"CDC" news and stories

CalorieLab recently released their list, which ranks US states from fattest to thinnest, for 2008. For the third year running, Mississippi is the fattest state in the nation, with 32.6 % of that state's population coming in overweight or obese. CalorieLab determines the fattest state rankings using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System database maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rankings use a three-year average in order to correct for statistical irregularities.

Rounding out the top five fattest states are West Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana and South Caroline. They've found that overall the fattest states tend to be in the South and Rust Belt, while Northeastern and Western states are a bit slimmer. The only area to lose weight in the last year is Washington, D.C. Colorado remains the nation's fittest state.

It's disheartening to see that with all the attention given to diet and exercise, these numbers continue to climb. With the cost of food is going up these days, mostly in relation to rising gas prices, the cost of eating healthfully is also increasing. How would you address this issue?

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How many recalls have we seen this year that were due to food being contaminated by bacteria? I know I've lost count. I remember the peanut butter, Costco chicken curry and the Malt-o-Meal cereal, oh, and the cantaloupes. Other than that, it's a blur. It seems like we've seen more recalls this year than ever.

According to the CDC, though, we're not getting sicker. Their concern is that we're not getting less sick anymore. The scientists who collect this information say the number of cases of food borne illnesses were on the decline until 2004, but they've leveled off since then. Take a look at this article for more information on what bugs are out there this year.

As glad as I am to hear that the level of illnesses aren't going up, I wonder if we can really expect them to go down very much. It's not that I have any basis to make a judgment, it just seems that some bacteria is always going to be popping up in our industrialized food processing system. Hopefully, I am wrong.