CEO Canceled for Calling Out Obesity Impact in COVID Outcomes
- In a now-deleted Linkedin post, Jonathan Newman, CEO and co-founder of salad chain restaurant Sweetgreen, highlighted data showing that most people hospitalized withCOVID-19 are overweight or obese
- Backlash quickly ensued, with media accusing Neman of fat-shaming and being “fat-phobic,” prompting him to apologize days later
- The message that obesity worsens COVID outcomes is one that needs to be heard, and health officials should be sharing it widely, along with effective methods to help people lose weight and maintain it
- There are now 16 states where at least 35% of the residents are obese, up from nine states in 2018 and 12 in 2019
- Instead of the “energy balance model,” which states that people gain weight because they consume more energy than they use, researchers recommended the “carbohydrate-insulin model,” which focuses on what you eat — namely avoiding ultra processed foods and refined carbs — instead of how much