Nutrition Viewpoint: February 2009 Archives

February 27, 2009 8:56 PM

Making Your Own Luck

I'm one of those people who believe there is no such thing as blind luck. I think you make your own luck - create your own opportunities - by being clear in your purpose, focused on the horizon and willing to step up to a challenge. Here is an example of opportunity in the making.

A new study published in the February issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine shows that medical nutrition therapy (MNT) provided by a registered dietitian can substantially reduce work loss and disability days for people with diabetes and obesity. The study, called "Improving Control with Activity and Nutrition" - ICAN, for short - was conducted by a group led by Anne Wolf, MS, RD, instructor of research at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, and was partially funded by The American Dietetic Association.

Publication of this research coincides with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) release of the latest National Diabetes Fact Sheet. Some pertinent facts:

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By Susan Finn on February 27, 2009 8:56 PM | No Comments

February 20, 2009 8:54 PM

A Package of Stimulating Opportunities

As I mentioned earlier this week, the $789.5 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 includes significant new funds for nutrition research and programs. Here (information courtesy of Mary Lee Watts, MPH, RD, director of science and public affairs at the American Society for Nutrition) is where some of that funding is headed:

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE
National Institutes of Health (NIH): $10 billion, most of which goes to the institutes and centers.

Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ): $1.1 billion to conduct effectiveness studies. AHRQ will coordinate with NIH and the Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Secretary to evaluate the relative effectiveness of different health care services and treatment options.

NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
Child Nutrition Program: $100 million for National School Lunch Program equipment assistance.

Older Americans Act Nutrition Program: $100 million to alleviate steep increases in food and fuel costs that have affected the congregate and home-delivered meals programs. The funding in the bill is expected to result in an additional 30 million meals served.

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By Susan Finn on February 20, 2009 8:54 PM | No Comments

February 17, 2009 4:38 PM

Saving Dollars + Saving Lives = Good Nutrition

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) held its annual Public Policy Workshop on February 8. This year's event was especially notable for two reasons. First, the more than 1,000 ADA members who attended did so online, marking the first time the association has offered this yearly update on legislative priorities via a webinar. We're digital, baby!

Secondly, ADA's workshop coincided with the nation's focus on the Obama Administration's stimulus bill, which contains health care provisions regarding research and disease prevention/management that can have a tremendously powerful impact on the nutrition profession.

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By Susan Finn on February 17, 2009 4:38 PM | No Comments

February 11, 2009 7:04 PM

Ganging Up on Problems

This week, as the House and Senate continue to hammer out a version of the stimulus bill that both sides of the aisle can live with, I am reminded of the power of partnerships - real partnerships. When we hear our legislators talk about their bi-partisan efforts, we may think they are speaking as partners - but bipartisanship does not true partnership make.

I have spent a great deal of my career building partnerships in and between the public and private sectors. I know that putting people with a shared objective around a table doesn't always create the synergy that genuine partnership requires. Those pesky hidden - and not so hidden - agendas can get in the way of real progress toward a mutual goal.

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By Susan Finn on February 11, 2009 7:04 PM | No Comments

February 8, 2009 7:02 PM

Home Economic(s) Recovery

There's a new set of chef's knives in the "first kitchen." It belongs to chef Sam Kass, whom the Obamas (known to be "foodies") brought in from their hometown, Chicago, to work with Cristeta Comerford, White House executive chef. Kass, who is known for his devotion to healthy, local and sustainable foods, believes that people in his profession should play a leading role in tackling food and nutrition issues that have an impact on obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases. Wearing my American Dietetic Association past president hat, I commented on a New York Times blog posting about Kass' appointment, complimenting the Obamas for setting an example for the country by giving voice to the link between good nutrition and good health.

Kass also has been quite vocal about the importance of healthful food in the National School Lunch Program - not only for the sake of students' immediate needs for good nutrition, but also to instill healthy behaviors for a lifetime. His passion on this issue reminds me of British chef Jamie Oliver who has done a lot of work with the child nutrition program in England.

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By Susan Finn on February 8, 2009 7:02 PM | No Comments

February 6, 2009 6:58 PM

Pondering Preponderance

An article by researchers Robert Heaney, MD, of Creighton University, and Karen Rafferty, RD, of Nutrition Science Resource, in the February 2009 Nutrition Reviews addresses a concept that I think is critical to the successful application of nutrition science in real life situations - especially right now, as the next iteration of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are under debate.

This concept has to do with relying upon preponderance of evidence to make diet recommendations when scientific consensus doesn't yet exist. As the authors say in their introduction, "For many issues, whether or not they are hotly disputed, there is often evidence supporting both sides of the matter. Sometimes we have the luxury of suspending judgment until the issue becomes clearer, occasionally even indefinitely, but when a course of action is called for, prudent individuals act on the preponderance of the evidence. This is a concept that may be more familiar in the context of ethical or legal decision-making than it is in science, but it has applicability in most spheres of human activity."

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By Susan Finn on February 6, 2009 6:58 PM | No Comments