In a survey released today, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) documented the widespread sale of French fries high in trans fatty acids in the cafeterias of leading U.S. hospitals and in the cafeterias of some government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). “Unfortunately, this suggests that many hospitals pay […] Continue reading
Vitamin D, Calcium and Health
Clearing up confusion around the vitamin supplement findings from the Women’s Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial Many people were surprised and confused by the report from the Women’s Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial (WHI) that vitamin D supplements had no apparent benefit for hip fracture or colon cancer risks.(1) In this study, over 36,000 women […] Continue reading
Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy
Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy (Free Press), by Walter Willett, M.D., Dr.P.H. with Patrick J. Skerrett debunks dietary myths, gives a comprehensive review of current nutrition research, and debuts the Healthy Eating Pyramid, a healthier nutrition guide than the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPyramid. Continue reading
Obesity Controversy
Flawed Obesity Study Minimizes Health Risks of Excess Weight U.S. government researchers made the news in late April with two startling findings: They found that overweight people have a lower mortality risk than normal weight people, and that obesity and overweight cause far fewer U.S. deaths each year than previously thought. (1) Newspapers around the world […] Continue reading
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Several of the recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 (1) represented important steps in the right direction: The guidelines emphasized the importance of controlling weight, which was not adequately addressed in previous versions. And they continued to stress the importance of physical activity. The recommendation on dietary fats made a clear break from […] Continue reading
Be Healthy! It’s a Girl Thing: Food, Fitness, and Feeling Great
Be Healthy! It’s a Girl Thing: Food, Fitness, and Feeling Great (Random House Children’s Books), by Mavis Jukes and Lilian Cheung, D.Sc., R.D. is a guide for adolescent girls on how to stay healthy and fit. Continue reading
Nutritional Epidemiology
Nutritional Epidemiology (Oxford University Press), by Walter Willett, M.D., Dr.P.H. is a detailed review of epidemiological research on the complex relationships between diet and chronic diseases. Continue reading