The consumer health week in review: Board approves soda ban; Vitamin D, calcium not advised for postmenopausal women; Chong has prostate cancer; Americans more stressed than ever
Board approves Bloomberg’s ban on sodas
On Tuesday, members of New York City’s Board of Health approved Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed plan to ban all sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces throughout the city’s restaurants, street carts and stadiums. The board, an 11-member panel appointed by the mayor, has responsibilities that include the control of chronic disease and food service establishments.” A public hearing will be held on the issue on July 24, with a final vote taking place on September 13. The ban could go into effect as early as March 2013.
Panel advises postmenopausal women not to take vitamin D, calcium
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) announced this week that that after menopause, women should not take 400 international units (IU) or less of vitamin D and 1,000 milligrams of calcium to prevent bone fractures. There’s not enough evidence to show if larger doses of vitamin D might help the panel said. The evidence is still too limited to make recommendations for higher doses of the supplements. The same is true for cancer prevention. The USPSTF‘s recommendations will be available for public comment on the USPSTF’s website for about a month before they are finalized.
‘Cheech & Chong’s’ Tommy Chong has Prostate Cancer
Actor-comedian Tommy Chong, of “Cheech and Chong” fame, said he’s treating his “slow stage-one” prostate cancer with hemp oil. Chong told CNN that he was diagnosed about a month ago, but saw symptoms as early as eight years ago while incarcerated for selling drug paraphernalia. Chong, an advocate for legalizing marijuana, did not reveal if he is receiving other treatments, but “watchful waiting” is a commonly prescribed technique for early-stage prostate cancer.
Americans more stressed than ever.
According to a new study from Carnegie Mellon University, people are more stressed today than there was 25 years ago. Researchers surveyed more than 6,300 individuals at intervals between 1983 and 2009. They found stress had increased 24 percent for men and 18 percent for women over the course of the study. The study found that women, less educated people and those with lower incomes experienced the most stress. The study also found that stress diminished with age. The study was published online today in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology.
Posted by Brianne Donahue on June 15, 2012 at 7:25 PM
