ACS on PSA
The American Cancer Society (ACS) is urging doctors to talk frankly with their patients about the risks and limitations of the PSA blood test used to screen for prostate cancer.
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The CDC reported yesterday that the rate of Cesarean births reached 32% in 2007, the country s highest rate ever. The New York Times reports, When needed, a Caesarean can save the mother and her child from injury or death, but most experts doubt that one in three women need surgery to give birth.
A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that moderate alcohol consumption, defined as one or two glasses of wine a day or the equivalent amounts of beer or other alcoholic beverages, significantly reduces the risk of death from any cause in those who already suffered from circulatory problems such as angina, heart attack, or stroke.
A research review published in the journal Pediatrics examined twenty-eight studies involving 3,500 children undergoing treatment for cancer and found that many of them use herbal remedies, vitamins, or other types of alternative therapies.
ACSH staffers were (almost) speechless when we found out that the New Jersey State Senate voted unanimously to restrict the use of e-cigarettes as though they were equivalent to standard, life-threatening cigarettes.
"This is a big step in the wrong direction," says ACSH's Jeff Stier, "because while there are no controlled studies yet, we know that many smokers are successfully using e-cigarettes to quit smoking cigarettes. And to treat e-cigarettes as if they are as dangerous as cigarettes is a huge leap based on no data whatsoever."
The CDC released its Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, a list of chemicals found in blood and urine samples collected from participants in CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
ACSH Trustee and Hoover Institution Fellow Dr. Henry Miller, a former FDA official, argues on Forbes.com that many dietary supplements are “complex, highly variable, and impure,” and that they should be more closely scrutinized.”
A study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience determined that when rats consume high-fat, high-calorie foods in great quantities, it leads to compulsive eating habits that resemble drug addiction.
In addition to the fact that this is a rat study, it does not reflect the way that humans eat, says ACSH s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. In fact, this study doesn t even reflect the eating habits of rats, so there s no way it could be a realistic model of human eating habits.
•In March 2010, venues noting ACSH included Christian Science Monitor ( http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0301/Obama-still-lighting-up-but-anti-... ), New York Times (a Dr. Ross comment on one of their blogs, about smokeless tobacco), Forbes.com (a Dr. Ross comment on BPA), Wall Street Journal online (a Dr.
Jeff Stier's New York Post piece "9/11 Junk Science" inspired negative letters and a critical response from U.S.
A research study and editorial published today in the journal Pediatrics suggests that R.J. Reynolds Camel Orbs and similar dissolvable tobacco products will appeal to young children because they resemble candy. The study s lead researcher, Dr.
The Washington Post reports that the Food and Drug Administration is planning an "unprecedented effort" to reduce Americans' salt intake by mandating that food manufacturers use less sodium. The FDA claims it needs no additional authority from Congress to gradually "phase-down" sodium levels in nearly every type of processed food.
The European Chemicals Agency will expand its list of Substances of Very High Concern from the current 29 to a total of 135 by the year 2012, in accordance with Europe’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation.
Science News reports, Two chemicals that are becoming widely used replacements for potentially toxic flame retardants in household products such as televisions and furniture have shown up in peregrine falcon eggs in California.
The FDA has assembled a panel to study mentholated cigarettes and advise on how the government should regulate them. The panel’s recommendations are expected by next March.
“The menthol issue is very complex, both economically and medically,” says ACSH’s Dr. Gilbert Ross. “A few months ago, I thought it was a slam dunk that the FDA would ban it because of the members of the committee, but the more I’ve read on the issue, the more I believe that there’s no scientific evidence for banning menthol.”
A study published in the journal Archives of Neurology suggests that a diet rich in olive oil, nuts, fish, poultry, and certain fruits and vegetables may help stave off Alzheimer’s disease.
New guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology seek to help family members of dementia patients gauge when their loved one is no longer capable of driving.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the voluntary recall of several models of hockey sticks that have paint containing lead levels in excess of the federal standard.
A study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology based on data for over 2.4 million Canadians shows that for every 1% increase in colonoscopy use, the risk of death from colon cancer dropped 3%.
According to the New York Post, The controversial fat tax Gov. Paterson hopes to resurrect in budget talks this week could hike the price of powdered drink mixes such as Kool-Aid, Gatorade, and iced tea by nearly double.
The Washington State Senate is expected to pass a tax package that includes a sales tax on candy.
A study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute investigated the claim that eating fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of cancer, concluding, A very small inverse association between intake of total fruits and vegetables and cancer risk was observed in this study. Given the small magnitude of the observed associations, caution should be applied in their interpretation.
Research published online today in the journal Health Affairs indicates that low taxes on soda have no effect on consumption, though high taxes probably would.
This should not be a surprise, says Stier. However, a soda tax that is high enough to reduce consumption would not be politically viable.
ACSH’s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan this morning joined a Hartford, Conn. talk radio program to discuss the claims that the chemical BPA in can linings and plastic products is hazardous to health.
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