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.
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New Study Confirms: Diabetes Increases the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
A new study has confirmed a long-held suspicion that people with diabetes are at a higher risk of developing age-related dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The latest findings are based on research in Japan that followed over 1,000 men and women, age 60 and older. 27 percent of the participants who were diabetic at the outset of the study eventually developed dementia, compared to 20 percent of those with normal blood sugar levels.
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Too Busy, Too Lazy, Too Tired to Cook
For the majority of American families, homemade meals are a thing of the past. The reasons are multiple: Too inconvenient, too time consuming, too challenging, too expensive. Nutrition experts have long identified the lack of home cooking as one of the factors contributing to the ongoing obesity crisis, including childhood obesity. There is also general agreement that this is not an easy problem so solve. Here are a few obstacles that keep people from returning to the kitchen.
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Most Americans Eat Too Much Sodium But Don’t Think of It as a Problem
Americans continue to have a much higher sodium intake than they should and most don’t care or don’t believe that it’s a major health concern, according to two new studies that were done for the American Dietetic Association (ADA).
One of the surveys, conducted by the International Food Information Council (IFIC), found that nearly 60 percent of 1,000 Americans who were asked about their eating habits said they were “not concerned” about sodium levels in their food.
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Listeria Outbreak Reminds Us of the Importance of Food Safety
The recent listeria outbreak in cantaloupe is the deadliest of its kind in more than 10 years in the United States, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). At least 16 deaths and over 80 infections have been associated with cantaloupes from Jensen Farms in Colorado, which so far has been identified as the single source. A few days ago, California-based True Leaf Farms, a processing plant of Church Brothers LLC, has announced a recall of chopped romaine lettuce that also may be contaminated with listeria bacteria.
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Preventive Care Must be Included in Essential Health Benefit Package
The central goal of last year’s health care reform was to provide coverage for tens of millions of Americans who are currently uninsured or uninsurable because of so-called pre-existing conditions. Under the new legislation, insurance companies will be prohibited from denying acceptance to applicants based on their health status or dropping beneficiaries when they get sick. Insurers will also have to cover a number of preventive measures like immunizations, routine medical check-ups and screenings for certain types of cancer.
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More Confusing News About Vitamin Supplements
Two independent studies suggest that taking a daily dose of vitamin supplements may not be as health-promoting as previously believed and may even be harmful. Their findings are only the latest in a series of clinical study reports that have questioned the benefits of the popular nutrition-enhancers.
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Anxiety Disorders Are Sharply on the Rise
It’s getting harder to feel good about life in America. According to data collected by the Census Bureau, the average income of Americans has fallen by almost 10 percent since the beginning of the recession of 2008. Some experts say the financial crisis has been as traumatic and anxiety-producing for millions of Americans as the events of 9/11/2001. While people back then were fearful of another terrorist attack, they are now experiencing profound existential angst about their future.
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Americans Are More Realistic About the Quality of Their Diet
Over the last 20 years, Americans have become increasingly aware that their diet plays a significant role for their health. They also have become more disillusioned about the nutritional quality of the foods they are actually eating. Despite of these changes in awareness, most people’s eating habits have largely remained unchanged and the obesity crisis has worsened. These are the findings of a study report issued by the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
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Poor Nutrition in Schools Will Continue
Last week, congressional legislators voted to block a proposal by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to improve the nutritional quality of the nation’s school lunches, which the agency says contain too much junk food and not enough fresh produce. The lawmakers named cost increases that would exceed the budget limitations of the coming agriculture spending bill as their main reason for keeping new school meal regulations from going into effect at this time. The USDA plan would have added $6.8 billion to the current expenditures, or about 14 cents per meal.
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Rethinking the Meaning of Thanksgiving
As every child in America learns in kindergarten, Thanksgiving goes back the very beginning of our nation. It’s more than just another holiday. It’s our own unique creation myth, if you will. But throughout history, the meaning of Thanksgiving has changed time and again, and today there are multiple ways to celebrate.
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Nutrition Guidelines Remain Unnecessarily Hard to Decipher
The recently updated Dietary Guidelines by the government, called “MyPlate,” were designed with simplicity and user-friendliness in mind. To a certain extent this has been achieved, although the jury is still out whether it will make Americans finally change their eating habits. So far, there is little evidence of that. Critics say, the new concept may be easier to understand than its predecessors (“Food Pyramid” and “MyPyramid”), but it may also oversimplify the intricacies of a healthy, balanced diet.
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