Media and Research Roundup

Graphic is a blurred reflection of a fat person working out with hand weights in front of a mirror, with a superimposed red heart made from the heart line of a pulse monitor.

by Bill and Terri Weitze

January 25, 2021: A study concludes that a higher BMI is not related to differing immunological responses, unfavorable respiratory mechanics, or impaired outcome in COVID-19 patients requiring mechanical ventilation.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-021-00747-z

February 26, 2021: Embracing HAES (Health at Every Size) has convinced UK doctor Natasha Larmie that the practice of weight-neutral medicine is the best approach to promoting healthful behaviors.
https://pharmaphorum.com/patients/health-at-every-size-making-medicine-weight-inclusive

March 2021: A new library of HAES health sheets on various topics provides blame-free, shame-free explanations of common medical conditions.
https://haeshealthsheets.com

March 1, 2021: A study finds that eating up to five servings of fruit and vegetables a day (not including starchy vegetables and fruit juices) is associated with a lower mortality risk.
https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.048996

March 1, 2021: U.S. News' feature focuses on Paula O. Lockhart, a fat black woman who used theater to come out of her shell and weightlifting to find peace with her body. Lockhart offers suggestions on how to make the gym a more inclusive and diverse place.
https://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/articles/weightlifting-for-power-and-healing

March 5, 2021: Ragen Chastain explains why the reporting on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness for fat people is misleading and premature at best and encouraging fatphobia while possibly decreasing fat people's willingness to be vaccinated at worst.
https://danceswithfat.org/2021/03/05/is-pfizers-vaccine-really-less-effective-for-fat-people
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.02.24.21251664v1

March 5, 2021: Part of a series for Good Housekeeping, Alyssa Jung goes to experts to find out what exactly the term "fat and fit" means and whether it is achievable.
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/diet-nutrition/a35058950/can-a-person-be-fat-and-fit

March 6, 2021: Virginia Sole-Smith explains how fatphobia influences obesity research, the forms it takes, and the problems it causes.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/in-obesity-research-fatphobia-is-always-the-x-factor

March 10, 2021: Ragen Chastain discusses the study that led to the headlines claiming it is not possible to be fat and fit. This Fat Old Lady (the second link) puts in her two cents on the same study.
https://danceswithfat.org/2021/03/10/does-that-study-really-say-you-cant-be-fit-and-fat
https://thisfatoldlady.com/2021/02/20/this-fat-old-ladys-fat-friday-is-fat-and-fit-possible
https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwaa151

March 12, 2021: The CDC claims that higher BMI is associated with greater risk for severe COVID-19 disease, requiring intensive illness management and vaccination prioritization. The second link is to supplementary tables for the report.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/pdfs/mm7010e4-H.pdf
https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/103732/cdc_103732_DS1.pdf

[Pic is of Terri and Bill Weitze, a Caucasian couple, both wearing glasses]

Terri and Bill Weitze have been active within NAAFA for years, and they currently coauthor the Media and Research Roundup in the NAAFA Newsletter. They both live and work in San Jose, CA, and met through a fat-positive bulletin board system before the days of the World Wide Web.