Survey reveals key issues with America’s eating habits

WESTON, Fla. – A recent Cleveland Clinic survey showed that almost half of all Americans view healthy foods as being more expensive and almost the same number admitted to buying fast food at least once a week.

“We need to educate the public about fast food. Fast food is not healthy at all. It’s full of processed ingredients, unhealthy fats from red meat, fried foods and often time accompanied by a sugary beverage. We need to be mindful of our intake of those foods because they increase our risk of heart disease over time,” said Candace O’Neill, a registered dietician with Cleveland Clinic Weston.

Among the positive findings, 56 percent of Americans with heart disease or a family history of heart disease said they developed healthier eating habits.

In other health news, the FDA Is now assessing a new pill to help treat women with postpartum depression.

The drug is a fast acting anti-depressant and would be taken once a day for two weeks.

The only other treatment for women suffering from postpartum depression is a one-time infusion that takes 60 hours and can cost up to $35,000.

And as Americans prepare for Super Bowl 57 on Sunday, a study is once again highlighting the serious health risk many football players face.

Researchers at the Boston University CTE Center analyzed the brains of 376 deceased NFL players and found that 345 of them had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, which is caused by repeated blows to the head.

By comparison, a 2018 BU Study of 164 men and women only found a single case of CTE.

Researchers are calling for the NFL to take action to help prevent and diagnose CTE.


About the Authors:

Kristi Krueger has built a solid reputation as an award-winning medical reporter and effervescent anchor. She joined Local 10 in August 1993. After many years co-anchoring the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., Kristi now co-anchors the noon newscasts, giving her more time in the evening with her family.

Veteran journalist Kathleen Corso is the special projects producer for Local 10 News.