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China alone has nearly one-third of the world's smokers

One year ago, the 192 Member States of the World Health Organization unanimously adopted the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the first public health treaty ever negotiated under the auspices of WHO. Since then, 118 Member States have signed the FCTC, including China in November 2003.

1 Jun 2004

Yo-yo dieting may have a lasting negative impact on immune function

Yo-yo dieting, in which a person repeatedly loses and regains weight, may have a lasting negative impact on immune function, according to new findings by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

1 Jun 2004

Mothercare, John Lewis and Argos worst stores in UK for dangerous chemicals

High street stores must do more to phase out chemicals which may adversely affect human health, Friends of the Earth said today. The call coincides with a new survey by the environmental campaign group showing some stores are still not taking effective action to remove risky chemicals from their products.

1 Jun 2004

Call for Bush Administration to remedy failures on mad cow disease

Carol Tucker Foreman, director of Consumer Federation of America's Food Policy Institute, joined Consumers Union, Public Citizen and R-CALF in calling on the Bush Administration to remedy failures and improve protection against BSE.

1 Jun 2004

WHO launches this year's campaign for World No Tobacco Day

The World Health Organization (WHO) launches this year's campaign for World No Tobacco Day with the slogan: Tobacco and Poverty: a vicious circle, stressing the enormous economic costs of tobacco use and cultivation to families, communities and countries.

1 Jun 2004

Atkins high-fat-low-carbohydrate diet may have caused severe heart disease

A Florida businessman filed suit today against Atkins Nutritionals, Inc., and the Estate of Dr. Robert C. Atkins, claiming that the late diet author’s controversial high-fat, low-carbohydrate regimen caused severe heart disease, necessitating angioplasty and a stent. He is seeking a court injunction banning Atkins Nutritionals from marketing its products without a warning of potential health risks and asks for compensatory damages.

31 May 2004

Fruit pies have been found to contain mould

The Food Standards Agency is today advising consumers that some pies in batches of three brands of fruit pies have been found to contain mould.

30 May 2004

American Heart reports on acute ischemic stroke and increased risk of bleeding in the brain

High blood levels of a cell-regulating protein in patients with acute ischemic stroke can identify those with an increased risk of bleeding in the brain, according to a report in today’s rapid access issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

27 May 2004

Soy protects against cancer of womb

Researchers interviewed 832 women who were diagnosed with endometrial cancer between 1997 and 2001 and were between the ages of 30 and 69 years in Shanghai, China. A further 846 healthy women of the same age were randomly selected as a control group. Soya food intake over five years was measured and current body measurements were taken.

27 May 2004

Bird flu vaccine

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded two contracts to support the production and clinical testing of an investigational vaccine based on a strain of avian influenza, H5N1, which might have the potential to cause pandemic influenza.

27 May 2004

FDA final ruling on Bioterrorism Act

The Food and Drug Administration today announced the final rule establishing procedures for administrative detention of food under the authority of the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (Bioterrorism Act). This new authority applies to food for which the agency has credible evidence or information that it presents a threat of serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals.

27 May 2004

ABIOMED has announced the 14th implantation of replacement heart

ABIOMED, Inc. today announced the 14th implantation of the AbioCor® Implantable Replacement Heart. The implant was performed on May 24 in Louisville, KY by a Jewish Hospital/University of Louisville medical team led by surgeons Laman Gray, M.D. and Rob Dowling, M.D. The procedure went well and without complication. The patient is recovering, and is in critical but stable condition.

27 May 2004

Weight loss medication Xenical® more effective than lifestyle changes alone in managing weight

The weight loss medication Xenical® (orlistat) has been shown to be significantly more effective than lifestyle changes alone in managing weight in overweight adolescents, according to new study results presented today at ECO2004, Prague, Czech Republic.

27 May 2004

Texas Department of Health has completed testing for lead in Mexican candy

Texas Department of Health has completed testing of samples of candies from Mexico that contain powdered chili or tamarind as an ingredient or coating.

27 May 2004

17,000 immigrant children and parents in Washington state have lost public health coverage

Since the elimination of a public medical assistance program in 2002, more than 17,000 immigrant children and parents in Washington state have lost public health coverage as of April 2004.

27 May 2004

UK House of Commons Health Committee publishes its long-awaited Report on obesity

Obesity has grown by almost 400% in the last 25 years such that three-quarters of the adult population are now overweight or obese (around 22% are now obese). England has witnessed the fastest growth in obesity in Europe and childhood obesity has tripled in twenty years.

27 May 2004

Atkins announces new low-carbohydrate frozen pizzas

Atkins Nutritionals announced today the introduction of a new line of controlled-carbohydrate frozen pizzas. Atkins Quick Quisine(TM) Pizza is available in three varieties and will be distributed nationwide by Sara Lee Foods.

26 May 2004

Need to determine if black cohosh can improve the quality of people’s lives as some claim

It’s a common herb that more than 10 million American women use to ease menopausal symptoms. Its benefits are touted all over the Internet. Yet, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved it as a drug, and researchers are unsure of its effects on the human body. A University of Missouri-Columbia researcher is hoping to change that.

25 May 2004

New International Portal for Food Safety, Animal and Plant Health

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today launched the International Portal for Food Safety, Animal and Plant Health at a Regional Conference on Food Safety for Asia and the Pacific.

25 May 2004

Global food and soft drinks industries must demonstrate their commitment towards promoting the health and wellbeing of their consumers

A positive step has been made towards action being taken to curb the rising diabetes and obesity epidemics, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) said as it welcomed the endorsement of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health by Health Ministers last weekend in Geneva.

25 May 2004