The latest in weight loss: Internet conference provides cutting edge info.
By Lisa Gable, Executive Director, Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation
The day-long Internet symposium Weight Management 2010 Virtual Conference & Expo gave those who attended over the Internet a peek at the future of weight management. Over 900 attendees learned about the cutting edge science of probiotics and prebiotics, new weight control practices (such as a three-part method to help consumers control their weight, based on how they gain it) –new nutritional ingredients, product reformulation, and the technique of satiety (products that promise to fill you up for a longer period of time).
We heard about the state of the weight control market, renewed interest in the benefits of carbohydrates, and the interlinking issues of reformulation, portion control, and nutrition labeling.
More than anything, the virtual conference demonstrated weight management’s dynamic nature. Some of the products and practices discussed were barely heard of just a few years ago. Now, they have the potential to dramatically reduce obesity and help millions achieve and maintain a healthy weight level. It almost seems like advancement in this area is best measured in dog years – a 7-1 ratio over the calendar.
While America faces major challenges in countering obesity, the conference illustrated the significant resources, energy and know-how that is being summoned to address the problem. It also underscored the fact that this is a global concern. Almost half of the attendees were from outside North America, predominantly Europe.
If you missed the conference, it is available free of charge, at www.weightmanagementshow.com (for a year). It runs eight hours (one hour per session) and is worth the time. Bringing together high-level presenters to address cutting-edge topics, it is an opportunity to get a lot of perspectives on weight management – and find out how many dimensions the issue has, and how much we are learning about it.
Lisa Gable is executive director of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, a first-of-its kind coalition that brings together more than 125 retailers, food and beverage manufacturers, restaurants, sporting goods and insurance companies, a professional sports organization, NGOs, trade associations, and the U.S. Army.