A recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal may leave readers with a salty taste in their mouths. According to Elizabeth Dunford, a global database manager for the Australian arm of World Action on Salt and Health, fast food meals in the U.S. pack more salt than their overseas counterparts sometimes up to double the amount.

"Quit or die. That's the message cigarette smokers get from the public health community," writes ACSH president Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. "But in fact, smokers who have trouble quitting have some rarely mentioned alternatives to total abstinence from tobacco: it s a method of intervention called 'tobacco harm reduction.' In Dr. Whelan's most recent op-ed, she discusses the need for greater public education about harm reduction for smokers, especially for those who repeatedly try to quit but fail.

For years, agenda-driven activists have attempted to link phthalates to every conceivable ailment. And now, a new study twists and turns to try to link this class of chemicals which are present in a wide variety of common products ranging from plastics to cosmetics with a disease that afflicts many Americans: diabetes. The authors own interpretation of this questionable study indicates that exposure to phthalates increases older Americans risk of developing diabetes.

Last Friday, The New York Times featured a front-page story that raised some interesting questions about the availability and accessibility of expensive new drugs. Unlike pills for high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol, newer therapies for diseases such as some types of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and inherited disorders, can cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

Smokers attempting to quit commonly find themselves relapsing, even if they manage to abstain for a period of time. However, a new study, in the journal Addiction, suggests that those who continue to use a nicotine patch even when they experience a relapse may be slightly better off.

People who drink diet sodas may think that skipping the extra calories from regular sodas gives them leeway to eat some extra dessert or a big steak dinner. Not so, says a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. People who drink diet sodas but eat a less healthful overall diet are more likely to develop metabolic syndrome, researchers find.

It s a story that s making big headlines: American Cancer Patients Live Longer Than Those in Europe. The implication of the paper, published Monday in Health Affairs, is that all that money we spend on cancer care in the U.S. is, in fact, worthwhile.

In a recent column for WebMD, Dr. Roy Benaroch considers the perpetually fraught question of prescription placebos. Should doctors be able to legally prescribe sham treatments? As Benaroch points out, there is no question that placebos work. Studies have confirmed that placebos can drastically and consistently reduce pain, anxiety, and blood pressure, he writes.

Josh Bloom, Medical Progress Today 4/12/12
Cutting off your face to spite your face

Antibiotics are routinely given to farm animals in order to increase their growth rate and protect their health in crowded conditions, but some scientists worry that such practices are abetting the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. While it s still unclear whether these harder-to-treat bacteria are actually being passed on to humans, one thing is certain the FDA isn t taking any chances.