Amid the welter of often-conflicting diet and health advice, it can be difficult to figure out what constitutes a healthful diet and lifestyle -- especially when it comes to preventing heart disease. Should one go low-fat or avoid alcohol while doubling up on soy foods? How much exercise is enough, and should it be aerobic or strength training? A new report in the Archives of Internal Medicine (Akesson, A, et al., Combined effect of low-risk dietary and lifestyle behaviors in primary prevention of myocardial infarction in women. Arch Intern Med.
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A July 31, 2007 piece by Steve Cornett on country-of-origin labeling notes the opinion of ACSH's Jeff Stier that it's not a very good way to protect health:
Here are a couple of things I didn't write but wish I had. From Jeff Stier in, of all places, the HuffingtonPost, is an accurate assessment of the rush to COOL.
As stated previously, I'm cool with COOL, but only because it will help us segregate offensive product.
That the tobacco industry is dead set on increasing its appeal to young people should by now be no news to anyone. What seems to surprise Newsweek columnist Anna Quindlen (Oct. 1, "Killing the Consumer") is that many magazines are enablers for Big Tobacco.
A July 17, 200y article by Eunnie Park noted an outside activity of ACSH's Jeff Stier:
Joel Kirshner was the kind of guy who would engage shy people at parties, cook for friends on the Sabbath, and break office policy to help a colleague in a bind.
A July 13, 2007 article by Michael Siegel notes skepticism on HealthFactsAndFears.com about some claims made about smoking bans' benefits:
December 10, 2007: A Nice Note of Support, a Less Than Nice Flu Season
- Quote to Note: "I've been a constant reader of [ACSH's website], loving every minute, learning valuable information, finally agreeing with something I read about science/health, and rolling my eyes at the rabid misinformation out there with the knowledge of how much this costs me and ignorant or scared people everywhere." --Anthony, a fan of ACSH.
December 24, 2007 : "Dangerous" Toys, Snacks and Races; Common Sense on Food Contamination
• Quote to Note: “Industry scientists and many federal regulators say these exposures are harmless.” – Amy Schoenfeld in the New York Times about chemicals in everyday household products.
This piece first appeared in the New York Post.
We live in an intensely chemical-phobic society, one where food labels and menus brag of being "all-natural" and "purely organic." Poultry sections offer fryers from "happy, free range chickens." "Chemical-free" cuisine is in.
This piece first appeared on HuffingtonPost.com.
The days when you could count on hard news in the morning are long over. But as the morning news extends from breakfast to brunch, the standards have fallen even more.
Obesity isn’t good for you -- it can lead to myriad health problems and can shorten life -- but not always. Recent research reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Sui, et al. 2007;298:2507-2516) indicates that even obese older people, if they also are physically fit, have a reduced risk of death compared to similarly fat but less fit folks.
Yesterday, Tuesday Nov. 20th, the New York Times published an editorial entitled "Another Very Scary Germ." The thrust of the piece was that more needs to be done, now, to get MRSA back under control. It was prompted by recent news showing that this highly-resistant and dangerous bug has been spreading outside of its usual haunts, hospitals and other healthcare facilities, to sicken and kill in the community. In fact, 2005 data indicated almost 95,000 of us contracted illness from MRSA, and over 18,000 died.
Are beta-carotene supplements on the way back? In the early 1990s beta-carotene was the darling of supplement purveyors as several observational epidemiologic studies had shown an association between consumption of beta-carotene-rich foods, beta-carotene levels in blood, and reduced risk of some chronic diseases. Mid-decade, though, randomized trials of beta-carotene supplements in smokers not only found no benefit to the pills, but even some slight increases in risk of lung cancer.
This piece first appeared on HuffingtonPost.com.
Be careful!
A November 6, 2007 piece by David Harrison about what may be psychosomatic illnesses quotes ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan:
Studies over the past few years have described similar cases of inexplicable illnesses and symptoms. In many cases, the condition affects young women and may be caused by anxiety or stress, said Elizabeth Whelan, a doctor of public health and epidemiology in New York.
"There's no underlying biological explanation for it," she said. "They may act sick or feel sick, but there's nothing there to biologically explain it."
On December 10, 2007, the Freakonomics blog plugged ACSH's Riskometer site, saying:
Riskometer helps put health warnings in perspective.
A Seed magazine Daily Zeitgeist post from December 11, 2007 lists ACSH's Riskometer among items of note:
Riskometer. Gauge your risk.
There are no legitimate health concerns associated with eating the tuna available today -- in sushi or other forms. Enjoy it without worry.
The front-page story by Marian Burros in the New York Times on Wednesday, January 23rd lacked critical perspective. She confused a legal/regulatory issue with a health issue.
January 7, 2008: A Long Way, Baby, Albeit While Coughing
- Quote to Note: "A man may take out a woman who smokes for a good time, but he won't marry her, and if he does, he won't stay married." --A 1914 Washington Post editorial.
A recent article in USA Today describes how big business can have an impact on food safety. The agricultural industry is increasingly dominated by a handful of high-volume producers, which means no contamination incident is small in size or scope. Add to this the problem of an outdated food-surveillance system that can’t really police the nation’s entire food supply and often prioritizes risks poorly.
This piece first appeared on March 2, 2008 in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
This item first appeared in the New York Post.
Congress is poised to pass a massive giveaway to the ambulance-chasing trial attorneys -- under the guise of protecting consumers.
It's a pretty sad state of affairs when grocery sellers decide to market their wares by kowtowing to consumer fears. But that's what seems to be happening now. Wal-Mart has decided not to sell milk from cows that have been treated with rBST (recombinant bovine somatotropin, or growth hormone) -- even though the FDA has said more than once that milk from such cows is no different from any other milk.
A January 22, 2008 blog entry by Diana Young, R.D., notes ACSH's survey of Nutrition Accuracy in Popular Magazines:
Pagination
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