At the American Council on Science and Health, our goal is to increase people s awareness of actual threats to their health smoking, for example without their having to spend time worrying about things that pose no danger at all. Unfortunately, the goals of some politicians, the media, and certain activist groups can be somewhat different they frequently aim to create a sensation and gain publicity without much regard for actual scientific evidence. This annual list of the top 10 health scares aims to quell fears by discussing the real evidence about these unscientific scares.
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A Mediterranean diet, rich in olive oil, nuts, beans, fish, fruits and vegetables, was found to prevent about 30 percent of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from heart disease in people at high risk, according to a new study. These results were so pronounced that the study ended early, after five years, because it was deemed unethical to continue.
We can all celebrate today with any large sugary drink of our choosing, as New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg s ban on a wide swath of sweetened beverages was blocked by Justice Milton A. Tingling Jr. of State Supreme Court in Manhattan. He called the ban arbitrary and capricious, citing the fact that the ban only applied to some drinks in certain food establishments.
A significant number of folks over age 70 may be getting unnecessary colonoscopies, according to a study published in JAMA. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends colorectal cancer (CRC) screening begin at age 50 for those at average CRC risk, and follow-up studies every 10 years until age 75. The rationale behind these guidelines is that colon cancer commonly progresses very slowly; therefore, early detection is unlikely to benefit older adults.
A new study published in the journal Health Affairs found that the rate of Caesarean deliveries varied widely across hospitals and regions of the United States, from 7 percent of all births at the hospital with the lowest rate, to 70 percent of all births at the hospital with the highest rate.
In a Dispatch article Monday, ACSH s Dr. Josh Bloom excoriated a study that tried (and failed miserably) to link exposure to BPA with childhood asthma. Apparently, he has a bit more to say on this matter. You can read his typically mild-mannered and non-judgemental op-ed, Maybe the Worst Paper Ever? here.
A new study suggests that the life expectancy for some American women seems to be on the decline, specifically in rural areas in the south and the west.
The study, based on mortality rates in U.S. counties from 1992-1996 and 2002-2006, found that women age 75 and younger are dying at higher rates than previous years in nearly half of the nation's counties - many of them rural and in the South and West. For men however, life expectancy has held steady or improved in nearly all counties.
In a move that borders on hilarious (unless you happen to live there, in which case it's anything but) Nevada state Sen. Tick Segerblom is pushing for a law that he believes will address the growing problem of opiate addiction. The new measure would permit patients who become addicted to painkillers to sue the doctors who prescribed the medications, as well as the manufacturers that made the drug.
In yet another case of a provocative, but largely inaccurate headline, aspirin is a big item in the news today. The 100+ year-old drug in addition to being used for pain and fever is widely used to prevent heart attacks and strokes. But a group at Stanford University School of Medicine believes that, possibly because of its anti-inflammatory properties, aspirin may decrease the risk of malignant melanoma.
ACSH s Dr. Gilbert Ross calls him America s greatest surgeon general ever. C. Everett Koop, surgeon general from 1982 to 1989, and longtime friend of ACSH, passed away yesterday in Hanover, N.H., at the age of 96.
He was in the forefront of transmitting science-based information about AIDS, says Dr. Ross. Nobody even talked about it officially before he did. For someone who came from a very conservative, traditional mindset he said he was using Christian compassion to deal with the sick and potentially sick people, whatever their personal behaviors.
Last December, the French senate passed a law that would become effective in July of 2015 banning the use of tubes containing diethylhexyl-phthalate (DEHP) from pediatric, neonatal and maternity wards. The ban may be challenged by the European Food and Safety Authority if they find that it is not scientifically warranted.
This year s flu vaccine appears to be doing a poor job of protecting the elderly, federal health officials reported yesterday.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention head Dr. Thomas Frieden calls them nightmare bacteria and they are showing up in more and more U.S. hospitals.
After launching campaigns against soda, salt and fast food, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is at it again with a new target ear buds. But unlike some of his pervasive and ill-advised forays into dictating our health behaviors, this time the Mayor has promulgated a productive campaign to save our youngsters hearing.
In a consensus statement, seven major professional societies have endorsed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as the best treatment for menopause symptoms, with certain caveats. They note that this treatment is safest for women younger than 60 or within 10 years after menopause in terms of risk-benefit balance, adding that the risk of breast cancer attributable to HRT is small and the risk decreases after treatment is stopped.
The latest food scare du jour involves an online petition by moms Lisa Leake and Vani Hari of North Carolina asking Kraft to remove Yellow Dyes No. 5 and 6 from their mac and cheese.
In the United States, 66 percent of adults are categorized as either overweight or obese a number is three times what it was in 1980. Elevated body mass index, an estimate of body fatness based on height and weight, has long been considered a risk factor for coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancers of the large intestine, kidney, uterus, and breast in postmenopausal women. Furthermore, 20 percent of adults aged 20 years or older have metabolic syndrome, defined by a combination of obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance.
Is organic food really better than the conventional variety? Apparently many people think so at least that s what a recent study from Cornell University demonstrates.
Researchers asked 115 volunteers to taste and rate 3 pairs of foods yogurt, cookies, and chips. Each member of a pair was labeled either organic or conventional . After the tasting, the participants rated the taste and calorie content of each food, and how much they d be willing to pay for them.
A third of all American children are overweight or obese, and this proportion is even greater among children from low-income households and minority ethnic groups. For example, 40 percent of Mexican-American children living in poverty are overweight or obese. But new research indicates that consuming ready-to-eat cereal (RTEC) can help fight this tendency.
The current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine contains two commentaries examining the recent judicial rejection of New York Mayor Bloomberg's proposed partial ban on sugar-sweetened drinks larger than 16 ounces. The Bloomberg proposal was purportedly presented as a means of combating obesity among City residents.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoMuq4V3EkQ
Negative messages about children s vaccines are more likely to be spread on Twitter than positive messages, according to research led by Marcel Salathé, an assistant professor of biology at Penn State University.
It's that time of year, the season when "reform" of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) rises from the ashes, and stroller brigades and anti-technology "environmental" groups remind us that without a new chemical law, the sky will fall again.
In a new study published in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers found no association between receiving too many vaccines too soon, and autism. Despite the evidence, one third of parents are still concerned that vaccines may play a role in causing autism, and one in ten parents delay vaccinations or refuse to vaccinate their children.
Physical activity is not only important in preventing obesity in children. A new study is now suggesting that it may have a role in keeping bones strong as well.
Although Mayor Bloomberg s ban on large-sized sugary drinks was thrown out by a state court judge last month, he intends to continue the government war on obesity. There remains a lively debate about how best to accomplish reducing obesity s toll, and to what extent government measures can influence personal behavior.
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