CNN's web site reports the following ten 'vices' that are actually good for you. Some of the items on the list have been covered here before.

Here's a summary:

1. Get enough sleep.
   This one is obvious. You need to get enough sleep.
2. Play hooky from work (take a 'mental health' day off from work).
   Hey, who can argue with that one?
3. Have sex (um...)
4. Have some chocolate.
   We've covered that one -- chocolate (dark, sans all the stuff that's in the typical junk food candy bars) seems to have all kinds of health benefits.
5. Go out and have some fun.
   Did they really need to tell us this?
6. Eat full fat dressing.
   

While not strictly news, this interview discusses some of the misconceptions about low-carb dieting in light of recent studies confirming what we've known for a long time -- there are health benefits to low-carb dieting.

An Updated Guide for Low-Carb Dieters (New York Times)

Source: CDC

Well, the obesity train keeps on a-rollin'.

Obesity continues its rise unabated, and there's no end in sight. According to the CDC, 72.5 million adults are considered 'obese':

Over the past decade, obesity has become recognized as a national health threat and a major public health challenge. In 2007--2008, based on measured weights and heights (1), approximately 72.5 million adults in the United States were obese (CDC, unpublished data, 2010). Obese adults are at increased risk for many serious health conditions, including coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, and premature death (2,3). Adult obesity also is associated with reduced quality of life, social stigmatization, and discrimination (2,3). From 1987 to 2001, diseases associated with obesity accounted for 27% of the increases in U.S. medical costs (4). For 2006, medical costs associated with obesity were estimated at as much as $147 billion (2008 dollars); among all payers, obese persons had estimated medical costs that were $1,429 higher than persons of normal weight (5). In 2001, the Surgeon General called for strong public health action to prevent and decrease overweight and obesity (3).

[snip]

In 2009, all states continued to have high prevalences of obesity among adults, although the prevalences varied geographically. No state met the Healthy People 2010 target of 15%, and the number of states with obesity prevalence of ≥30% increased from none in 2000 to nine in 2009. The results of this report also indicate that the prevalence of adult obesity in the United States, as measured by BRFSS, continued to increase. Using 2007 population data for both years, the increase of 1.1 percentage points from 2007 to 2009 corresponds to approximately 2.4 million additional adults whose self-reported heights and weights yielded a BMI of ≥30. Previously documented disparities in obesity prevalence continued by age, education, and race/ethnicity (6,7). Of particular concern are the high prevalences among non-Hispanic black women and persons with less education.
Vital Signs: State-Specific Obesity Prevalence Among Adults --- United States, 2009

The method used to determine obesity appears to be the flawed Basal Metabolic Index (BMI) (more on the BMI flaws here).

On the flip side, the survey's "BMI was calculated from self-reported weight and height". Do people provide honest weight numbers when the report their weights, even if anonymously?

Interesting article in the New York Times discussing the need for more Vitamin D -- either by diet or through sunlight exposure.

Vitamin D promises to be the most talked-about and written-about supplement of the decade. While studies continue to refine optimal blood levels and recommended dietary amounts, the fact remains that a huge part of the population — from robust newborns to the frail elderly, and many others in between — are deficient in this essential nutrient.