New York City Approaching Deadline For Public Comments on Sugary Drinks Ban – July 24, 2012

Image courtesy of USA Today.Everyone probably remembers the big – but short burst – of traditional media coverage of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal to limit sugary drink cup sizes to a maximum of 16 ounces in restaurants, but what you may not know is that this coming Tuesday, July 24, 2012, there will be a public hearing on the ban, and it will also be the last day to give public comments.

The NYC Board of Health will vote on the proposal sometime in September 2012. If the proposal is approved, it will go into effect in March 2013.

While the beverage industry obviously objects, the health care community is singing the praises of the proposal.

Dr. Joseph Vassalotti, chief medical officer of the National Kidney Foundation applauded the proposal in a statement saying, “Currently, there 1.3 million New Yorkers suffering from chronic kidney disease and that number is rising. Recent research shows that consumption of sugary sodas results in obesity.”

Click to read more ...

Increasing Evidence That Adding More Vitamin D To Your Diet Reduces Heart Disease

We’ve known for a long time that vitamin D aides in the development of strong bones, but increasing research is now also showing that it’s also a vital factor in lowing heart disease and high blood pressure.

Image courtesy of healthmango.com.

Some of the best natural sources of vitamin D are found in fish like salmon, tuna, and mackerel. Smaller amounts of natural vitamin D are found in foods like beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks. It’s a little less known that mushrooms also contain some natural vitamin D.

Vitamin D is so important that other foods are fortified with it. These include some breakfast cereals, orange juices, and dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt.

People also naturally make vitamin D when their skin is exposed to the sun, but today’s largely indoor lifestyles are making it harder and harder for people to get the necessary benefits of sun exposure, especially during the wintertime, according to research from the Medical College of Georgia (MCG).

We use to only associate vitamin D deficiency with rickets (a softening and weakening of the bones) and osteoporosis (the thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density over time).

New research is now also showing a correlation between low levels of vitamin D in a body and the presence of heart disease and high blood pressure.

Click to read more ...