Creative Design for Bicycling Promotion and Safety

Coverage From HSPH News, featuring Anne Lusk:  Solar-powered bike paths that can melt snow and ice; pollution-eating vacuum towers near bicycle paths; bicycle parking stations with lockers, rest rooms, and showers; and bicycle wheels with rechargeable batteries that help propel riders up hills are just a few of the 70 innovations—some already in place, others still … Continue reading “Creative Design for Bicycling Promotion and Safety”

We Repeat: Butter is Not Back.

Yesterday, a systematic review and meta-analysis looking at the association of butter consumption with chronic disease and all-cause mortality made headlines that sound strikingly familiar. TIME, for example, reported that “the case for eating butter just got stronger” saying “butter may, in fact, be back.”

Updated Nutrition Facts Panel makes significant progress with “added sugars,” but there is room for improvement

In the first major overhaul of the Nutrition Facts Panel in over two decades, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today numerous changes that will be implemented within the next few years. One of the most important updates will be a line disclosing “added sugars,” along with a corresponding 10 percent-Daily Value—representing a limit … Continue reading “Updated Nutrition Facts Panel makes significant progress with “added sugars,” but there is room for improvement”

Public health win: San Francisco law requires health warnings on sugary drink advertising

“WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. This is a message from the City and County of San Francisco.” If you live in San Francisco, you will soon be seeing this message on billboards and bus shelters, as the city is set to become the first in the U.S. … Continue reading “Public health win: San Francisco law requires health warnings on sugary drink advertising”

Does putting on a few pounds help you cheat death? No!

A recent study by Afzal et al., published in JAMA, concluded that the BMI associated with the lowest all-cause mortality (death from any cause) has shifted upwards over the course of three decades, and that optimal body weight for decreasing mortality currently falls in the overweight category (BMI 25-29.9) (1). This finding has received its … Continue reading “Does putting on a few pounds help you cheat death? No!”

The Whole (Grain) is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts

Whole grains—think brown rice, steel cut oats, and quinoa—are composed of three edible parts, the fiber-filled bran, the vitamin-packed germ, and the starchy endosperm. Alternatively, refined grains like white rice, bread, and pasta, are all endosperm, as the refining process strips away the bran and germ and all the nutrients they contain. Even though many … Continue reading “The Whole (Grain) is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts”

New Dietary Guidelines remove restriction on total fat and set limit for added sugars but censor conclusions of the scientific advisory committee

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines have been released, with updates including limiting added-sugar intake to less than 10 percent of daily calories, and the removal of the restriction on the percentage of calories from total fat. The new guidelines also emphasize healthy eating patterns, with the following  key recommendations: