Are hot dogs a political issue? Surprisingly so.

On Monday July 25, my non-profit organization, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, erected a billboard outside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The picture was stark -- a cigarette pack emblazoned with a skull and crossbones. But sticking out of the pack...

While Congress debates how to cure America's massive debt problem, let me offer a doctor's prescription: five smart cuts could save taxpayers $383 billion and make Americans healthier at the same time.

Right now, the U.S. government spends billions subsidizing the least healthful foods, fueling America's obesity epidemic and...

Last month, two food-related stories dominated the press. First, the World Cancer Research Fund announced that no one should eat processed meat ever because of its incontrovertible link to colon cancer. Second, President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron made sausage the centerpiece of their photo-op during the president's...

The Maryland Senate is considering new restrictions on lawn fertilizers, a measure already approved by the House. As a doctor, let me remind our friends in Annapolis that we would get a lot more benefit for the Bay--and for our own health--if we would clean up Maryland agriculture.

Here's...

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, unveiled January 31, 2011, take a major leap forward, highlighting the benefits of vegetarian and vegan diets. The Dietary Guidelines --issued by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services every five years -- are the blueprint for...

The Houston Ship Channel is clogged with beef fat. Unlike petroleum, which has a colorful sheen on the water's surface, beef fat turns into a solid cake, looking like a waxy ice flow.

There's a lesson there. The take-home message is that animal fat is solid at room temperature,...

Late last year, after considerable division and debate, Congress took a baby step forward against childhood obesity. New legislation gives schools more money, so that that slightly-more-expensive veggie burger might be in reach for schools that have only been able to afford the meaty variety up till now. The legislation...

As the calendar turns to January, many of us resolve to lose weight. But before many more calendar pages have turned, that resolution has fallen by the wayside for a lot of us, and we haven't lost an ounce. The problem is not a lack of will; we honestly did...

Soy products are remarkably versatile. Manufacturers have found ways to turn them into soymilk, veggie burgers, hot dogs, ice cream, yogurt--you name it. One day, they'll probably turn soy into snow tires.

Because soy products are so widely consumed, some people have raised the question as to whether they...

Rush Limbaugh was rushed to Honolulu's Queen's Medical Center yesterday, reportedly suffering from severe chest pains. Today, according to hospital sources, he is undergoing appropriate tests and resting. The symptoms of heart disease can be terrifying, and I wish Rush a speedy and uneventful recovery.

As a doctor, I...

If you're like most Americans this time of year, you've stuffed yourself with cookies and other sweets and washed it all down with eggnog. But instead of feeling jolly, you're feeling bloated and lethargic.

Studies show that nearly all the weight people gain over the course of the year...

The luxury cruise ship was outfitted with a gymnasium, a squash court, a Turkish bath, and an on-board swimming pool, justifying the ticket price of $4,350 for first class passage. What it did not have was a hull capable of withstanding an iceberg. And on April 14, 1912, the Titanic...

On Aug. 3, advertisements went up at a Washington, DC, Metro Station showing an 8-year-old girl saying "President Obama's daughters get healthy school lunches. Why don't I?" Within 24 hours, they sparked a media debate focusing on the substantive question about the healthfulness of school meals and, even more so,...