New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley launched a new campaign this week to counter obesity in the city: smaller portions. Cut your portions. Cut your risk, one poster states, depicting an overweight diabetic man whose leg has been amputated. The campaign takes note of the correlation between increased serving sizes of food and increased obesity rates over the past several decades.
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If we frequently promote useful smoking cessation aids such as smokeless tobacco and electronic cigarettes, it s because there are promising signs that these methods deliver a much higher quit rate than the methods that are conventionally promoted which have frustratingly low rates of success.
Oropharyngeal cancer, which affects the throat, tongue, soft palate, and tonsils, has become increasingly common among men in the U.S. Because a distinct form of it is caused primarily by HPV (human papillomavirus), a recent study set out to determine the prevalence of oral HPV infection.
While much of the recent media surrounding cancer screening has focused on new research and guidelines suggesting that less frequent screening may be beneficial, a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that too many Americans are not getting screened at all.
Feeding the World: Why Pesticides are a Critical Part of the Solution
Environmental Toxicologist Featured Speaker at Capitol Hill Briefing
Women with normal bone density at age 65 can safely wait as long as 15 years before having another bone density scan, researchers report in a study just published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The finding runs counter to the common practice of testing bone density in older women every two years, which happens to b
The U.S. teenage birth rate remains the highest in the developed world, a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports: 400,000 girls aged 15 to 19 years gave birth each year, on average, between 2004 and 2008.
Urinary tract infections (UTI) are common enough, but a study just published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that doctors too often prescribe antibiotics for bacteria in the urine when a patient s condition does not actually warrant it.
Though soda has received much flak for its high sugar content and alleged adverse health effects, a new study is targeting diet soda too, claiming that consuming too much can lead to vascular events.
For nursing home residents, a trip to the emergency room may actually worsen their health rather than improve it. According to the results of a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the rate of new acute respiratory or GI infections within a week of an ER visit among residents of long-term care facilities was 5 percent, compared to just 2 percent in those who stayed at the nursing home.
When we talk about vaccinations, we usually focus on children. However, a new report by the CDC shows that too many adults are shirking the immunizations that they need. As the CDC report notes, about 45,000 Americans die every year from vaccine-preventable illnesses. The authors suggest that a lack of information, as well as infrequent visits to a doctor, are most likely responsible for the low rates of important adult immunizations.
Here may be another reason to lose weight: Recent research has found evidence linking obesity to acne. The latest study, published in The Archives of Dermatology, looked at the relationship between weight and skin condition among 3,600 teens. After accounting for age, puberty, and diet, researchers found that overweight and obese adolescents, particularly females, were significantly more likely to develop acne.
Some doctors may soon be forced to give parents of leukemia patients some devastating news that a critical, life-saving leukemia drug is not available. The nation s supply of injectable methotrexate, which is standard treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients, is dwindling.
Stopping just short of declaring lipstick the kiss of death, an activist group devoted to scaring us about cosmetics is claiming that minuscule levels of lead found in lipsticks may cause lead poisoning.
Is disclosure of conflict of interest always a good thing? A new analysis suggests that the answer is more complex than a simple yes or no. The 2010 health care reform legislation contains a provision requiring drug and medical device manufacturers to publicly report gifts and payments made to physicians and teaching hospitals. Poised to go into effect this year, the provision will subject manufacturers to penalties ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 for each violation.
We ve previously reported on studies indicating that circumcision results in reduced rates of HIV transmission in Africa, but now a new study finds that the procedure may also lower the risk of contracting genital herpes (HSV-2) as well. Presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, the latest study collected data on men in Orange Farm, South Africa, both before and after a pro-circumcision public health initiative gained popularity in the city.
Losing weight is an extremely difficult task. But a new study provides some good news for individuals struggling to lose excess weight but trying to reduce their cardiovascular risk: Keeping fit, even in the absence of losing weight, still benefits cardiovascular health.
Here is yet another example of the media vastly mischaracterizing the results of a scientific study: While the data show no relationship between levels of BPA (bisphenol-A) and heart disease, a new report is actually being spun in the news under headlines that suggest the opposite, such as BPA chemical may be tied to heart disease.
The nicotine patch has been found no more beneficial in helping pregnant women quit smoking than it is for smokers in general, according to a study just published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The study, which was intended to investigate both the efficacy and safety of nicotine patches during pregnancy, was able to assess only the former given the extremely low compliance rate of the study participants.
Jennifer Sass can't face off against the American Council on Science and Health, or any expert, when it comes to science, so she has taken to her blog yet again to say anyone who supports science must be a paid shill, this time from the pesticide manufacturer Syngenta.
Women who have a history of endometriosis may be at risk of certain types of ovarian cancer, suggests a new study in The Lancet Oncology. Endometriosis occurs when cells from the lining of the uterus grow in other parts of the body a relatively common condition that occurs in about 10 percent of women during their childbearing years. It can lead to pain, difficulties conceiving, and irregular bleeding.
Two bills proposing a ban on the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging were introduced in France last year by the French Socialist party at the National Assembly. Slated to be approved by the end of this month, following an examination by the French senate, the bills would require that manufacturers operating in France alter their packaging at a high cost.
When many people see a label that says organic, they tend to interpret this as a clear sign that the food is both safer and more nutritious than a conventional product. But an organic label doesn t guarantee safety or greater nutritional value, as the results of a new Dartmouth study emphasize. The study focused on organic brown rice syrup a sweetener found in some foods, including certain infant formulas, cereal and energy bars, and high-energy foods consumed by athletes.
While we at ACSH have long been working to promote increased immunization rates, lawmakers in many states are contemplating a move in the opposite direction. Seven states are currently considering bills that would make it easier for parents to have their kids skip important childhood vaccinations.
A plethora of age-related health conditions might, in fact, be a question of declining vision, Laurie Tarkin reports in this week s health and science section of The New York Times. Tarkin looks specifically at groundbreaking research by two ophthalmologists at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, as well as a researcher at Brown University.
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