Testimony submitted at October 30, 2006 hearing before the New York City Board of Health by Walter Willett, M.D., M.P.H., Dr. P.H., Departments of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health First, I want to thank the New York City Department of Health for providing this opportunity to comment on the proposed restriction of … Continue reading “Health Effects of Trans Fatty Acids Intake: Dr. Willett’s Testimony”
Calling artificial trans fats “the most harmful nutrient in our diet,” two researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health testified in support of a proposed ban on trans fats in New York City restaurants. The measure, proposed by the New York City Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene, would give restaurants six months to … Continue reading “HSPH Researchers Support Trans Fat Ban in NYC Restaurants”
Removing trans fats from the industrial food supply could prevent tens of thousands of heart attacks and cardiac deaths each year in the U.S., according to researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and Wageningen University. In a review article published in the New England Journal of Medicine on April 13, 2006,(1) the researchers … Continue reading “HSPH Researchers Make Case for Removing Trans Fats from Industrial Food Supply”
Results from large, long Women’s Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial shows no effect on heart disease, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, or weight. The low-fat, high-starch diet that was the focus of dietary advice during the 1990s-as reflected by the USDA food guide pyramid-is dying out. A growing body of evidence has been pointing to its … Continue reading “Low-Fat Diet Not a Cure-All”
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 “HSPH Nutrition Expert Calls for Hospital and Government Cafeterias to Serve Healthier, Trans Fat-Free Foods”
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 “Vitamin D, Calcium and Health”
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.
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 “The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back”
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.
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.