Obesity is a critical risk factor for diabetes and cancer. Find out the latest in obesity prevention and management at UT Health San Antonio’s webinar, “Tipping the Scales Toward Health,” at 11 a.m. Central on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. The webinar will feature experts from the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, the Metropolitan Health District of the City of San Antonio, and Genentech to explore the issue of obesity and related chronic health conditions like diabetes and related cancers that are impacting South Texas. Panelists will discuss strategies for obesity management, diabetes management, and promoting a healthy weight. They will also address the non-medical drivers of health and share available resources and support for healthy lifestyles and the ...
March is recognized as National Nutrition Month.® During this time, folks can prioritize better nutrition and take advantage of many resources that can help improve the health and nutrition of all families. Let’s dive deeper into resources that can be helpful to you and your families in achieving the best nutrition possible.
1. ‘Food Connects Us’ from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics created National Nutrition Month® in 1973. With this year’s theme of “Food Connects Us,” the Academy’s annual campaign encourages people to make informed food choices and develop strong eating and physical activity habits. “Health, memories, traditions, seasons and access can all impact our relationship with food. While these factors ...
The Institute for Integration of Medicine & Science (IIMS) at UT Health San Antonio is announcing its 15th Annual Frontiers of Translational Science Research Day on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. In celebration, the institute is calling for abstracts for posters from researchers that demonstrate the power of translational science, which is the process of using research to develop interventions. Translational science aims to improve health and improve disease outcomes. These abstracts can either highlight translational research that has already been completed or ongoing research projects. Selected projects will be invited to be part of a poster session on the day of the event. APPLY HERE!
Participant Guidelines for Translational Science Research
The deadline ...
Obesity Care Week 2025 (#ObesityCareWeek) is here! From March 3-7, 2025, Obesity Care Week is an annual public awareness effort to end weight bias. It promotes education for a better world for people living with obesity. Also, World Obesity Day is March 4, 2025. Our Salud America! Latino health team at UT Health San Antonio is happy to serve as an Obesity Care Week Champion to help raise awareness. "We need to continue to address the state of obesity care among Latinos and all people," said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio and a leading health researcher. Salud America! research has found that U.S. Latinos face health issues in many areas, from poverty and support to access to affordable housing and transit. This contributes to higher ...
The beverages we drink are important for our hydration and health. That’s why experts have made recommendations for healthy drink choices for children ages 5 to 18 based on evidence from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Heart Association. Healthy Eating Research (HER) has published these main recommendations: Beverages to drink: Plain drinking water and plain pasteurized milk. Beverages to limit: 100% juice, plant-based milk alternatives, and sweetened flavored milk. Beverages to avoid: Sugary drinks, sugar-sweetened beverages, beverages with non-sugar sweeteners, and caffeinated beverages. Let’s dive deeper into these recommendations and how they can impact your ...
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a new proposal to require front-of-package nutrition labels on most foods that have a Nutrition Facts label on back. The proposal would require a compact informational box, also referred to as the “Nutrition Info Box,” with nutrient information on the front (or principal display panel) of products. The box would also contain information on saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars content in a simple format showing whether the food has “Low,” “Med,” or “High” levels of these nutrients. The aim is to give consumers nutrition information to help them quickly, easily identify how foods and drinks can be part of a healthy diet. “Nearly everyone knows or cares for someone with a chronic disease that is due, in part, to the ...
The Institute for Integration of Medicine & Science (IIMS) at UT Health San Antonio and the UTSA College for Health, Community, and Policy (HCaP) wants to fund a new batch of one-year Community Engagement Small Project Grants. The grants aim to help promote, develop, and expand community and scholarly research partnerships that benefit science and clinicians, according to the 2025 funding announcement. Last year’s grants enabled five teams of researchers to translate scientific findings to benefit public health in San Antonio. These projects covered topics such as HIV/AIDS, faith’s impact on criminal rehabilitation, artistic influence on young brain development, and more. Now your team could be the next ones to improve community health by applying for a ...
Scientists are recommending more plant-based protein sources – beans, peas, and lentils – in the upcoming 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The guidelines, which provide national nutrition recommendations, will be updated this year. A big contributor to the update is the Scientific Report from the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which was submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Dec. 10, 2024. The scientific report proposes to remove beans, peas, and lentils from the “vegetable” category, leave them solely in the “protein” category, and list them as prioritized proteins. “The protein section has pretty much always said lean meat, then chicken, fish, eggs, beans, ...
This content is from the "Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos: 2024 Conference Proceedings."
Obesity and Cancer: What We Know Now About Individual- and Structural-Level Factors
Dr. Monica C. Serra is Associate Professor and Research Health Scientist in the Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology & Palliative Medicine and the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies at University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (UTHSCSA). Obesity and cancer Dr. Serra began by discussing obesity and severe obesity, which have become more common in the US in recent years. In 2011, 27% of adults 18 years of age or older had obesity or severe obesity, and by 2020, 32% of adults 18 years of age or older had obesity or severe obesity. ...
Comment Now: FDA Wants to Require Front-of-Package Nutrition Labels!
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a new proposal to require front-of-package nutrition labels on most foods that have a Nutrition Facts label on back. The proposal would require a compact informational box, also referred to as the “Nutrition Info Box,” with nutrient information on the front (or principal display panel) of products. The box would also contain information on saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars content in a simple format showing whether the food has “Low,” “Med,” or “High” levels of these nutrients. The aim is to give consumers nutrition information to help them quickly, easily identify how foods and drinks can be part of a healthy diet. “Nearly everyone knows or cares for someone with a chronic disease that is due, in part, to the ...
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