed”

FatFu, The Fat Identity. First Attempt, How Is Fat Different?
Nightmares images, myths of obesity, and owning the identity

Joy Nash, Fat Rant 3: Staircase Wit
Fat hate and having that perfect response–practice makes perfect. Funny and affirming.

Norimitsu Onishi, Japan, Seeking Trim Waists, Measures Millions
Do you have a 33.5 inch waist?

Heather Whipps, How Sugar Changed the World
White Gold—engine of slave trade and US independence alike

Jim Schnabel, Natural Neuroprotection
Differences in diet and behavior shape brain diseases—and we can do something about that

Nicholas Bakalar, Helpful Bacteria May Hide in the Appendix
Useless organ? Or the gut’s equivalent of a cognitive reserve?

Melinda Wenner, Improving Health by Targeting Gut Bacteria: A Q&A with Jeremy Nicholson
Metabolomics and targeting intestinal flora rather than the cells of your body

Medical News Today, Purchasing Behavior Influenced by Calorie Information at Point of Purchase
My nominee for bad title of the year. Only 4% of people even noticed the calorie display at these fast food restaurants!

NY Times Editorial Board, The Massachusetts Model
Progress report on the only working model of universal health care in the US. Couple that with Bernanke’s rising health costs a strain.

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Obesity and Childhood Nutrition Townhall
February 2008 public outreach meeting now has all the videos online. Covers the entire gamut of research. Very impressive.