Dr. Bob's Mouthly Report

Reuters (5/15, Rapaport) reports researchers found that “older women who take supplements with high doses of vitamins B6 and B12 may be more likely than their counterparts who don’t to experience hip fractures.” 

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Congressional Quarterly (5/13, Zeller, Subscription Publication) reports that in spite of “the increase in health insurance coverage in the United States since the enactment of the 2010 health care law, Americans continue to travel abroad for expensive medical procedures.” Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) “would like to make it easier and has proposed a bill (HR 951) with a fellow Texan from the GOP side of the aisle, Michael McCaul, that would aim to bolster medical tourism by encouraging cooperative ventures between U.S. health care organizations and Mexican counterparts.” The article says US dentists are unhappy about this, and “through a coalition representing the profession’s major dental professional societies, including the American Dental Association, [they] wrote to Cuellar last month to say they didn’t think it was wise to encourage Americans to seek care in Mexico because none of the country’s dental schools are accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation.” The letter also emphasized that lack of attention to factors critical to patient safety, such as licensure of dentists and infection and biohazard control protocols, may lead to a false sense of security for patients seeking care outside of the United States. 

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In a U.S. News & World Report (5/10, Amidor) blog, Toby Amidor discusses the evolution of the US dietary guidelines. Over time, Amidor says, “the basic concepts of foods to include have been rather similar: Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, legumes and nonfat and low- fat milk and dairy. The foods to cut back on are also quite similar: Added sugar, saturated fat and sodium.” The latest version “of the DGAs does take into account the variety of cultures and eating patterns within the U.S., and states that you can eat a healthy, well-balanced diet while enjoying foods from different eating patterns, such as Mediterranean or vegetarian.”

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CNBC (5/12, LaVito) reports on its website that “a movement to raise the smoking age across the U.S. to 21 has an unlikely supporter: Big Tobacco.” Several “states and more than 450 local governments have already increased the minimum age to 21 from 18,” and “Congress will soon consider a federal ban, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell planning to introduce a bill and a number of lawmakers already submitting their own legislation.” Altria, Juul, and British American Tobacco “are supporting the efforts.” CNBC adds that “teen tobacco use soared last year thanks to e-cigarettes,” and former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb “told the country’s top e-cigarette manufacturers to come up with solutions.” 

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