BBC News, Helen Briggs, November 2, 2010
Forcing food manufacturers to cut salt levels in processed food could help cut heart disease rates, claim Australian researchers.
A theoretical study suggests mandatory salt limits could help reduce heart disease rates by 18% – far more than by using existing voluntary measures.
High-salt diets are linked to high blood pressure, which can lead to heart attacks or strokes.
Adults are advised to consume a maximum of 6g of salt a day – about a teaspoon.
The study looked at the effectiveness of different strategies around the world …
Reuters, Julie Steenhuysen, November 1, 2010
Despite efforts to limit their availability, public elementary school students in the United States have more outlets to buy unhealthy beverages at school, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
Over a three-year period ending in 2009, more students could buy sweetened beverages like sodas, higher-fat milk and sports beverages from vending machines and school stores, they said. Such drinks are a major source of calories, and removing them from schools could help curb the nation’s obesity epidemic.
“Elementary school students are still surrounded by a variety of unhealthy …
BBC News, November 1, 2010
Alcohol is more harmful than heroin or crack when the overall dangers to the individual and society are considered, according to a study in the Lancet.
The report is co-authored by Professor David Nutt, the former government chief drugs adviser who was sacked in 2009.
It ranked 20 drugs on 16 measures of harm to users and to wider society.
Heroin, crack and crystal meth were deemed worst for individuals, with alcohol, heroin and crack cocaine worst for society, and alcohol worst overall.
The study by the Independent Scientific Committee …
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Alfred Lubrano, October 31, 2010
Mold grows thick and black on the walls of Celeata Bailey’s Norris Square bedroom.
Because most of the ceiling is missing, Bailey, 21, gets soaked in bed when it rains.
Her family puts up duct tape to keep the bathroom wall from collapsing. Raw sewage burbles in the basement, and the family stores surgical masks in the kitchen for anyone who has to descend into its putrid depths.
Bailey’s poverty is evident throughout the house, which sits in the First Congressional District, the second-hungriest in America, …
News Watch International, Joanne Franco, November 1, 2010
A new ruling in Brazil has shaken up the legal world as well as the world of fast food. A former franchise manager for a McDonald’s location in Brazil sued his former employee for his obesity that he says is a direct result of his employment. In a stunning ruling, the court ordered that McDonald’s was liable and ordered the company to pay the man $17,500 in damages.
The man, who asked to remain unnamed, said that during the 12 years that he worked …