The findings of a study to be presented at Saturday s annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association in San Diego show that people aged 65 or older being treated with metformin for type-2 diabetes face a lower risk of heart problems or stroke compared to individuals taking sulfonylureas to control their blood sugar.

Quick, run for cover: junk food ads are out to get your children and make them fat. Or at least that s what the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is now preaching. As described in a new policy statement published in the journal Pediatrics, the AAP s Dr. Victor Strasburger asserted, It s time for the food industry to clean up its act and not advertise junk food to young children.

On the heels of the new graphic cigarette warning labels comes a proposed law in Australia that aims to institute plain packaging for all cigarette brands. The Australian government plans to ban company logos on cigarette packs while requiring they be sold in plain dark olive packaging. In addition, all brand names must appear in the same size and style of font; health warning labels will supplant traditional trademark logos.

Writing in the Chicago Tribune, columnist Steve Chapman harshly criticizes the FDA s latest mandate requiring cigarette packs to prominently display graphic warning labels. In addition to demonstrating large government overreach, Chapman says, the new ruling will hardly deter adults or teens from smoking. In fact, drawing on information brought to his attention by ACSH s Dr.

Epidemiologically speaking, having your doctor write a prescription for your lover may be preferable to sending a love letter. It is now legal in 27 states for a physician to write a prescription for a patient s unnamed sexual partner when the patient himself has been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease (STD). The practice is called expedited partner therapy (EPT), and it s proving to be an effective means of reducing the rates of sexually transmitted diseases that can be treated with antibiotics.

In a recent study of over 3,000 type 2 diabetes patients diagnosed through screening, intensive multifaceted treatment led to a small but statistically significant reduction in risk factors, compared to a usual care treatment group. However, the study published in The Lancet and led by UK professor Nick Wareham and Dr. Simon J.

In the June 24 issue of Medical Progress Today, ACSH s Dr. Josh Bloom considers how we will one day recognize May 2011 as a remarkable turning point in the history of the struggle against AIDS. Writing from the perspective of a former pharmaceutical research chemist, Dr.

The Environmental Working Group s (EWG) most recent alarmist Dirty Dozen list is meant to scare folks about the trace levels of pesticides on fruits and vegetables especially apples. Why? See Dr. Joe Schwarcz s smart riposte.

What s next, a tater tax? asks the Los Angeles Times, noting the trend toward imposing taxes on the culinary villain du jour. Currently, the target is soda, but, says the editorial, by the same logic, a recent study linking potatoes to excess weight gain could just as likely result in a proposal to tax consumption of the staple vegetable.

Josh Bloom, Medical Progress Today Spotlight Feature, 6/24/11
How Far We ve Come in the Battle Against AIDS