Kim Painter, Special for USA TODAY 1:33 p.m. EST November 8, 2013
CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 07: Food items which contain trans fat are shown on November 7, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today proposed a rule change that would eliminate trans fat from all processed foods. (Photo Illustration by Scott Olson/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 187480012 ORIG FILE ID: 187269412(Photo: Scott Olson Getty Images)
SHARE 31 CONNECT EMAILMORE
This week we learned that trans fats in processed foods are a lot like Blockbuster stores: they still exist, but probably not for long. Here's what you need to know about that and all the health headlines:
The Food and Drug Administration has not banned trans fats – yet. But the agency really wants to rid the food supply of artificial fats that health experts say are artery-clogging killers. The stuff is still used in some baked goods, canned frostings, stick margarines, coffee creamers and microwave popcorns, but "there really is no safe level of consumption," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg says. The public has 60 days to comment on a proposal that would remove trans fat from a list of ingredients "generally recognized as safe." But consumers should expect any phase-out to take years and, meanwhile, keep reading labels for telltale signs of "partially hydrogenated oil."
Federal health authorities also have their eyes on e-cigarettes. Manufacturers say these newfangled nicotine-delivery devices may be able to help smokers quit more dangerous conventional cigarettes. But the FDA is looking at ways to regulate them. And, in an interview with USA TODAY's health staff this week, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Thomas Frieden said he's worried about their potential to hook kids on nicotine and turn them into smokers.
There might be worse things than 'low T." Men who took testosterone supplements in a new study increased their risks of heart attack, stroke and death. These were older men and many had existing heart troubles, so it's not clear the results apply to younger, healthier men. But the findings may still give some men pause about trying the heavily marketed gels, patches and injections to boost their sex drives or fight fatigue.
There may someday be an autism screening test for babies. Infants who go on to develop autism spend less time looking at people's eyes when they are as young as two months old, a new study shows. But, as the New York Times reported, this is not something parents can pick up or that a pediatrician can reliably test for right now.
A bilingual upbringing may really pay off. The latest evidence comes from a study conducted in India which found bilingual people, no matter how educated or uneducated, develop dementia years later than other people do. So feel free to nag your kids to do their French or Spanish homework this weekend.
CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 07: Food items which contain trans fat are shown on November 7, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today proposed a rule change that would eliminate trans fat from all processed foods. (Photo Illustration by Scott Olson/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 187480012 ORIG FILE ID: 187269412(Photo: Scott Olson Getty Images)
SHARE 31 CONNECT EMAILMORE
This week we learned that trans fats in processed foods are a lot like Blockbuster stores: they still exist, but probably not for long. Here's what you need to know about that and all the health headlines:
The Food and Drug Administration has not banned trans fats – yet. But the agency really wants to rid the food supply of artificial fats that health experts say are artery-clogging killers. The stuff is still used in some baked goods, canned frostings, stick margarines, coffee creamers and microwave popcorns, but "there really is no safe level of consumption," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg says. The public has 60 days to comment on a proposal that would remove trans fat from a list of ingredients "generally recognized as safe." But consumers should expect any phase-out to take years and, meanwhile, keep reading labels for telltale signs of "partially hydrogenated oil."
Federal health authorities also have their eyes on e-cigarettes. Manufacturers say these newfangled nicotine-delivery devices may be able to help smokers quit more dangerous conventional cigarettes. But the FDA is looking at ways to regulate them. And, in an interview with USA TODAY's health staff this week, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Thomas Frieden said he's worried about their potential to hook kids on nicotine and turn them into smokers.
There might be worse things than 'low T." Men who took testosterone supplements in a new study increased their risks of heart attack, stroke and death. These were older men and many had existing heart troubles, so it's not clear the results apply to younger, healthier men. But the findings may still give some men pause about trying the heavily marketed gels, patches and injections to boost their sex drives or fight fatigue.
There may someday be an autism screening test for babies. Infants who go on to develop autism spend less time looking at people's eyes when they are as young as two months old, a new study shows. But, as the New York Times reported, this is not something parents can pick up or that a pediatrician can reliably test for right now.
A bilingual upbringing may really pay off. The latest evidence comes from a study conducted in India which found bilingual people, no matter how educated or uneducated, develop dementia years later than other people do. So feel free to nag your kids to do their French or Spanish homework this weekend.