To the Editor:
Re "Winter Is Flu Season, but Maybe It Doesn't Have to Be" (Week in Review, Dec. 26):
You say "it would be nice to know for sure" that immunizing schoolchildren against influenza is the most effective route to prevent flu-related deaths among the vulnerable. There is no need for a new national study, nor do we need to await the analysis of Canadian data.

A December 31, 2004 Star Tribune article by Maura Lerner called "You Want 10 Extra Pounds with That?" quoted ACSH's Dr. Ruth Kava countering fears of fast food:

Sexual behavior has historically carried moral and ideological import, particularly when it comes to young people. But it also raises issues of health and safety. So deciding what kinds of information sexual education courses should include is a notoriously controversial task. One school of thought supports "comprehensive sexual education," which promotes abstinence but also includes information about condoms and other forms of contraception in order to educate young people about how to protect themselves if they become sexually active.

1. Focus your efforts on things that matter.
It is important that we distinguish between risks that are real and can be lessened by individuals' actions and those that are theoretical, very small, or beyond our control.

A Dec. 12 USA Today article by Anita Manning describes the fear of a flu pandemic but quotes ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross striking a calmer note:
Some people say health experts are being needlessly alarmist.

As the rate of obesity has climbed in the United States over the past few decades, to the point that nearly a third of adults are considered obese, so has the rate at which people are turning to some form of bariatric surgery to help control their weight. These operations are more than cosmetic "tummy tucks" or liposuction. The surgery may involve simply using a band around the stomach or stapling part of it closed to decrease its capacity. More extensive procedures also include bypassing part of the small intestine to decrease nutrient and calorie absorption.

What if I told you that the EPA, to push more stringent air pollution limits, would use bad air pollution research to claim current air pollution kills? What if I told you the research was published by the most prestigious American medical journals without any comment about whether it was funded by the EPA or organizations the EPA sponsors such as the Health Effects Institute and American Lung Association?

Since the American Council on Science and Health often examines health scares, we were glad to see the sensible editorial in last week's British Medical Journal that evaluates how bottled water exploits the public's fears about what affects health (Petrie KJ, Wessely S. Getting well from water. British Medical Journal, 329:1417-1418).

Cadbury Schweppes' new calcium-enriched 7 Up Plus has really shaken up the soda market.
Until now, soda companies have been under pressure not to add nutrients to sodas because of the FDA's so-called "Jelly Bean Rule," which forbids health claims on low-nutrient foods and drinks. The rule doesn't forbid fortification, but it has had that effect.