Health Watch

CDC:  Fewer Schools Sell Candy, Soda to Students
By Mike Stobbe, AP Medical Writer
"Efforts to improve the school nutrition environment are working and Mississippi and Tennessee are excellent examples of this progress," Howell Wechsler, director of CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health, said in a statement.
American Heart Association officials celebrated the progress, attributing it to aggressive legislation and school policy changes in some states that they hope will get children and teens accustomed to healthier eating.
"What kids do in school in large measure dictates what they do away from school," said Dr. Clyde Yancy, the association’s president. 
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National Institute of Health – Updated information on Diabetes
http://health.nih.gov/topic/Diabetes

Exercise and ADD: An Expert Interview With John J. Ratey, MD
Pippa Wysong

Medscape Editor’s Note:
Attention-deficit disorder (ADD), also called attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is often surrounded by controversy over medication use and is perceived by many as a condition that is overtreated. John J. Ratey, MD, advocates that exercise should be included in the treatment regimen, and that exercise can even reduce or eliminate the need for medication. An Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Dr. Ratey is author of the book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, as well as several related books in the popular press. He also has consulted on clinical studies pertaining to exercise and psychiatric conditions.
See attached PDF for interview

FDA to seek better nutrition labeling
The federal government is wading into the supermarket aisle, making its first effort to provide better nutritional information on food products since it developed the black-and-white Nutrition Facts label 15 years ago.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/20/AR2009102003421.html?referrer=emailarticlepg

IOM Releases Recommendations
In its 2009 report School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children, the committee recommends that the USDA adopt standards for menu planning, including:
• Increasing the amount and variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
• Setting a minimum and maximum level of calories
• Focusing more on reducing saturated fat and sodium
http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2009/School-Meals-Building-Blocks-for-Healthy-Children.asp