The Health News and Reviews section addresses current health- and lifestyle issues as they are discussed in the press and respective publications. You may search by topic, by key word(s) or by date. At the end of each article, you are invited to leave your own insights, comments or questions.
No More Sodas for New York City’s Poor
The mayor of New York City, Michael R. Bloomberg, has asked the Department of Agriculture (USDA) for permission to add sodas and other sugary soft drinks to the list of items that cannot be purchased with food stamps. The USDA finances the federal food stamp program and also sets the rules in terms of benefits and entitlements. Cigarettes, alcohol as well as certain restaurant foods and snacks are already excluded. A decision is pending.
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In Hard Times, Good Nutrition and Physical Fitness Are Often Among the First Casualties
A while ago, one of my fellow fitness enthusiasts whom I consider a friend lost his job and remained unemployed for an unnerving period of several months. The stress of existential uncertainty wore heavily on him. Yet, he maintained his regimen the same way he used to when he was working. Every day he continued lifting weights, kept running his 3 miles, ate nutritious food and controlled his weight. He knew that taking good care of his health needs was especially important now. Not everybody acts like this.
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Growing Concerns About Eggs
A sudden outbreak of salmonella has prompted a third recall by some of the biggest egg producers in the country in only two weeks. The Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) has warned that hundreds of millions of eggs may be affected. Ironically, this latest food safety breakdown is happening only a few weeks after new guidelines for egg production were issued by the agency. Now federal health officials say that contamination with salmonella in eggs may be a more serious problem than they had anticipated at the time when the new rules were established.
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How Much Do Nutrition Labels Really Matter?
For quite some time, food manufacturers and restaurant operators have been pressured on both federal and state level to be more open about the nutritional quality of their products. Now that the Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) is trying to introduce a new national food labeling program, politicians and interest groups from all sides jump on the bandwagon, offering their advice how to go about the project.
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Obesity Rate in America Keeps Rising With No End in Sight
Obesity remains on the rise everywhere in America, especially in the southern parts of the country. Two thirds of our population are now overweight to some degree and one third is considered obese. According to a recently released report by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity rates have nearly doubled since studies were initially conducted some 16 years ago.
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Fish Oil May Help Reduce the Risk of Breast Cancer
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) has recently reported (in their journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention) that taking fish oil supplements may help reduce the risk of a certain type of breast cancer. The study the report is based on involved over 35,000 women between the age of 50 and 76 over a period of two years, plus six years of follow-up. The initial results showed that participants who took regularly fish oil supplements had a 32% reduced risk for developing ductal breast cancer.
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The Health Risks of Mercury in Seafood
One of the most common pollutants found in seafood is mercury. In one survey conducted in New York City, seafood dishes from twenty restaurants and sushi bars were tested for mercury content. The results were outright alarming. More than a quarter of the tested items exceeded not only the limits recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.), they qualified as hazardous enough to be removed from the market by legal action. Since a federal testing program for mercury does not exist, the contamination of seafood sold in the United States remains generally unknown.
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F.D.A. Trying to Curb Overuse of Antibiotics in Agriculture
The use of antibiotics has been common in the meat industry for a long time, not only to treat sick farm animals or to protect them from diseases but also to foster their growth. It seems that small doses of antibiotics administered daily makes the animals gain weight faster. According to the New York Times, 70 percent of the antibiotics used in agriculture are simply for the promotion of animal growth, not to fight illnesses.
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Genetically Altered Salmon and Other Engineered Food
Genetically altered salmon is about to get the nod from the Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.). Genetically engineered food products are by no means a novelty. However, surveys have shown that Americans are more concerned about genetically altered animal products than they are about engineered plant foods, which are widely in use already.
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Hypertension – The Silent Killer
Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is often called “the silent killer,” because it is a deadly disease that shows no early symptoms. It is the single most significant risk factor for heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke and kidney disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost a third of adults in the United States suffer from various degrees of hypertension.
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Men and Women Gain Weight Differently and Store Fat in Different Places. Why Is That?
On average, women store between five and ten percent more fat than men, even though men consume proportionately more calories. And, although women typically burn more calories than men during physical exercise, they don’t lose as much fat. This is not a fluke of nature.
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A Call for Regulating Energy Drinks
They promise to boost your energy, make you super alert and enhance your performance, both physically and mentally. And they are extremely popular, especially among young people. Ever since they came on the market in the late Nineties, demand for energy drinks has exploded, totaling sales of more than $5 billion annually in the U.S. alone. As of now, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate the caffeine content of energy drinks, as it does with cola-type sodas.
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Related Articles:
- The Health Risks of Mercury in Seafood
- F.D.A. Trying to Curb Overuse of Antibiotics in Agriculture
- Widespread Seafood Fraud Misleads Consumers, Causes Health Risks and Hampers Conservation Efforts
- Genetically Altered Salmon and Other Engineered Food
- A Call for Regulating Energy Drinks
- Fish Oil May Help Reduce the Risk of Breast Cancer
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