Tobacco Use Info » Food/Diet/Obesity

Michelle Obama’s Former Congressional District Dead Last for ‘Healthy Behavior’

admin — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 10:01:42 +0000

As First Lady she has fought against American’s bulging waistlines in a nationwide healthy eating campaign that has divided critics. But Michelle Obama may want to focus her message a little closer to home after it emerged today her own Illinois neighbourhood has been ranked last in the U.S. in a key health survey. A nationwide Gallup-Healthways poll assessing eating and lifestyle habits ranked Illinois’ 1st Congressional District 430 out of 436 overall and last for ‘healthy behaviour.’ The figure was down from the district’s ranking of 408th for ‘healthy behav ... Jump to full article >>

Revealed: ‘Star Trek’ scanner that can measure damage to your body from smoking and junk food

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:07:22 +0000

In Star Trek, Dr McCoy was able to diagnose patients in an instant using his trusty ‘tricorder’. Now a real-life equivalent has been developed, giving medics the ability to tell within seconds just how healthy – or unhealthy – you are. The handheld device, the size of a computer mouse, gauges the damage that bad habits such as smoking or a fondness for junk food are having on the body. It is hoped that the read-out, which takes as little as 30 seconds, will shock people into leading healthier lifestyles, in the same way as standing on the bathroom scales jolts many into a diet. A versi ... Jump to full article >>

State raises grade for tobacco prevention, languishes in D range in obesity, activity

admin — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 08:28:19 +0000

North Carolina received a higher grade — a B — for its tobacco-prevention efforts in 2010, but in its initiatives on obesity and physical activity, the state languished in the D range. N.C. Prevention Partners issued its 2010 report card Tuesday. The state is graded each year on the progress it has made on preventing tobacco use and addressing poor nutrition and physical inactivity. Its goal is for North Carolina to earn an A in each category by 2020. The B grade for tobacco prevention represents an improvement from a C+ in 2009 and a D in 2000. Health-care analysts and officials cite seve ... Jump to full article >>

Coca-Cola, veterinary, tobacco advertising at Morphy’s, Jan. 8

admin — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 07:43:52 +0000

DENVER, Pa. – Morphy’s is starting off the new year on a high note with the Jan. 8 auction of a single consignor’s lifetime collection of antique advertising pieces. Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com. Included in this collection is a great selection of Coca-Cola and other soda pop-related items, with a special highlight being an array of early and very desirable Coca-Cola serving and tip trays. The trays date from 1907 through 1942 and feature a bevy of Coca-Cola beauties from that era as well as all-American scenes that include friends chatting alongside ... Jump to full article >>

Consumer Group Suing McDonald’s Over Toys

admin — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 09:26:23 +0000

A U.S. consumer group is suing McDonald’s Corp in an effort to stop the world’s largest hamburger chain from using Happy Meal toys to lure children into its restaurants. The Center for Science in the Public Interest is representing a Sacramento mother of two in the lawsuit, which alleges unfair marketing and other violations of California’s consumer protection law. It does not seek monetary damages. “The lawsuit is about the change, not the money,” CSPI litigation director Stephen Gardner said. Representatives from McDonald’s did not immediately respond to ... Jump to full article >>

Many fat women think they are slim: research

admin — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 09:04:29 +0000

An American study questioned over 2,000 women about their size, diet and exercise habits and took measurements. It found that many women were often unaware about whether they were a healthy weight or not. Co-author Dr Mahbubur Rahman, of University of Texas, said: “As obesity numbers climb, many women identify overweight as normal, not based on the scale but on how they view themselves.” It was found that 25 per cent of overweight women misjudged their body weight along with 16 per cent of normal weight women. The research was published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynaecology. ... Jump to full article >>

Food and health: Who has the guts to take on junk fare?

admin — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 07:12:32 +0000

Tory pledges on public health will be tested by proposals to improve the quality of the British diet Was it the silly, interfering food police gone mad or an overdue assault on the UK’s addiction to unhealthy food? Last week the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice), who advise the government on what action will help to reduce sickness, recommended a number of measures to improve the quality of food, educate consumers about what they’re eating and curb some of the food industry’s excesses. This was tough stuff, and much more radical than the “fat t ... Jump to full article >>

McDonald’s faces lawsuit over ‘lure of Happy Meal toys’

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:37:01 +0000

A US consumer group has accused McDonald’s of “unfairly and deceptively” using Happy Meal toys to lure children into restaurants. The Center for Science in the Public Interest signalled that it would sue the fast food giant if it did not stop the practice within 30 days. The group accused McDonald’s of using “unfair and deceptive” marketing practices, which it claims violate consumer protection laws in the states of Massachusetts, Texas, California, New Jersey, and the Washington federal district. The group’s litigation director Stephen Gardner said: ... Jump to full article >>

Eat, drink — and be happy?

admin — Mon, 31 May 2010 08:05:58 +0000

A study shows that comfort foods, even those that are bad for us physically, provide a beneficial psychological effect. What does that mean for ‘sin taxes.’? Ah, Memorial Day. It’s a holiday that encourages every red-blooded American to do two important things. The first, of course, is to remember those brave men and women who have fallen in the line of duty. The second is to eat junk food and barbecue and drink a lot of alcohol, soda and lemonade. The second Memorial Day rule is no small thing, particularly in an era a lot of people say is marked by an epidemic of obesity. A ... Jump to full article >>

Obesity, smoking may raise blood clot risk

admin — Sat, 29 May 2010 10:48:19 +0000

Obesity and smoking may each raise a person’s risk of potentially dangerous blood clots in the veins, but certain other suspected risk factors seem to have no impact, a new study finds. The study, reported in the journal Circulation, investigated risk factors for venous thromboembolism — blood clots in the veins, usually affecting the legs. If one of these clots travels to the lungs, creating what is called a pulmonary embolism, it can prove fatal. Some studies have suggested that venous thromboembolism, or VTE, has largely the same risk factors as heart disease does, such as high ... Jump to full article >>