Health

11:02 AM, Jun 10, 2013 • By DANIEL HALPER

The New York City health department reports an all time high for diabetes-related deaths in the City, according to a press release announcing a new report.

"The Health Department released a new report which states that the number of diabetes-related deaths in New York City for 2011 was 5,695, an all-time high. These deaths include those for which diabetes is classified as the underlying cause of death as well as those for which diabetes is classified as a contributing cause. Even as the overall death rate in New York City continues to decline, diabetes-related deaths continue to increase. Since 1990, the proportion of all New York City deaths related to diabetes nearly doubled, from 6.0% in 1990 to 10.8% in 2011. Overall, one person dies of diabetes-related causes every 90 minutes, adding up to 16 deaths a day in New York City," reads the health department press release.

“Diabetes is a condition that too many people live with and die from,” said Dr. Thomas Farley, Health Commissioner. “It is linked to our epidemic of obesity, and like obesity, it can be prevented.”

The rise in the number of people with obesity has spawned a second epidemic of type 2 diabetes in New York City. In an April 2013 Data Brief, the Health Department reported that nearly 650,000 adult New Yorkers reported having diabetes in 2011, an increase of 200,000 adults since 2002. Sugary drinks are associated with obesity and with increased risk of developing diabetes. To address the obesity and diabetes epidemics, the Health Department has launched initiatives such as Green Carts and Shop Healthy to increase access to healthy foods, and proposed an amendment to the Board of Health to reduce the portion sizes of sugary drinks at food service establishments

The New York City mayor has waged a campaign against sugary drinks like soda.

11:51 AM, May 15, 2013 • By GEOFFREY NORMAN

If you have been worrying that you consume too much salt, then you might want to give that one a rest. As Gina Kolata reports in the New York Times:

"Thank you, Planned Parenthood. God bless you."

11:36 AM, Apr 26, 2013 • By DANIEL HALPER

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Barack Obama thinking, first day in the Oval Office

4:27 PM, Apr 5, 2013 • By JIM SWIFT

A restaurant where President Obama took winners of his 2012 campaign’s “Dinner with Barack” contest was forced to close this week because it was cited for failing to comply with Washington, D.C.’s health and sanitation regulations.

9:56 AM, Apr 2, 2013 • By DANIEL HALPER

The federal government will now allow companies that sell "nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products," such as Nicorette, not to put warning labels on their merchandise, the Food and Drug Administration announced. The change, the FDA now admits, is because the warnings, which were mandated for the last 30 years, were misguided from the very beginning.

10:22 AM, Feb 28, 2013 • By JERYL BIER

First Lady Michelle Obama is continuing her road trip celebrating the 3rd anniversary of her “Let's Move” initiative, appearing on Good Morning America with Robin Roberts on Tuesday and at an event with Rachael Ray on Wednesday. The initial press release last week

"I'm, you know, looking forward to being at full speed," said Clinton.

7:34 PM, Jan 27, 2013 • By DANIEL HALPER

Hillary Clinton talked about her health briefly this evening on 60 Minutes. "I still have some lingering effects from falling on my head," she said. Clinton added, "The doctors tell me that will all recede."

12:21 PM, Jan 24, 2013 • By DANIEL HALPER

Joe Biden will head down to Richmond, Virginia on Friday to give a "gun safety" roundtable discussion. The vice president will be accompanied by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in the Oval Office

9:35 AM, Jan 1, 2013 • By DANIEL HALPER

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has been in the hospital the last couple days with a blood clot in her head, released a statement yesterday. But it had nothing to do with her health. Instead, the statement was on "Haiti's Independence Day."

9:53 AM, Dec 28, 2012 • By DANIEL HALPER

Josh Rogin of Foreign Policy reports:

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will return to the State Department next week after three weeks of recovery from a stomach virus and a related concussion, The Cable has confirmed.

11:25 AM, Jul 26, 2012 • By DANIEL HALPER

First Lady Michelle Obama will hold a large event for her health intiative Let's Move in London tomorrow. The White House announced:

1:19 PM, Jul 3, 2012 • By DANIEL HALPER

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test, the first over-the-counter, self-administered HIV test kit to detect the presence of antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and type 2 (HIV-2). HIV is the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)," a press release from the FDA states.

9:15 AM, Jun 26, 2012 • By GEOFFREY NORMAN

While most of Washington is waiting around, nervously chewing on its fingernails in anticipation of the Supreme Court's Obamacare decision (may I have the envelope, please), there are some who are still in the fight. As Melissa Healy writes in the Los Angeles Times:

A sugary slope.

11:05 AM, Jun 7, 2012 • By GEOFFREY NORMAN

The mayor of New York does not believe that a willing buyer in search of a 32-ounce soft drink and a willing seller of the same should be allowed to make the deal. This, in a city that is famous for deals that involve quite a bit more than a few pints of sugar water and do a whole lot more societal damage. But never mind. People may have gone bust when Lehman went toes up, but nobody got obese as a result of its over-indulging in credit default swaps.