Triumphs, Troubles and Tea

However, things are changing. McDonald's, which has been publicly lashed for its role in creating the supersize culture in the first place, took supersizing off its menus in 2004 and recently announced that it would begin putting nutritional information on the packaging of all its products by 2006. Former President Bill Clinton, a survivor of quadruple-bypass surgery, and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who famously lost 110 lbs. after his Type 2 diabetes was diagnosed, have formed a bipartisan tag team, working with the American Heart Association to get the message of healthy eating and exercise out to kids.

There was plenty more that made news in health this year--the highlights of which are described in the pages that follow. At the end of 2005, the world may not be an appreciably healthier place than it was at the end of 2004, but with new drugs rolling out, new techniques being tried and new initiatives being launched, our tools are better than ever. Now we must learn how to put them to good use.