Elizabeth M. Whelan

The Health Effects of Moderate Alcohol Intake in Humans: An Epidemiologic Review

A large body of scientific evidence associates the moderate intake of alcohol with reduced mortality among middle-aged and older people in industrialized societies. This association is due largely to a reduced risk of death from coronary heart disease, which appears to outweigh any possible adverse effects of moderate drinking. The regular consumption of small amounts of alcohol is more healthful than the sporadic consumption of larger amounts. No beneficial effect of moderate drinking on mortality has been demonstrated in young adults (premenopausal women and men who have not reached their forties). It is theoretically possible that moderate drinking in young adulthood might reduce the risk of later heart disease; however, this has not been clearly demonstrated. For some individuals (e.g., those who cannot keep their drinking moderate, pregnant women, and those who are taking medications that may interact adversely with alcoholic beverages), the risks of alcohol consumption, even in moderation, outweigh any potential benefits. Because even small amounts of alcohol can impair judgment and coordination, no one should drink alcoholic beverages, even in moderation, before driving a motor vehicle or performing other activities that involve attention and skill.

Dietary supplement safety information in magazines popular among older readers.

Dietary supplements are extensively used in the United States, especially by people age 50 and over. Surveys have shown that magazines and other news media are an important source of information about nutrition and dietary supplements for the American public. It is uncertain, however, whether magazines provide their readers with adequate information about the safety aspects of supplement use. This report presents an analysis of supplement safety information in articles published during 1994-1998 in 10 major magazines popular among older readers. This time period was chosen to allow the impact of the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) to be assessed. The evaluation included 254 magazine articles. More than two-thirds of the articles did not include comprehensive information about the safety aspects of the dietary supplements that were discussed. Information about safety issues such as maximum safe doses and drug-supplement interactions was often lacking even in otherwise informative and well-researched articles. A total of 2,983 advertisements for more than 130 different types of supplements were published in the magazines surveyed. The number of advertisements per year increased between 1995 and 1998. Supplements of particular interest to older adults (such as antioxidants, calcium, garlic, ginkgo biloba, joint health products, liquid oral supplements, and multivitamins) were among the most frequently advertised products. Although magazines popular among older readers contain extensive information about dietary supplements, these publications cannot be relied upon to provide readers with all of the information that they need in order to use supplements safely.

An Evaluation of the Environmental Health Chapters in High School Health Textbooks

Abstract High school textbooks have been criticized in recent years for numerous problems in coverage of environmental issues. Coverage of environmental issues in health textbooks has not been a major focus of previous reviews. Thus an evaluation study was conducted in which six textbook chapters on environmental health from five currently marketed high school health textbooks were reviewed by seven advisors to the American Council on Science and Health who have expertise in environmental health. For each chapter, each reviewer completed a questionnaire with Likert-type items related to accuracy, completeness, adherence to scientific method, and balance, and which elicited an overall chapter grade on a scale of A to F (4 to 0) and written comments. Overall, for most questionnaire items, at least 50 percent of responses were unfavorable. Mean overall grades for the chapters ranged from 1.3 to 2.1 out of a possible 4.0. More weaknesses than strengths were identified for five out of six chapters. To improve ...