CDC Says American Diet Still Falls Short.

MedPage Today (12/15, Fiore) reports that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Americans are still falling short of national dietary recommendations, eating too many sweets and not enough vegetables and whole grains." On the Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2005), "a national...index that measured compliance with US dietary guidelines from 2005, the average overall diet score was only about 60 points out of 100 – 'indicating Americans' diets need improvement,' Bethene Ervin, PhD, RD, wrote in a National Health Statistics Report." MedPage Today explains that the HEI-2005 "assesses specific intake of various nutritional categories, including whole fruits, dark green and orange vegetables, whole grains, milk, meat and beans, oils, fats, sodium, alcohol, and added sugar."

Department of Preventive Medicine Grand Rounds


Dru Bhattacharya, Director of Health Policy and Law, will discuss:

Politics and Public Health Policy from Johnson to Obama

Event will be held in the Department of Preventive Medicine Library, Maguire bldg 3rd floor

Can also join via videoconference (for students only), contact Holly Kramer at hkramer@lumc.edu

Studies Suggest Fructose May Not Be Ideal Sweetener For Diabetics

MedPage Today (12/8, Fiore) reports that "fructose may not be an ideal sweetener for diabetics," according to research presented at a press briefing arranged by the Endocrine Society. The results of several studies have suggested that "its links with hypertension, adiposity, and increased uric acid levels could potentially outweigh its immediate blood sugar benefits, especially among patients with diabetes, who already have or are at risk for such comorbidities," researchers explained. In fact, "the American Diabetes Association doesn't recommend fructose as a substitute sweetener for glucose," MedPage Today points out. However, people with diabetes may consume fruit as part of "a healthy diet."