Scientists associated with the American Council on Science and Health today characterized the soon-to-be-announced proposals by the Clinton Administration to reduce teen smoking as more smoke than substance, saying that the measures would do little or nothing to improve public health or prevent children from taking up the smoking habit.

In its latest attempt to scare consumers and drum up publicity for itself, the Center for Science in the Public Interest is now warning that the trans fatty acids found in French fries, fried chicken and many other foods may cause heart attacks.

A self-styled consumer group is deliberately distorting the facts to scare the public about a perfectly safe sweetener, the American Council on Science and Health announced today.
ACSH, a consortium of more than 200 scientists, was responding to unfounded charges by the Center for Science in the Public Interest that the no-calorie sweetener Acesulfame-K causes cancer.

Scientists from the American Council on Science and Health today, in an open letter to Mayor Giuliani, questioned the decision of the city to produce, at taxpayer expense, a pamphlet entitled Safeguard Your Home From Harmful Products, which suggests that numerous common household products - such as kitchen cleansers, insecticides, and mothballs - pose a serious health risk and should be discarded in favor of "all-natural" products. The booklet was apparently distributed to all city residents and signed by Giuliani and Health Commissioner Dr.

Scientists from the American Council on Science and Health called on both the Clinton White House and Republican candidate Bob Dole to back up their recent statements about their commitment to keeping America's children tobacco-free.

Americans are embracing dietary supplements like never before. Last year we spent over $5 billion on compounds ranging from ordinary multivitamins to exotic herbal products. We hope they'll prevent or cure our ills, put us to sleep or make us alert, turn us into powerful athletes or help us shed pounds without decreasing our caloric intake or exercising more.
Since many supplements are touted as "natural," we assume that they must be safe. But swallowing all these pills and powders has resulted in some tragedies:

"Do I Dare to Eat an Egg?"
That question was the title of a recent health newsletter article and reflects the public's profound "ovophobia."
Egg use in the U.S. has fallen dramatically over the last 50 years, from 400 eggs per person per year in the 1940's to 235 in 1992, the last year for which statistics are available. The main reason for the decline: fear that eggs, which are high in cholesterol, will increase the risk of heart disease.

The American Council on Science and Health today presented the "Poison Apple Award," given for the most shocking example of promoting, endorsing and glamorizing a deadly product to ELLE Magazine for encouraging cigarette use by its young female readers. ELLE earned this award for its May issue, which on page 219 contains a promotion for "the ELLE cigarette case," billing this "handsome and sophisticated antique-like silverplated case" as "the stylish way to transport your favorite brand."

This first-ever special issue of Priorities examines the most basic premises and goals of our national public health strategy as we approach the 21st century.

Why does healthy weight vary so widely for people of the same height? Bone structure has a lot to do with it, as does the type of weight a person carries. Bigger boned people and people with dense muscle mass can safely carry around more weight than can people with large fat deposits.

Source Notes:
(From Priorities Vol. 8, No. 2, 1996)