The majority of trans fats in the American diet comes from the partially hydrogenated oils used in the preparation of, for example, French fries. (Scott Ableman/Flickr Creative Commons)
Here are the latest health headlines folks in South Los Angeles ought to know about:
NYC's Trans Fat Ban Worked: Fast-Food Diners Are Eating Healthier: 2006 marked the nation's first ban on trans fats in restaurants – New York City began requiring food preparers to adjust their recipes so they contained no more than 0.5 grams of trans fats per serving. Now research is showing that prohibition has improved residents' diets by pushing them to choose healthier options and cut trans-fat consumption. | TIME
Weight-Loss Surgery May Not Cut Medical Costs: Study: Bariatric surgery is a way for patients to lose weight but not a way for patients to cut down their medical costs, finds a new study. Previous research suggested that obese people who underwent the surgery improved both their health and the cost of their health care; this study, though, only showed health to improve. | HealthDay
Study Ties Chemicals in Beauty Products to Women's Diabetes Risk: Phthalates are chemicals found in women's bodies that are associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes – and they're found in soaps, nail polishes, hair sprays, perfumes and moisturizers. Researchers cautioned, however, that the findings are far from conclusive. | U.S. News & World Report
FDA expected to approve new diet drug: The Food and Drug Administration is expected to put its stamp of approval on Qnexa, a medication which produced dramatic weight loss in clinical trials, on Tuesday. If approved, it would be the second diet drug approved in 2012; Belviq was the first. Some are concerned because of potential side effects caused by the drug, though, which include increased heart rate and birth defects. The FDA is expected to only approve the drug for folks with a body mass index greater than 27. | CNN
Physicians don't adequately monitor patients' medication adherence: Patients who don't adhere to prescribed medication cost the U.S. health care system around $290 billion annually through poor clinical outcomes, increased hospitalizations and higher death rates. A study found that there's a need to develop better methods for physicians to identify and change their patients' non-adherence to their medications. | Press release, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Photo by Scott Ableman via Flickr Creative Commons.
