Krista Casazza, Kevin R Fontaine, Arne Astrup, Leann L Birch, Andrew W Brown, Michelle M Bohan Brown, Nefertiti Durant, Gareth Dutton, E Michael Foster, Steven B Heymsfield, Kerry McIver, Tapan Mehta, Nir Menachemi, P K Newby, Russell Pate, Barbara J Rolls, Bisakha Sen, Daniel L Smith, Diana M Thomas, David B Allison
BACKGROUND: Many beliefs about obesity persist in the absence of supporting scientific evidence (presumptions); some persist despite contradicting evidence (myths). The promulgation of unsupported beliefs may yield poorly informed policy decisions, inaccurate clinical and public health recommendations, and an unproductive allocation of research resources and may divert attention away from useful, evidence-based information. METHODS: Using Internet searches of popular media and scientific literature, we identified, reviewed, and classified obesity-related myths and presumptions...
January 31, 2013: New England Journal of Medicine