For years, Americans have been bombarded with dietary advice -- much of it conflicting -- that asserts that diet composition per se has a major impact on health. Claims that high-fiber diets protect against colon cancer haven't been supported by scientific research, for example. Nor have low-carbohydrate diets been shown to be better for weight loss than low-fat diets.
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A Sunday, November 27, 2005 article by Jennifer D'Angelo describes books touting French and Japanese diets but notes the skepticism of Dr. Ruth Kava:
But Dr. Ruth Kava, [nutrition] director of the American Council on Science and Health Nutrition, is skeptical.
A December 7, 2005 column by Becky Fenger in the Sonoran [AZ] News notes the article "EPA to Defend Itself from ACSH; NYC Defends Itself from Bedbugs" by ACSH's Todd Seavey:
Unfortunately for their self-image, the French, like the citizens of virtually every other country, are fighting the battle of the bulge. They can no longer be considered immune to the rising tide of obesity that has been occurring in the U.S. of late, according to an article in the International New York Times.
Re the Dec. 1 article "Antipsychotic drugs raise wider concerns for elderly": The new report from researchers at Harvard Medical School showing that newer anti-psychotic drugs are no more dangerous for seniors than older ones -- and may actually be safer -- illustrates the complexities of assessing the risks of medications.
A December 20, 2005 article by Megan Scott quotes ACSH's Dr. Ruth Kava on crash dieting:
No more cake, cookies, or egg nog. We're not trying to be cruel. But if you watch what you eat, you have some room to indulge.
But don't starve yourself: Fasting until Christmas dinner is a no-no. Ruth Kava, director of nutrition for the American Council on Science and Health, suggests eating breakfast, lunch and even a snack. ''It's when you're starving that you really tend to go for it and overeat,'' she says.
This piece originally appeared March 16, 2006 in the Washington Times:
Judging from recent media coverage, soda is quickly gaining on cigarettes for the title of No. 1 Public Health Threat.
Tony Soprano (of the HBO mega-series The Sopranos) is a mobster whose stock in trade is intimidation and murder. Nick Naylor, a character in the just-released movie Thank You For Smoking (based on Chris Buckley's 1994 novel), peddles the addictive killer, cigarettes. He blithely sells his product to any and all comers -- age is not a factor in his business. Indeed, in a key scene, Naylor asserted that he would buy his own son cigarettes at age eighteen, if the boy so chose.
A new bill (HR 4167) currently wending its way through Congress has the potential to protect consumers from the current hodgepodge of irrational safety warnings on foods. Under the bill, which has been passed by the House of Representatives, states would need FDA approval for labeling requirements that differ from federal standards. The bill mandates uniform food safety labels nationwide.
The British technology news site The Register reports that the president of Canada's Lakehead University has restricted the creation of Wi-Fi networks (which allow people to access the Internet through the air without wires) on campus, out of concern that the networks' radio transmissions might cause leukemia and brain tumors.
A February 8, 2006 letter to the editor by Stephen Helfer of Cambridge, MA denounced the agitation in Utah for smoking bans, citing ACSH president Dr. Elizabeth Whelan:
The largest study done to date, peer-reviewed and published in the May 17, 2003, British Medical Journal, found no increased risk of lung cancer or heart disease associated with SHS exposure.
A Friday, February 24, 2006 article (available online to Chronicle of Higher Education subscribers) by Andrea L. Foster describes Lakehead University's fear of students getting cancer from Internet Wi-Fi signals -- but includes a note of caution from ACSH's Todd Seavey:
The university appears to be the first to cite health concerns in deciding against wireless networking.
The journal Technology (Vol. 9, No.s 5-6) featured a review by Sorin R. Straja ACSH's book America's War on "Carcinogens", saying, in part:
An article by John Carney in the April 6-12, 2006 TimeOut New York explains that sellers of Vava and some other bottled waters claim the products have healing powers:
A May 3, 2006 article by Kara Sissell noted the ease with which activists can turn reports about chemicals into scares, one example of which was activists' reception...
...last year of a bio-monitoring study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta), says Gilbert Ross, executive director/medical for the American Council [on] Science and Health (ACSH; [New York]), a group that receives some funding from industry...
Penn Jillette is not only a magician, comedian, skeptic, libertarian, and radio host -- he's also a big fan of ACSH Trustee Dr. Norman Borlaug, calling him "My biggest hero on the planet" in this recent interview of Borlaug on Penn's radio show:
http://podcast.penn.freefm.com/penn/25352.mp3
In a meeting held June 28, 2006, ACSH selected a new, expanded Board of Trustees. "We are delighted to have such an illustrious group of scientists, physicians, attorneys, and policy makers assume the governance of ACSH," said ACSH founder and president -- and trustee -- Dr. Elizabeth Whelan.
New members of the Board of Trustees -- many of them longtime associates of or advisors to ACSH -- are in bold below.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF
THE AMERICAN COUNCIL ON SCIENCE AND HEALTH
JULY 2006
FREDERICK ANDERSON, ESQ.
McKenna Long & Aldridge
A July 13, 2006 column (reprinted on July 17) by Steve Chapman on the use of smokeless tobacco instead of cigarettes as a method of harm reduction concludes with a quote from ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross:
A July 22, 2006 column by Paula Easley laments multiple efforts to regulate in the name of safety without solid scientific justification. She notes the exaggerations about secondhand smoke:
A September 26, 2006 article by Lauren Foster notes that judges have ruled claims that "light" cigarettes are healthier to be false but that the idea of using smokeless tobacco as a safer alternative for those who can't quit nicotine is catching on, citing researcher Brad Rodu and ACSH's Jeff Stier:
An August 16, 2006 article by John Johnston noted the denunciation by ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan of proposed California legislation that would ban iPods for containing "toxic" ingredients:
A May 29, 2006 item by Robyn Shelton on the blog of the Orlando Sentinel quotes ACSH's report on Health and Safety Tips for Your Summer Vacation:
The Senate is currently considering legislation which would prohibit the FDA from including on FDA scientific advisory boards scientists "with industry ties" to drug manufacturers (the House already approved this legislation). Today, FDA's Dr. Scott Gottlieb emphatically opposed this proposed legislation, declaring that it would deprive FDA of advice from the best and brightest scientists in America.
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