Posted: Jan 30, 2013 7:54 PM by Ryan Jaslow - CBS News Obesity
is a primary target for public health advocates keen on reducing
an American "epidemic" in which more than one-third of U.S.
adults and approximately 17 percent of kids and adolescents are
obese. Advocates often tout ways for people to reduce their risk
for obesity, such as by eating healthily and setting weight loss
goals, or they may support risk prevention for future
generations, such as by recommending breast-feeding to new moms
or exercise habits at young ages. A new study, however, says
some of these long-held recommendations are nothing more than
myths. "False and scientifically unsupported beliefs about
obesity are pervasive," study author Dr. David Allison,
associate dean for science in the School of Public Health at the
University of Alabama at Birmingham, said in a written
statement. "As health professionals, we should hold ourselves to
high standards so that public health statements are based on
rigorous science." For the study, publis