The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) mandatory added sugar labeling policy for packaged foods and beverages, set to take effect between 2020 and 2021, could be a cost-effective way to generate important health gains and cost-savings for both the healthcare system and society in the U.S., according to a new modeling study led by researchers from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University and the University of Liverpool. The analysis is the first to estimate the potential health and economic impacts of the new label. In 2016, the FDA announced several mandatory changes to the Nutrition Facts label in order to provide consumers with enhanced nutritional information. Among the changes was adding the grams and percent Daily Value of added sugar content, which would help consumers limit calories from added sugar in accordance with the recommendations of the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The study, published today in Circulation, estimates that … [Read more...] about FDA added sugar label could be a cost-effective way to improve health, generate savings
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Some patients with imminently fatal cancer still receive treatment
Some patients who died within one month of being newly diagnosed with metastatic cancer in the United States received ineffective surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and hormonal therapy according to a new American Cancer Society study. The authors say the findings highlight the need to better identify patients with imminently fatal metastatic cancer who may not benefit from aggressive and expensive therapies. The study appears early online in JNCI Cancer Spectrum. Little is known about patterns of and factors associated with treatment of newly-presented (de novo) metastatic cancer patients who die soon after diagnosis. For the new study, a team led by Helmneh Sineshaw, MD, MPH, and including researchers from the American Cancer Society, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, Mass.), Baptist Cancer Center (Memphis, TN), and Mayo Clinic College of Medicine (Rochester, MN), examined treatment patterns for 100,848 adult patients in the National Cancer Data Base. All were newly-diagnosed … [Read more...] about Some patients with imminently fatal cancer still receive treatment
Globally, one in five deaths are associated with poor diet
People in almost every region of the world could benefit from rebalancing their diets to eat optimal amounts of various foods and nutrients, according to the Global Burden of Disease study tracking trends in consumption of 15 dietary factors from 1990 to 2017 in 195 countries, published in The Lancet. The study estimates that one in five deaths globally -- equivalent to 11 million deaths -- are associated with poor diet, and diet contributes to a range of chronic diseases in people around the world. In 2017, more deaths were caused by diets with too low amounts of foods such as whole grains, fruit, nuts and seeds than by diets with high levels of foods like trans fats, sugary drinks, and high levels of red and processed meats. The authors say that their findings highlight the urgent need for coordinated global efforts to improve diet, through collaboration with various sections of the food system and policies that drive balanced diets. "This study affirms what many have thought for … [Read more...] about Globally, one in five deaths are associated with poor diet
Lack of access to antibiotics is a major global health challenge
Antibiotic resistance is an emerging global public health threat spurred by the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. While "overuse" of antibiotics is widely accepted as a major health challenge, it is less well known that many people in low- and middle-income countries continue to die because they lack access to antibiotics. The majority of the world's annual 5.7 million antibiotic-treatable deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries where the mortality burden from treatable bacterial infections far exceeds the estimated annual 700,000 deaths from antibiotic-resistant infections. In a new report, titled "Access Barriers to Antibiotics" researchers at the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP) conducted stakeholder interviews in Uganda, India, and Germany, and literature reviews to identify key access barriers to antibiotics in low-, middle-, and high-income countries. The report makes several recommendations proposing action on R&D (new antibiotics and … [Read more...] about Lack of access to antibiotics is a major global health challenge
Someone San Diego Should Know: Taking control ends downward spiral
Samantha Benner is 23 years old, with her own apartment, good job and a dog named Hip. She is happy and faces a bright future. But Benner’s life was not always bright. How she turned bleakness into sunshine is inspiring and a lesson for others.Benner was born in San Diego. Her parents separated when she was 8. At 13, she was sexually abused. She ditched school and began taking drugs. At 14, she was using crystal meth and heroin. Her life was spiraling down. “I didn’t want to be myself,” Benner said. By 18, Benner had been in and out of 13 residential treatment centers, having run away from most and been evicted from others. She tried to kill herself. Between periods in residential treatment centers, Benner was homeless, living in parks, near streams and with people she met on the street. She hit rock bottom at 18, having multiple abusive relationships with men and overdosing on heroin. Fortunately, throughout her teens Benner maintained communication with … [Read more...] about Someone San Diego Should Know: Taking control ends downward spiral