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By Dr. Chinta Sidharthan Oct 19 2023 Reviewed by Lily Ramsey, LLM

In a recent study published in the PLOS ONE Journal, researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted between 1999 and 2018 and examined the use of exercise, diet, and pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical products for weight loss among obese and non-obese individuals of both sexes.

Study:  Changes in the prevalence of U.S. adults using diet, exercise, pharmaceuticals and diet products for weight loss over time: Analysis of NHANES 1999–2018 . Image Credit: Stock-Asso/Shutterstock.com Background

Although the prevalence of obesity in the United States (U.S.) has increased drastically over the past two decades, efforts and research on weight loss have also grown.

While there are various approaches to weight loss, such as diet, physical activity, weight loss products, and pharmacological options, the varying popularity of these approaches over time and or based on the obesity status has not been investigated.

Furthermore, while studies have reported that women tend to engage in weight loss practices more than men, especially those based on diets, the changes in these trends over time have not been examined.

Similarly, while research indicates that obese individuals are more likely to follow weight loss practices than normal weight, the differences in the choice of weight loss strategies among those attempting to lose weight have also not been well understood.

Moreover, factors other than individual opinions, such as the influence of media and health professionals, could also impact the popularity of some weight loss strategies. About the study

In the present study, the researchers used publicly available data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in the U.S. between 1999 and 2018 to investigate the changing trends in weight loss practices over the years and to understand whether these changes also showed patterns associated with obesity status and sex.

The study used data from participants above the age of 20 and provided complete information on body mass index (BMI), smoking status, weight loss practices, and educational qualifications. Related StoriesMucin glycosylation plays crucial role in protecting against obesity and intestinal inflammationNew findings about nerve pathways to brown fat could lead to obesity treatmentsStudy finds non-nutritive sweetened beverages more effective than water for weight loss

Individuals who were pregnant or had a BMI of less than 18.5 kg per m2 were excluded from the analyses. The information on demographic factors and weight loss practices was gathered using questionnaires.

Individuals who answered affirmatively to questions about intentional weight loss in the past year were further queried about the specific practices employed for weight loss.

The factors that were investigated through all the survey years were exercise, consumption of smaller quantities of food or lower-calorie foods, skipping meals, reducing the intake of fats, liquid diets, consumption of diet foods, following special diets for weight loss, increasing water intake, use of diet products, or being engaged in weight loss programs.

Of these factors, those involving pharmaceutical or diet weight loss products or using laxatives were considered medications or diet products. In contrast, all the practices involving food and liquid intake modifications for weight loss were considered diet-related practices.

The data between 2005 and 2018 were further analyzed for specific dietary restrictions such as sugars and carbohydrates and increased vegetable and fruit consumption. Obesity was defined based on a BMI above 30 kg per m2. Results

The findings suggested that, as previously observed, women and individuals with obesity were more likely to employ weight loss practices over time, and the prevalence of weight loss practices over time had also increased.

Furthermore, of the weight loss practices, the diet-related ones were the most prevalent, constituting 87% to 93% of the weight loss methods.

Exercise-related methods for weight loss had a prevalence of 47% to 68%, and pharmaceutical and dietary products for weight loss only accounted for 5% to 21% of the weight loss practices.

The weight loss practices showed modest differences associated with obesity status and sex, with obese women showing an increase in exercise for weight loss.

Diet-related weight loss practices also showed a temporal change, with traditional dietary approaches such as fat, portion, and calorie restrictions becoming less prevalent and carbohydrate and sugar restrictions being adopted more frequently.

While the use of pharmacotherapeutic and dietary products for weight loss showed a lower prevalence compared to other weight loss practices over time, the use of such products was the highest among women with obesity.

Less than 2% of the men with obesity and less than 10% of the women with obesity reported taking prescription drugs for weight loss, and compared to other chronic diseases, the use of medications for obesity is significantly low. Conclusions

Overall, the study showed observable differences in adopting weight loss strategies over time, with the popularity of specific practices varying according to obesity status and sex.

However, the patterns of temporal change in weight loss practices remained the same for obese individuals of both genders. Journal reference:

Kuk, J. L., Daniels, S. B., Ardern, C. I., & Pooni, R. (2023). Changes in the prevalence of U.S. adults using diet, exercise, pharmaceuticals, and diet products for weight loss over time: Analysis of NHANES 1999–2018. PLOS ONE, doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0292810. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0292810

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Technology

Tesla shares drop 7% in premarket trading after Elon Musk says he is launching a political party

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Tesla shares drop 7% in premarket trading after Elon Musk says he is launching a political party

White House Senior Advisor Elon Musk walks to the White House after landing in Marine One on the South Lawn with U.S. President Donald Trump (not pictured) on March 9, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Samuel Corum | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Tesla shares fell in premarket trade on Monday after CEO Elon Musk announced plans to form a new political party.

The stock was down 7.13% by 4:27 a.m. E.T.

Musk said over the weekend that the party would be called the “America Party” and could focus “on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts.” He suggested this would be “enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring that they serve the true will of the people.”

The billionaire’s involvement in politics has been a point of contention for investors. Musk earlier this year was part of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency and worked closely with President Donald Trump — a move seen as potentially hurting Tesla’s brand.

Musk left DOGE in May, which helped Tesla’s stock.

Now tech billionaire’s reinvolvement in the political arena is making investors nervous.

“Very simply Musk diving deeper into politics and now trying to take on the Beltway establishment is exactly the opposite direction that Tesla investors/shareholders want him to take during this crucial period for the Tesla story,” Dan Ives, global head of technology research at Wedbush Securities, said in a note on Sunday.

“While the core Musk supporters will back Musk at every turn no matter what, there is broader sense of exhaustion from many Tesla investors that Musk keeps heading down the political track.”

Musk’s previous political foray earned him Trump’s praise in the early days, but he has since drawn the ire of the U.S. president.

The two have clashed over various areas of policy, including Trump’s spending bill which Musk has said would increase America’s debt burden. Musk has taken issue to particular cuts to tax credits and support for solar and wind energy and electric vehicles.

Trump on Sunday called Musk’s move to form a political party “ridiculous,” adding that the Tesla boss had gone “completely off the rails.”

Musk is contending with more than just political turmoil. Tesla reported a 14% year-on-year decline in car deliveries in the second quarter, missing expectations. The company is facing rising competition, especially in its key market, China.

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Environment

Paris’ popular bike share program has a big sticky finger problem

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Paris' popular bike share program has a big sticky finger problem

Paris’ bike-share system, Vélib has long been considered one of the shining success stories of urban micromobility. With a massive fleet of over 20,000 pedal and electric-assist bicycles around Paris, the service has helped millions of residents and tourists get around the City of Light without needing a car or scooter. But lately, a growing problem is threatening to knock the wheels off this urban mobility marvel: theft and joyriding.

According to city officials and the service operator, more than 600 Vélib bikes are now going missing every single week. That’s over 30 bikes a day simply vanishing from the system – some stolen outright, others taken on “joy rides” and never returned.

“At the moment we’re missing 3,000 bikes,” explained Sylvain Raifaud, head of the Agemob company that currently operates the Velib system. That’s nearly 15% of over 20,000 Vélib bikes across Paris.

The sticky-fingered culprits aren’t necessarily professional thieves or organized crime rings. Instead, they’re often regular users who treat the shared bikes like disposable toys.

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The city estimates that many people have figured out how to pry the bikes out of the system’s parking docks, unlocking one for a casual cruise and then ditching it somewhere far from a docking station.

Once pried free, the bikes are technically usable for the next 24 hours until their automatic locking feature kicks in. At that point, the bikes are often simply abandoned. Some end up in alleyways. Others get tossed in rivers. A few just disappear completely.

And since the bikes are intended to be parked at their many docking stations around the city, they don’t have GPS chips, further complicating recovery of “liberated” bikes.

The issue started small but has grown into more than an inconvenience – it’s beginning to undermine the entire purpose of the service. With bikes going missing at such a high rate, many Vélib docking stations are left empty, especially during rush hours.

Riders looking for a quick commute or a convenient hop across town are increasingly finding themselves without available bikes, or having to walk long distances to find a functioning one.

That kind of unreliability chips away at user confidence and threatens to drive potential riders back into cars, cabs, or other less sustainable forms of transport at a time when Paris has already made great strides to dramatically reduce car usage in the city.

The losses are financially painful, too. Replacing stolen or vandalized bikes isn’t cheap, and the resources spent on tracking down missing equipment or reinforcing anti-theft measures are stretching thin. Vélib has faced theft and vandalism issues before, especially during its early years, but this latest surge has officials sounding the alarm with renewed urgency.

Officials acknowledge that there’s no easy fix. Paris, like many cities with bike-share systems, walks a fine line between accessibility and accountability. Part of what makes Vélib so successful is its ease of use and widespread availability. But those same features make it vulnerable to misuse – especially when enforcement is limited and the consequences for abuse are minimal.

The timing of the problem is especially unfortunate. In recent years, Paris has seen impressive results in reducing car traffic, expanding bike lanes, and promoting cycling as a key part of its sustainable transport strategy. Vélib is a cornerstone of that plan. But if the system becomes too unreliable, it risks losing the very people it was designed to serve.

Meanwhile, as Parisians increasingly find themselves staring at empty docks, the challenge for the city and Vélib will be to restore confidence in the system without making it harder to use. That means striking the right balance between freedom and responsibility, between open access and protection against abuse.

In a city where cycling is supposed to be the future of mobility, losing thousands of bikes to joyriders and sticky fingers isn’t just frustrating; it’s unsustainable.

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Environment

CNBC Daily Open: Elon Musk, founder of companies and political parties

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CNBC Daily Open: Elon Musk, founder of companies and political parties

U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk attend a press event in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 30, 2025.

Nathan Howard | Reuters

When they lose a significant other, most men do indeed become a “TRAIN WRECK.” Then they pick up the pieces of their lives and start living again — paying attention to their personal grooming, hitting the gym and discovering new hobbies.

What does the world’s richest man do? He starts a political party.

Last weekend, as the United States celebrated its independence from the British in 1776, Elon Musk enshrined his sovereignty from U.S. President Donald Trump by establishing the creatively named “American Party.”

Few details have been revealed, but Musk said the party will focus on “just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts,” and will have legislative discussions “with both parties” — referring to the U.S. Democratic and Republican Parties.

It might be easier to realize Musk’s dream of colonizing Mars than to bridge the political aisle in the U.S. government today.

To be fair, some thought appeared to be behind the move. Musk decided to form the party after holding a poll on X in which 65.4% of respondents voted in favor.

Folks, here’s direct democracy — and the powerful post-separation motivation — in action.

 — CNBC’s Erin Doherty contributed to this report.

What you need to know today

And finally…

An investor sits in front of a board showing stock information at a brokerage office in Beijing, China.

Thomas Peter | Reuters

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