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The nation's supermarkets and restaurants seem to have been transformed overnight into one immense promotional campaign for the (scientifically unproven) Atkins diet plan: cutting carbohydrates. The truth is that virtually any plan to cut calories while maintaining or increasing exercise will cause weight loss, not just one magical mix of food types. But there may be a worse problem with Atkins than the annoying hype and the distraction from calorie-cutting: It may diminish the amount of folic acid women get.

The media has a responsibility to present information that is both pertinent and based on empirical data. Unfortunately, the media frequently reports health information that piques mainstream interest but diverts attention away from issues of genuine significance. Take the piece called "The Unhealthy 10," which appeared in the April 14, 2004 Star-Ledger, New Jersey's largest newspaper. Meg Nugent gives readers a list of the "Top 10 dopey, unhealthy things we do that damage our health." Ultimately, it is the list that is dopey.

The dreaded mad cow disease has finally arrived. How worried should we be? Should you avoid the range cattle you come across on hikes in Montana or skip that steak when you visit Bozeman?

A 25th Anniversary Commentaryfrom Dr. Elizabeth WhelanPresident, Co-FounderAmerican Council on Science and Health:

An article on the website of the Sierra Club has given new life to the Internet rumor that plastic water bottles are a health hazard, possibly the cause of birth defects such as Down Syndrome. Years of studies on the purported culprit chemical, bisphenol-A (BPA), have not shown any health effects on humans, but one study showing minor effects on mouse egg cells, led by Dr. Patricia Hunt at Case Western Reserve University, has provided the grain of truth leading to the latest excessive fear.

On the second anniversary of the use of anthrax as a bioweapon in the US, physicians and scientists associated with the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) today alerted government officials and the public that the risks associated with another anthrax attack should not be underestimated.
ACSH scientists noted with concern that the hypothetical threat of a smallpox attack has overshadowed the threat of anthrax, even though we have already experienced a domestic terrorist attack with anthrax.

Tremendous publicity was given recently to a new study that found farmed salmon has significantly more pollutants than wild caught salmon. However, the impact of the findings is less than clear.

Iowa State Press describes Thomas R. DeGregori's latest book thusly:
Origins of the Organic Agriculture Debate takes a historical look at two contrasting streams of ideas. The first view comprises the flow of ideas in chemistry and biology that have created the conditions for modern medicine, modern food production, and the biotechnological revolution. The second view is the "vitalist" reaction to the rise of modern science and the resulting rejection of modern agriculture.

A new study finds that cholesterol-lowering statins can lower the risk of breast cancer by up to 30% for women who were on the drugs for more than five years. (See http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/drug/518552.ht….) Surely, these findings are preliminary; it is only one study and surely there are holes that can be poked in the methodology.

An important new piece of evidence may explain some of the controversy surrounding antioxidants and heart disease. A protein called haptoglobin may modify the effect of antioxidants. Only people with one form of the gene for that protein benefited, while those with another form got worse, and the other group showed no real effect.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest's flagship publication, Nutrition Action Health Letter is a prime fundraising tool for the Food Police. On its face, it looks like a well-written and visually appealing newsletter with health tips and recipes. But to the trained eye, it's not so pretty, at least from a scientific perspective.
Let's break down just a few things from their May 2004 feature "Sweet Nothings: Not All Sweeteners Are Equal." (Cute title. If only they did such a "Splenda-d" job with their science.)

If ACSH had a nickel for every time an activist railed against the "cancer epidemic," well, we wouldn't have to ask you to contribute to our work.
Look no further than the Teresa Heinz-funded anti-chemical documentary, Rachael's Daughters: Searching for the Causes of Breast Cancer, "the story of seven women, all breast-cancer victims or survivors, working to unearth the causes of the breast-cancer epidemic."

Get your VCR set, and don't miss the other side in the debate over fast food and obesity. Soso Whaley and Chazz Weaver (thirty-day McDieters) were interviewed by John Stossel of ABC's 20/20. The show is scheduled to be broadcast this Friday, June 18 at 10pm (and Madonna's on the show as well, if that helps). In the not-too-distant future, ACSH's director of nutrition, Dr. Ruth Kava, will present a nutritional analysis of Soso's and Chazz's McDiets. So watch 20/20 this week, and watch this site for further insights.

A June 9 article by Elizabeth Millard notes ACSH's Stier and Whelan:
The presence of protests at gatherings like Bio 2004 has become fairly standard, said Jeff Stier, associate director of the American Council on Science and Health. In an interview with the E-Commerce Times, Stier said that although most demonstrators carry signs about the health effects of genetically modified foods, most often it is the presence of large corporations that really bothers them...

When ACSH writes about bloodsucking creatures, you might expect to read an article about plaintiff's attorneys suing over multiple chemical sensitivity. But this time, we are writing about the actual aquatic animal, the leech, which is almost synonymous with pre-modern medicine.

We've said it before, and we'll keep saying it: The fact that a food or supplement is "natural," i.e., non-synthetic, doesn't necessarily mean that it is always safe. Such beliefs underlie at least some of the popularity of herbal supplements the market for such products reached an estimated $20 billion plus last year, according to the Wall Street Journal.1 Unfortunately, along with the increasing popularity of these products comes the potential for increasing health risks.

This letter was published on examiner.net

To the editor:

Morgan Spurlock's new movie, "Super Size Me," has led some in the media to call him a glutton for punishment. But what he demonstrated was just plain gluttony, compounded by an intentional lack of physical activity.

Two preliminary studies suggest that eating foods containing acrylamide, recently discovered to be common in fried foods rich in carbohydrates, does not increase the risk for several types of cancer, a scientist said Monday.

Americans are understandably concerned about the possibility of new terrorist attacks. Public health professionals from around the country have urged that people be "prepared." But what does that mean?
Apparently, to the Red Cross it means selling people "preparedness" kits for $49.95 -- and that is per person.
Each Red Cross kit includes a breathing mask, duct tape, food bars, two quarts of water, a radio (with batteries), and a blanket.
But will this Red Cross kit really protect you -- for three days -- as they claim?

Ramesh Ponnuru of National Review wrote a September 24 TechCentralStation.com piece, "Delusions of Moderation," attacking embryonic stem cell (ESC) research. He criticized ACSH president Dr. Elizabeth Whelan and ACSH Director Dr.

Every year, ACSH posts a list of commonsense actions individuals can take to either improve or protect their health. As part of our advice to exercise regularly, we emphasize that bike riders should always wear protective helmets -- which can reduce the risk of head injury by over 85%.
The importance of that particular piece of advice was brought home to me by a phonecall from a friend a couple of weeks ago. "Did you hear," she asked, "about Erica's accident?" No, I hadn't. "What happened?"

An August 1 AP article by J.M. Hirsch quotes ACSH's Dr. Ruth Kava and notes that fruits and vegetables aren't all that expensive, despite people frequently claiming that cost prevents them from consuming these items (and as ACSH's Jeff Stier has said, the low cost of fruits and vegetables undermines NYU nutrition activist Marion Nestle's argument that obesity is caused by the dangerously low price of fast food):

If our medical malpractice tort scheme were a patient, its condition would be critical. The system is ailing, and rather than treating it with an eye toward long-term solutions, the fixes have been quick: emergency insurance, caps on damages.
All avoid the basic question: How can our dysfunctional tort system be fixed?
In theory, negligent care resulting in injury should be reasonably compensated, with oversight provided by impartial courts. Liability insurance would protect doctors and hospitals from ruinous judgments, and be affordable.