New York City made another attempt to improve the health of its citizens yesterday, as a ban on trans fats in the city’s restaurants, cafeterias, and even hot dog and pretzel stands took full effect. Trans fat, also known as partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, is linked to clogged arteries and heart disease. But restaurants have found many uses for the man-made vegetable shortenings and oils, which give pastry its flakiness and french fries their crispiness.

It’s the first such ban by a major U.S. city, and most give credit for the idea to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has been on a health crusade during his tenure in office. He banned smoking in bars and restaurants during his first term…. New York restaurant chains were recently ordered to start listing calorie information on their menus [Telegraph]. The first phase of the trans fat ban took effect last year, when restaurants were ordered to stop using them in cooking oils and spreads. Now, after a short grace period, any restaurant found using any trans fats will be fined up to $2,000.

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The news just keeps getting better about vitamin D. Earlier this year, studies linked proper levels of the “sunshine vitamin” to a decreased risk of diabetes, heart attacks, and cancer; that’s in addition to the previously understood role that vitamin D plays in keeping bones strong. Building on all these findings, a new study suggests that maintaining proper levels of the nutrient can even stave off death from heart attacks and other causes.

Researchers point out that they haven’t yet demonstrated a causal relationship, just a connection. The study’s lead author, Dr. Harald Dobnig of the Medical University of Graz in Austria, said the results don’t prove that low levels of vitamin D are harmful “but the evidence is just becoming overwhelming at this point” [AP]. Researchers aren’t sure what the connection is but they speculate that the nutrient may play a role in regulating the immune system, and may also have an anti-inflammatory function that keeps the heart healthy.

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Fresh veggies and a healthy lifestyle are striking a blow against “genetic destiny.” When a handful of patients with early-stage prostate cancer made dramatic changes to their lifestyles, switching broccoli for red meat and exercising diligently, they made equally dramatic changes to the behavior of their genes.

In a new study, researchers took biopsies before and after the three-month experiment in healthy living, and found that the patients’ lifestyle changes had switched on or off over 500 genes. Some of the changes positively affect genes that help fight cancer, while others help turn off genes that promote cancer development [HealthDay News].

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Go ahead, order that latte with a double shot of espresso. Then do it again and again. A new study shows that drinking up to six cups of coffee a day won’t shorten your life span, and for women that daily coffee habit may even protect against heart disease.

The Spanish researchers who conducted the study are excited about their findings, but they stop short of prescribing coffee jolts to all. “Our results suggest that long-term, regular coffee consumption does not increase the risk of death and probably has several beneficial effects on health,” said lead researcher Dr. Esther Lopez-Garcia…. Lopez-Garcia stressed that the findings may only hold true only for healthy folk. “People with any disease or condition should ask their doctor about their risk, because caffeine still has an acute effect on short-term increase of blood pressure,” she said [HealthDay News].

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For decades, doctors have warned the public about the dire risks of too much sunbathing and ultraviolet radiation, and the public has responded by slathering on sunblock. Now, medical advice is swinging back in the other direction.

A host of new studies have indicated that vitamin D, which is produced by the body when exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, helps reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other diseases.

The latest study followed over 18,000 men and found that men with vitamin D deficiency were more than twice as likely to have a heart attack than those with normal levels of the nutrient. They were also more likely to die as a result of heart disease. The study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine [subscription required].

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Here’s one easy way to help avoid conflict and strife in your interactions with others: When you eat your three square meals a day, don’t skimp on the meats and cheeses.

Those foods contain high levels of the amino acid tryptophan, which the body needs to produce the neurotransmitter serotonin, a chemical in the brain that plays a role in regulating mood, aggression and social behavior. In a new study, test subjects with high serotonin levels responded less aggressively while making emotionally charged financial decisions in a test known as the ultimatum game.

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This is the kind of medical news that always leads to people feeling happy and virtuous as they rush to the nearest liquor store. A new study has just revealed that resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, slowed down the genetic aging of middle-aged lab mice, and appeared to keep their hearts particularly young and healthy.

Of course, resveratrol is also found in grapes, pomegranates, and other foods, and medical researchers still don’t know whether the amount found in a glass of red wine has a clear effect on humans. But the report in the journal Public Library of Science ONE brings enough interesting and promising data to the table to warrant the popping of a few corks.

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After years of hectoring new parents about the need to keep babies protected from the sun’s fierce ultraviolet rays, doctors may be about to swing back the other way. A new study shows that many infants and toddlers aren’t getting enough Vitamin D, which is produced in human skin during exposure to sunshine.

Vitamin D is essential for bone growth and absorption of calcium in the digestive tract, and also plays a role in regulating the immune system. But doctors disagree on the severity of the problem posed by the low vitamin D levels found in the study, and are also divided on what course of action to recommend.

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