Poll: Most Americans Are Trying to Reduce Sugar Intake

A Reuters/Ipsos poll of 1,883 adults living in the U.S, conducted Jan. 15-21, finds that 58 percent say they tried to limit sugar in their diets in the previous 30 days. That is higher than the percentage of those who were targeting reductions in their intake of calories, sodium, fats, cholesterol, or carbohydrates. Only 39 percent said they had not tried to cut sugar intake. Last month, the U.S. government said that Americans should seek to keep their intake of added sugars, which is sugar added during processing or preparation of foods, to less than 10 percent of daily calories, the first time it had recommended a specific limit. http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/DietNutrition/55982?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-04&eun=g721819d0r

Low fat diet is equal to low carb diet for weight loss

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/Obesity/55970

Zika virus infection 'through sex' reported in US

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35478778

HPV, MenB Vaccines Added to Kids' Immunization Schedule

The formal addition of the 9-valent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, along with the serogroup B meningococcal (MenB) vaccine for certain adolescents, are just two of the updates to the 2016 recommended vaccine schedule for children and adolescents, which were released by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Recommendations about the HPV 9-valent vaccine (now called 9vHPV) were released following the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting last February, but this is the first time the vaccine has been formally added to the AAP-endorsed schedule. The group now recommends immunization with the HPV vaccine for children as young as age 9 if they have a history of sexual abuse. The HPV vaccine was already recommended for nonhigh risk children at age 11. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/Vaccines/55946?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-02&eun=g721819d0r

WHO Declares Zika Virus A Global Health Emergency.

reports officials say WHO’s move “will help intensify mosquito control efforts and expedite the creation of a more rigorous diagnostic test and a preventive vaccine.” WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said that “clusters” of microcephaly, and not Zika itself, led to the emergency declaration, even though the virus is “strongly suspected, though not yet scientifically proven,” to be the cause of the abnormal birth defects. On its front page, the New York Times (2/2, A1, Tavernise, Subscription Publication) says the emergency declaration gives WHO a chance to “revive its reputation after a faltering response during the Ebola epidemic.” http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/02/01/who-health-emergency-zika/79647164/

Mother’s Bacteria May Colonize Cesarean Births.

reports that “In the first study of its kind,” researchers on Monday confirmed that a mother’s beneficial microbes can be partly transferred to her baby after a cesarean section, which “could influence a child’s lifelong health.” According to the lead author, New York University’s Dr. Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello, the study suggests a new way to inoculate babies. Dr. Jack Gilbert at Argonne National Laboratory said, “Just understanding that it’s possible is exciting.” A larger study is underway. The Boston Globe (2/1) reports that some epidemiological studies have suggested that “C-section babies may have an elevated risk for developing immune and metabolic disorders, including Type 1 diabetes, allergies, asthma, and obesity.” http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/02/01/post-cesarean-bacteria-transfer-could-change-health-for-life-study-shows/?_r=0

Gene May Be Biological Switch For Obesity, Study Suggests.

reported that new research published in the journal Cell revealed that gene Trim28 may essentially be “a biological on/off switch for obesity.” Researchers studied “13 sets of identical twins in which one was obese and the other was lean” and found that the cells of the obese mouse had less Trim28 activity compared to their lean twin. The researchers “concluded that Trim28 may act as an epigenetic switch to either turn obesity on or off by suppressing or activating a set of genes that control weight.” According to the CDC and National Institutes of Health, “more than one in three adults in the United States are obese.” The findings may prove useful in developing treatments for the disease. http://www.popsci.com/molecular-switch-may-turn-obesity-on-or-off