We need to talk about nutrition

Edition: US - Today's top story: Want to fix America's health care? First, focus on food [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 13 September 2017 [[The Conversation]Academic rigor, journalistic flair]( Editor's note The health care debate isn’t over yet. There’s a new Obamacare replacement bill in the works, while Bernie Sanders pushes for single-payer. But there’s one huge issue that’s still being overlooked, says Dariush Mozaffarian at Tufts University: food. By his estimate, [poor nutrition]( accounts for nearly half of all U.S. deaths due to heart disease, stroke and diabetes. It’s time for Americans to start addressing the problem. As of last night, more than seven million people were without electricity service because of Hurricane Irma. Could [underground power lines]( have prevented such widespread outages? Ted Kury from the University of Florida has studied this question and has a somewhat surprising conclusion. And if there’s a teenager in your household having trouble getting out of bed on time, take heart from Kyla Wahlstrom’s article. She lays out the evidence supporting [later start times for high school](– and explains that teens aren’t just lazy, it’s their hormones (of course). Aviva Rutkin Big Data and Applied Mathematics Editor Top story Poor diet hurts our health and our wallets. Lukas Goja/Shutterstock.com [Want to fix America's health care? First, focus on food]( Dariush Mozaffarian, Tufts University Poor diet kills hundreds of thousands per year. If we want to achieve meaningful health care reform, we need to address our nation's nutrition crisis. Environment + Energy - [Should the US put power lines underground?]( Theodore J. Kury, University of Florida Would putting power lines underground avoid hurricanes knocking out electricity service for millions of people? The answer is not as straightforward as it seems. - [Do hurricanes feel the effects of climate change?]( Chanh Kieu, Indiana University What scientists know – and don't know – about the linkage between climate change and hurricanes. Science + Technology - [Is the new iPhone designed for cybersafety?]( Arun Vishwanath, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York Some of the iPhone's innovations have made users less secure. Education - [Sleepy teenage brains need school to start later in the morning]( Kyla Wahlstrom, University of Minnesota Teenagers aren't just lazy. Their sleep hormones aren't calibrated to let them get up and go until later in the morning – which has academic and health consequences when school starts too early. Economy + Business - [5 ways to stretch your disaster relief dollars]( David Campbell, Binghamton University, State University of New York The desire to help during emergencies like Hurricane Harvey is admirable. Doing some homework might make your contributions go farther. Politics + Society - [5 things that have changed about FEMA since Katrina – and 5 that haven't]( Patrick Roberts, Virginia Tech Is the Federal Emergency Management Agency ready for the new era of disasters? Ethics + Religion - [This old Catholic ritual is giving Brazil's economy a small boost, one Virgin Mary statuette at a time]( Bernardo Figueiredo, RMIT University; Daiane Scaraboto, Universidad Católica de Chile For a century, Brazil's Catholic Church has sent holy statues out to parishioners' homes. A new study finds that these visits create a local subeconomy, benefitting families and the church. Trending on site - [Why al-Qaida is still strong 16 years after 9/11]( Tricia Bacon, American University An unprecedented onslaught from the US hasn't destroyed the terrorist organization. What is the secret of its resilience? - [Does marijuana affect your sleep?]( Deirdre Conroy, University of Michigan Many hope that marijuana will help their insomnia. A sleep psychologist examines the evidence. - [The 'internet of things' is sending us back to the Middle Ages]( Joshua A.T. Fairfield, Washington and Lee University The companies that make our digital devices think – and act – like they still own them, even after we've bought them. Are we becoming digital serfs? Today’s interesting fact [Men with lower testosterone levels after the birth of a baby in their family report higher symptoms of depression, but their wives report lower levels of postpartum depression.]( [Postpartum depression can affect dads – and their hormones may be to blame]( Darby Saxbe University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences [Darby Saxbe] [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly](. We’ll miss you. 625 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139 USA