While the media focuses on extreme celebrity weight-loss gimmicks, our culture is increasingly taking a more science-based approach in understanding and treating obesity and weight management, according to Louis J. Aronne, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Aronne was a panelist at the April 21 Iris Cantor Women's Health Center Annual Press Luncheon and Book-Signing event.

Fattening foods are the gateway to overeating, said Aronne, who is author of "The Skinny: On Losing Weight Without Being Hungry." Because simple carbohydrates actually make us more hungry, the physiological response to that brioche is a desire to want more food, he said.

Meanwhile, "balance" has become the mantra of the 21st-century woman, said Joseph Lane, author of "Good to the Bone: Your Orthopedic Connection to Preventing Osteoporosis." And if equilibrium is the key to happiness, he said, balance is also the key to good bone health.

Hip fractures occur in about 300,000 Americans every year and are almost always the result of a fall. It is key then to avoid a fall in the first place. You should be able to stand on one leg, without wobbling for 14 seconds. If you do wobble, consider a tai chi class, Lane said.

Other panelists included Panchali Dhar, author of "Before the Scalpel: What Everyone Should Know in Advance," and Anthony LaBruna, author of "Make the Right Incision: Survival Guide to Cosmetic Surgery." Orli Etingin, director of the Iris Cantor Women's Health Center, moderated the discussion.

Brenda Tobias is director of New York City Communications.