Researchers in Spain found that eating nuts reduced risks for heart disease when added to a Mediterranean diet, which has been previously shown to also reduce heart disease. Nuts are full of unsaturated fat, which can actually help lower blood triglycerides. This is another piece of evidence to show that the advice to eat a low-fat diet was misguided. It's not so much how much fat you eat, but what kind. You can read the article here
Minnesota is now the fourth healthiest state, down from number two last year, and number one in 2002-2006, according to an article in the Star Tribune. One of the reasons for the drop is a reduction in spending on public health. Minnesota spends $45 per person on public health, putting it 43rd in the nation in spending. This is not good news for those of us in public health. The state legislature did approve $47 million for public health programs last year. However, I've heard from some that the money is vulnerable to allocation to other programs, which I think is a distinct possibility, taking budget shortfalls and the economy into account. There are other reasons why Minnesota has fallen in the rankings, you can read the article here.