Author: Brett O Otis

Congress Scraps Limits on French Fries, Keeps Pizza a Vegetable   No one would mistake French fries and pizza for a healthy meal. Yet Congress has overturned a plan that would limit French fries in school lunch. And it’s scrapped or stalled other healthy menu changes that would boost vegetables and lower salt. Continue reading

For Adult Bone Health, Too Low on Vitamin D—and Too Generous on Calcium By Heike Bischoff-Ferrari and Walter Willett Vitamin D and Bone Health Most evidence on vitamin D and calcium is available for bone health. Thus the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) panel released on November 30, 2010 (1) are largely based […] Continue reading

It may come as a surprise to many people that the comprehensive national health care reform bill signed into law in March contains a substantial piece on prevention and public health, including incentives to prevent chronic disease. The senior leader responsible for that section, Senator Tom Harkin from Iowa, is a long-time health and wellness […] Continue reading

The New York City Board of Health’s decision to ban trans fats from restaurants may prevent thousands of premature deaths, and it serves as a model for other cities around the world, according to a leading authority on trans fats’ harmful health effects. “The New York City Board of Health deserves applause for its decision […] Continue reading

Testimony submitted at October 30, 2006 hearing before the New York City Board of Health by Dariush Mozaffarian, M.D., Dr.P.H., F.A.C.C.. F.A.H.A., Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health I am a cardiologist at Harvard Medical School and an epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health. I would like to thank the […] Continue reading