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The tooth about zinc

CHICAGO (March 4, 2011) — From its involvement in a healthy immune system to its role in cell growth, zinc is an essential mineral for the human body. Zinc deficiency is a worldwide problem that affects approximately 4 million people in the U.S. a…

Food fortification spurred by military purchases

Food fortification with vitamins and minerals is one of the most effective methods to improve health and prevent nutritional deficiencies. It is greatly responsible for the virtual eradication of disease such as goiter, rickets, beriberi, and pellagra in the United States. New research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that developing nations could implement successful food fortification programs by requiring fortified foods for their military personnel. The conclusions are based on a detailed review of the history of food fortification programs in the U.S., which is published in the January 22, 2003, edition of the journal Economic Development and Cultural Change.

Report Shows Economic Toll of Smoking on California’s Fiscal Health

Smoking costs in California are nearly $16 billion annually, or $ 3,331 per smoker every year, according to a report by the UCSF School of Nursing Institute for Health & Aging. The healthcare costs alone would equal one-quarter of the projected state deficit, according to Wendy Max, PhD, co-director of the Institute for Health & Aging and UCSF professor of health economics. “Our study shows that even though tobacco control efforts in California are among the most successful in the nation, the cost of smoking in the state continues to increase,” said Max. “These numbers should be a wake-up call that we need to continue our efforts to reduce the health care costs, lives lost, and pain and suffering caused by smoking.”