Fried foods may not necessarily be hard on the heart.

Spainish researchers report from a prospective study of more than 40,000 adults that the frequent use of fried-foods did not increase the risk of coronary heart disease. This may be surprising because frying is thought to be an unhealthy way of preparing food. Olive oil (followed by sunflower oil) was the primary source of oil used, and it is less prone to degredation during frying. Spanish fried foods tended to be home-cooked and not high in salt. Also, the oil used for frying tended not to be reused. Study results apply only to those on a traditional Mediterranean diet which is higher in fruits, vegetables and whole grains--and healthy oils.

Many new supplement ingredients are introduced without any regulatory oversight.

Americans spend more than $28 billion annually on vitamins, minerals, herbals and other "natural" products in the form of dietary supplements. They do this assuming they are safe and effective. The FDA regulation of these products has been rather weak, even though the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act requires manufacturers to present "reseasonable expectation of safety." The food industry is held to much more stringent safety standards than the supplement industry. The New England Journal of Medicine has an informative article on this by Pieter Cohen, MD of the Cambridge Health Alliance. 

PositiveTip: Remember--not all things "natural" are safe or effective!

English teenager who eats only chicken nuggets collapses.

A Birmingham, England teenager who ate exclusively chicken nuggets for the past 15 years collapsed and was rushed to a hospital, a British newspaper reported. The young girl claims to have never tasted fresh fruit or vegetables. Now at 17 years old she is anemic and malnourished. While her diet provided ample calories, it left her severely deprived of most vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

PositiveTip: Variety in the foods we eat, even a relatively small daily variety of fruit, vegetables and grains supports good health.

Big brother watching hand-washing helps a lot!

Police have found that the deployment of video cameras deter speeding. A hospital in New York placed video cameras with views of every sink and sanitizer dispenser to record hand hygiene of all workers. During 16-weeks of video monitoring only, acceptable hand hygiene rates were less than 10%. However, when real-time feedback on LED displays was implemented the rate of acceptable hygiene events climbed to more than 80% and remained so for almost two years.

PositiveTip: Have you asked someone to hold you accountable to your goals and responsibilities? We all need this.

If you don't stock it, you can't sell it.

Are you looking for a doctor who will help you loose weight? Look carefully. Johns Hopkin's researchers found in a nationwide survey of physicians that if physicians were at a healthy weight themselves, they were significantly more likely to engage in weight-loss conversations with their patients. Normal weight physicians also had more confidence in their ability to provide guidance on diet and exercise compared to overweight or obese physicians.

PositiveTip: For optimal help, go to those who model what you are seeking.

Stethoscopes can be vectors for serious pathogens.

Stethoscopes can be contaminated with serious pathogens like C. difficile and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In laboratory simulation tests researchers found they could transfer the pathogens to agar plates. The good news is that alcohol wipes or gauze moistened with sterile water or alcohol removed more than 90% of the pathogens from the stethoscope diaphrapms.

PositiveTip: Next time your doctor offers to examine you with a stethoscope, you might ask if it has been sanitized!

Healthier food choices now mandated for school lunch programs.

For the first time in 15 years the U.S. National School Lunch Program has been modified to require more fruits and vegetables and whole grains. It is a step in the right direction! Sure, critics wish it had gone farther by eliminating french fries and pizza as a vegetable (must have at least 2 tablespoons of tomato paste to qualify). However, the new regulations are the best ever, as they lower the amount of saturated fat, transfat, sodium, and address portion control (see sample menu). The new regulations will be phased in over a three year period.

PositiveTip: Is your lunch at least as healthy as a school lunch is required to be now? Come on, look at it objectively!

Long work hours increase the risk of depression.

European researchers have found the risk of depression more than doubled (OR=2.43, P=0.26) for British civil servants who worked more than 11 hours per day compared with those working 7-8 hours. When data was adjusted for factors like job strain and social support the risk still persisted. Interestingly, the greatest significance was seen when adjusted for socioeconomic status. Those with higher socioeconomic status were at lower risk for depression--even though they worked long hours. Perhaps this is because they have more opportunity to focus on tasks they choose and enjoy? More research is needed in this area.

PositiveTip: A balance in life is necessary for good health. How are you doing?

Do you take all your blessings for granted? Think again.

Many people in this world face challenges those in the economically blessed parts have never dreamed of facing. Poverty, disease, and minimal education impact people for their entire lives. This short video will raise your awareness of some of the issues girls and women face.

PositiveTip: Be grateful for all your blessings today--and help someone not so fortunate!

Any alcohol consumption during pregnancy puts infants at risk for multiple risks.

A prospective study conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Diego has found that for each additional drink of alcohol a day on average, during the early months of pregnancy, there were significant increases in the risks for microcephaly (abnormally small brains) reduced birth weight and length. Any alcohol consumption, especially during the second half of the the first trimester raised the risk of fetal alcohol syndrome significantly.

PositiveTip: Women of childbearing age should avoid all alcohol consumption.