Transfat: o novo alvo

Walter Willett esteve essa semana em São Paulo e Porto Alegre. Ele é um dos assim chamados "figurões" da ciência mais acessíveis e de fácil trato. Publiquei em 2004, um trabalho em conjunto com ele. Agora, ele (na esquerda da foto) começa a campanha pra banir os alimentos com gordura trans.

Nutrition Chair Willett Joins Mayor Menino in Reminding Bostonians of Start of Trans Fat Ban Walter Willett, chair of the HSPH Department of Nutrition, joined Mayor Thomas Menino at a press conference on Friday, September 12, to remind residents that Boston’s ban on artificial trans fat would begin officially the next day. The press conference was held at local Mission Hill bistro The Savant Project, which stopped using trans fat three months ago. According to a press release from the Boston Public Health Commission, Boston is the first city in Massachusetts to implement a ban on trans fats. Brookline has passed a similar ban, but it will not go into effect until later this year. Approximately 5,600 restaurants and other food service establishments in the city must start eliminating partially hydrogenated oil from food or beverages. Businesses that violate the ban will receive a citation and fine ranging from $100 to $1,000. Trans fatty acids, or trans fats, raise the level of bad (LDL) cholesterol in the body and lower the good (HDL) cholesterol. Consuming trans fat can increase one’s risk of developing heart disease and stroke. It can also put people at higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Willett has been a leading voice in encouraging the removal of trans fats from foods. His research has helped contribute to the public's understanding of the health detriments of consuming the substance and to federal regulations requiring it be listed on food labels. The Public Health Commission board approved the trans fat ban in March and is implementing it in two phases. As of September 13, food service establishments may no longer use oils, shortenings, and margarines containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oil for frying, sautéing, grilling, or as a spread. Six months later, the ban will apply to baked goods, mixes, partially fried items, and all other foods containing artificial trans fat. The ban affects all food service establishments that are required to hold a permit from Boston’s Inspectional Services Department. These include restaurants, grocery stores, delis, cafeterias in schools and businesses, caterers, senior-center meal programs, children’s institutions, mobile food-vending units and commissaries that supply them, bakeries, park concessions, street-fair food booths, and other establishments. The ban does not apply to food or beverages served in the manufacturer’s original sealed package, such as a package of cookies or a bag of potato chips. It also does not apply to food or beverage items that contain less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving.

dicas dos amigos (1): Gapminder

Dica de Vitor Kawabata. O site é o Gapminder. http://www.gapminder.com/

Consegue atrapalhar um pouca a vida de demógrafos e epidemiologistas, não porque traz pronto uma sériede informações, mas porque permite cruzá-las. Vejam ao lado a relação entre infecção pelo HIV e renda per capital: façam o triângulo Brasil, África do Sul e Estados Unidos e, comparem a capacidade de manusear a epidemia de cada um dos três países.

Bem, o GapMinder é muito interessante. Aguardo comentários dos meus amigos demógrafos plugados na rede do Taquinho.

Um cordão sanitário ao redor da China não será nada mal.

Brinquedos, rações de animais, heparina e agora o leite. Alguém precisa contabilizar o fator chinês na redução de seres humanos e animais somente no último ano. Como a Organização Mundial do Comércio não fará nada para conter a China, e a Organização Mundial da Saúde é dirigida por uma chinesa, resta aos governos de países democráticos e que defendem a saúde dos seus cidadãos tomar a atitude necessária para evitar mais danos. Abaixo, reproduzo a situação na África, descrito em despacho da agência Reuters, onde mostra o comércio entre países africanos e China. DAKAR (Reuters) - Bans on imports of Chinese milk products by African states fearing contamination have highlighted the growing presence of Chinese goods in Africa's markets and raised worries over depending on them too heavily. From Ivory Coast in the west to Tanzania in the east, governments have joined the list of countries blocking Chinese milk imports over concerns they could be contaminated with deadly melamine. Since the start of the decade, African leaders have been keen to strike often controversial deals with China which guarantee supply of oil or metals from Africa in return for billions of dollars in loans and infrastructure projects. These deals have opened the door to imports of cheap Chinese goods, including food, which African consumers have come to rely on as they struggle with high prices. Chinese exports to Africa rose 40 percent to $23 billion year-on-year in the first half of 2008. Chinese powdered milk laced with industrial chemical melamine has been blamed for causing four deaths in China so far and making thousands more ill. The health scare means African authorities and shoppers are now also worried about what's in Chinese dairy products. Togo became the latest African country to ban them on Wednesday. Burundi, Gabon and Ghana also have bans. "Chinese products are all over the place and the prices are very attractive, so we must be careful," said Maame Abdallah, a grandmother in Ghana's capital Accra. "Chinese milks are the most affordable and they help a lot," said Ghanaian mother Jane Morkeh. "There are a lot of others in the market, but I use the new ones, including those made in China, because I can afford to buy in bulk," she added.

A necessidade de ambientes livres do cigarro

Mais uma informação sobre tabagismo passivo. Agora, um estudo chines publicado em Circulation revela que mulheres que nunca fumaram, mas que moram ou trabalham em ambientes com fumantes, tiveram risco maior em 60% de doença cerebrovascular, 70% de doença coronariana e em 80% em doença cerebrovascular.

Passive Smoking and Risk of Peripheral Arterial Disease and Ischemic Stroke in Chinese Women Who Never Smoked Yao He MD, PhD*, Tai Hing Lam MD, Bin Jiang MD, PhD, Jie Wang MD, PhD, Xiaoyong Sai MD, PhD, Li Fan MD, Xiaoying Li MD, Yinhe Qin MD, and Frank B. Hu MD, PhD* Background—The association between secondhand smoke (SHS) and risk of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and stroke remains uncertain. Methods and Results—We examined the relationship between SHS and cardiovascular diseases, particularly PAD and stroke, in Chinese women who never smoked from a population-based cross-sectional study in Beijing, China. SHS exposure was defined as exposure to another person's tobacco smoke at home or in the workplace. Cardiovascular disease events included coronary heart disease, stroke, and PAD. PAD was defined by signs of intermittent claudication as measured by the World Health Organization Rose questionnaire and an ankle-brachial index of <0.90.>

ELSA lançado e, uma nova proposta

Estou no Congresso Internacional de Epidemiologia em Porto Alegre. Participei de uma atividade sobre o Estudo Longitudinal de Saúde do Adulto, onde juntamente com Isabela Bensenor comparamos o maior estudo brasileiro em epidemiologia cardiovascular e do diabetes com o Study of Latinos, apresentado por Gerardo Heiss, da Universidade da Carolina do Norte. O ELSA foi lançado oficialmente pelo Ministério da Saúde, ontem . (clique aqui) Ontem, assisti a um mesa-redonda com os ministros da saúde da Comunidade de Países de Língua Portuguesa. Estavam presentes Cabo Verde, Guiné-Bissau, Moçambique, Timor Leste, Portugal e Brasil. Da platéia, apresentei a proposta de estudo multinacional verificando a particular situação da hipertensão arterial e da doença cerebrovascular. O Ministro Temporão elogiou a proposta e, a levará à nova reunião dos ministros da saúde.