Reliable food supply is a central concern for residents of cities located in remote locations with extreme climate conditions. The purpose of this article is to examine how stake-holders in such northern cities ensure a high level of food security. We examine a case study of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, which is located in the interior of the state near the Arctic Circle.
A May 2, 2019, study by Allison Sylvetsky, PhD, an assistant professor of exercise and nutrition sciences, finds that children who drink low-calorie sweetened beverages do not save any calories compared to their peers who drink sugary sodas and other drinks. The finding challenges the utility of diet or low-calorie sweetened beverages when it comes to weight management.
A January 27, 2019, report by the Lancet Commission on Obesity concluded that world leaders must take a hard line against powerful commercial interests and rethink global economic incentives within the food system in order to make progress against obesity, undernutrition and climate change. William Dietz, MD, co-chair of The Food Institute helped lead the Lancet Commission and co-authored the report.
A November 2018 report found access to recommended, evidence-based treatments for obesity are essential to improve health outcomes, halt the development of associated diseases like diabetes, and reduce costs. The STOP research found that coverage of three recommended types of obesity treatment – nutritional counseling, medications, and bariatric surgery – generally improved over the last decade.
Uriyoán Colón-Ramos, ScD, MPA, an associate professor of global health, recently led a study to understand how parents and other caregivers navigate food deserts or go outside the neighborhood to find quality meals for their families. Food deserts are poor, predominantly minority and African-American neighborhoods that tend to have a limited number of supermarkets and large grocery stores. Instead, residents rely on corner stores that typically stock highly processed, low nutritional value food.