A just released study on the benefits of HDL (the “good”) cholesterol-raising drugs has shown disappointing results. While lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol levels plays an important role in the treatment of heart disease, doctors have long believed that taking active measures to increase HDL levels as well would yield additional benefits.
Watching TV and playing video games has long been named as one of the culprits for our national obesity crisis. Our sedentary lifestyle habits certainly deserve some of the blame and there is no shortage of advice on how to wean us from our most beloved pastime.
Since the Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) has lowered the minimum weight requirements for gastric Lap-Band surgery, which made many…
Women who can’t lose weight quickly enough can add yet another tool to the ever-growing arsenal of fad diets. Here’s…
The facts are clear and simple. According to a study recently published in “Health Beat,” the newsletter of the Harvard Medical School, March 1 edition five lifestyle habits are considered responsible for heart disease and many other widespread illnesses that plague us today. They are smoking, lack of sufficient physical activity, weight problems, poor eating habits and excessive alcohol consumption.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all foods is projected to increase this year by 2 to 3 percent. If that doesn’t sound particularly alarming to you, consider this: While the average costs for processed foods continue to remain relatively stable, fresh food items, like meat, dairy products, eggs, vegetables and fruits are all much more expensive now than they were a year ago.
A recently released study on diet sodas suggests that the no-cal or low-cal versions may be kinder to your waistline but bad for your heart and even your head.
Our first lady, Michelle Obama, is on a roll. Her signature campaign against childhood obesity, “Let’s Move!”, is celebrating its first anniversary. In the meantime, she and her team of advisers have been quietly pressing both industry and government to do their part and do it better than either of them have done in the past.
Food manufacturers and grocers have announced yet another initiative to improve displays of nutritional information on food packages.
You know the holiday season is over when people start talking about their New Year’s resolutions. For some it’s almost an annual ritual. In my line of work, I get lots of new business. I also get to see old clients again, but these are reunions I never look forward to.
A number of readers have sent me e-mails in recent days with inquiries about obesity surgery. The heightened interest in the subject seems to stem from news reports about a pharmaceutical company, Allergan, which has asked the Food and Drug Administration to modify its existing policy on surgical procedures for the purpose of weight loss.
Americans like to win. Competitiveness is deeply ingrained in our culture. We enjoy the many sports our athletes dominate worldwide, like football, baseball, basketball, the Olympics – soccer, not so much. Besides sports, we like to think of ourselves as leaders in many other disciplines, like science, technology and economics.
Adam Richman is an affable man, the kind of guy most people would like to have a beer with, or some food, maybe lots of food. We are talking about the host of the popular television program “Man vs. Food,” which airs on the Travel Channel several times a week.
The holidays are a time for celebration, which means for many of us engaging in some form of overindulgence. With all the good cheer comes the almost inevitable straying from healthy eating habits (if you have them), or things go from bad to worse (if you don’t).
Two seemingly unrelated newspaper articles caught my eye recently. One was written by Walecia Konrad for the New York Times, Nov. 2010, titled “Protecting Yourself from the Cost of Type 2 Diabetes,” the other was by Dov Seidman, the author of “HOW: Why HOW We Do Anything Means Everything… in Business (and in Life).”
It is the time of the year again when many of us get the sniffles, wondering when there will be a cure for the common cold at last. Of course, not everybody will fall sick. Some people seem to remain unscathed no matter what, while others succumb as soon as the temperatures drop. It’s a mystery how a chosen few can handle the germ assault so much better than the rest of us. These folks must have an extraordinarily robust immune system that protects them like an invisible shield. But were they born this way or did they acquire their immunity over time. And if so, how?
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has had a bad rap for some time, but now that the debate over the causes of the ever-spreading obesity epidemic has heated up, HFCS is being singled out as a definite suspect.
People eat too much and exercise too little – at least that is the most popular, most often heard explanation for the ever-growing obesity epidemic.
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.
Taking care of their heart’s health is not on most people’s mind – at least not until they run into problems. But when disaster strikes − like a heart attack at middle age − and there is a serious brush with loss of health and perhaps life itself, we realize the importance of keeping our heart healthy. By then it may be too late. It doesn’t have to come this far.
