Bluetooth-Enabled Insulin Pen Receives FDA Clearance.

reports San Diego’s Companion Medical received FDA 510(k) clearance for its Bluetooth-enabled smart insulin pen and associated mobile app, called InPen. CEO Sean Saint said, “FDA clearance of the InPen and mobile app represents a significant advancement in diabetes care.” The device and app “can calculate and recommend optimal dosing, track history and timing of doses, monitor insulin temperature, display last dose and insulin-on-board, and report data to the user’s health care provider.” Eli Lilly, which has not in the past been involved with digital health, invested a reported $3 million in Companion Medical last year. http://mobihealthnews.com/content/lilly-backed-smartphone-enabled-insulin-pen-gets-fda-nod

FDA Sends Proposed Trans Fat Rules To OMB For Approval.

reports that the Office of Management and Budget has begun reviewing a proposed rule to allow the Food and Drug Administration to ban trans fat. Although the policy was announced last summer, the FDA “is now formally sending the proposed rule to the White House for approval.” http://thehill.com/regulation/289612-white-house-reviewing-trans-fat-rule

DNC: Nurses Group Endorses Clinton ANA leader sees Clinton as an ally

Nurses play a critical role in prevention and wellness promoting immunizations, teaching patients how manage stress, eat healthier and adhere to their medications. And preventing illness, particularly chronic illness, is key not only to helping patients live better lives but also to curbing healthcare costs. The ANA has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, because it believes she will strengthen the Affordable Care Act, expand Medicaid and ensure health equity for all Americans. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Washington-Watch/ElectionCoverage/59373?xid=NL_breakingnews_2016-07-28&eun=g721819d0r

Poor Physical Fitness Second Only To Smoking As Premature Death Risk Factor.

reports poor physical fitness is the second greatest risk factor for premature death after smoking, according to a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. Researchers from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden examined data from the “Study of Men Born in 1913” to determine the greatest risk factors for premature death and found that smoking and poor physical fitness were the greatest risk factors. HealthDay (7/27, Salamon) reports the researchers analyzed the physical exams and exercise testing results of a group of men born in 1913 who were first examined in 1967 for the longitudinal study and then subjected to follow-up exams for the following forty-five years. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/07/27/being-unfit-may-be-almost-as-bad-for-you-as-smoking/

Consumption Of Polyunsaturated Fat Reduces Blood Sugar Levels, Insulin Resistance, Study Finds.

reports that “consumption of polyunsaturated fat instead of carbohydrate or saturated fat reduces blood sugar levels and insulin resistance while also increasing the body’s ability to make insulin,” researchers found. The findings of the 102-study meta-analysis were published July 19 in PLOS Medicine. http://www.hcplive.com/medical-news/the-effects-of-dietary-fat-and-carbohydrate-on-metabolic-health

Weight-Loss Device Critics Urge FDA To Reverse Approval Decision.

reports that critics of AspireBariatrics’s AspireAssist device “are urging the Food and Drug Administration to reverse its decision” to approve the device, “saying the device mimics, promotes and could lead to potentially life-threatening disorders such as bulimia and binge-eating.” The device implants a tube into the patient’s stomach that is used to drain food that has been eaten for disposal. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-weight-loss-device-obesity-idUSKCN10727Z

At Least An Hour Of Daily Exercise Needed To Counter Risks Of 8 Hours Of Sitting.

reports the researchers recommended at least 60 to 75 minutes of “moderate intensity” exercise daily to “undo the damage of sitting for at least eight hours a day.” They also found lack of exercise and being sedentary “is as dangerous as being obese or smoking.” Furthermore, the researchers found that this added exercise “was not enough to counter the hazards of also watching more than five hours of television a day.” The study found that the health impacts of an eight-hour workday spent bound to a computer or in a car can be alleviated by activities as simple as cycling at speeds of more than 16 kilometers per hour (about 10 mph) or walking briskly at 5.6 kilometers per hour (about 3.5 mph) for more than 60 minutes each day. http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/27/health/one-hour-exercise-tackles-8-hours-sitting/ According to CNN (7/27, Senthilingam, For), the study’s recommendation “are double the current World Health Organization guidelines, which urge a minimum of 150 physically active minutes each week – which people still fail to meet.” http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_MED_EXERCISE_AND_SITTING_ASOL-?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-07-27-22-04-27 Researchers found that people with the highest levels of moderate physical activity - 60 to 75 minutes daily- erased the higher risk of death linked to being seated for more than eight hours a day. But even that exercise regime was not enough to counter the hazards of also watching more than five hours of television a day.