These fact sheets provide the latest data and information on U.S. global health policy issues and global health challenges. (source: Kaiser Family Foundation)

• The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic
• The Global Malaria Epidemic
• The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI)
• The Global Tuberculosis Epidemic
• The U.S. and Global Maternal & Child Health
• Neglected Tropical Diseases

Articles Tagged for Health Care

(source: New York Times)

The New York Times collected present and past articles related to health care. It’s a nice synopsis of how the health care debate has evolved.

1) Tropical Oils: A better saturated fat? (source: Nutrition Data)

I’ve been reading some information that says coconut oil does not cause plaque build-up like other saturated fats because it is a medium-chain fatty acid, which apparently means it is digested more like a carb and doesn’t have a chance to become plaque. I’d like to find more sources of this information, just to build some confidence. (When I relay this information about coconut, people look at me as though I’m from Mars.)

2) Dan Barber’s foie gras parable (source: TED)

At the Taste conference, chef Dan Barber tells the story of a small farm in Spain that has found a humane way to produce foie gras. Raising his geese in a natural environment, farmer Eduardo Sousa embodies the kind of food production Barber believes in.

3) Benefits of Compound in Turmeric Spice Studied (source: USDA)

There may be a new way to spice up your weight loss routine, according to results from a new animal model study by Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-funded scientists and colleagues. The researchers theorized that dietary curcumin could stall the spread of fat-tissue by inhibiting new blood vessel growth, called angiogenesis, which is necessary to build fat tissue. Curcumin is a bioactive component in curry and turmeric that has been consumed daily in Asian countries for centuries without reported toxic effects.

4) Berry Compound Reduces Aging Effect (source: USDA)

In a new study, aged laboratory animals that ate a diet rich in the berry and grape compound pterostilbene performed better than those in a group that did not eat the enriched diet, scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have reported. Pterostilbene reversed measurable negative effects of aging on brain function and behavioral performance.

World Health Organization Post

(source: WHO)

WHO applauds and welcomes the announcement of donations of pandemic vaccine made today by the United States of America, in concert with Australia, Brazil, France, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The announcement demonstrates the commitment of these countries to fairness in sharing of scarce resources as the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic continues to evolve.

Original New York Times Post

(source: NY Times)

The world leaders who are meeting at the United Nations to discuss climate change on Tuesday are faced with an intricate challenge: building momentum for an international climate treaty at a time when global temperatures have been stable for a decade and may even drop in the next few years. The plateau in temperatures has been seized upon by skeptics as evidence that the threat of global warming is overblown. And some climate experts worry that it could hamper treaty negotiations and slow the progress of legislation to curb carbon dioxide emissions in the United States.