Daily dose of Health News: Obama to sign health care package today as some states plan challenges to legislation

Here's a look at some of the top health news being talked about around the U.S. and the world today:
• President Barack Obama is expected to sign the massive health care package which passed Congress over the weekend today. But he should expect some challenges from states who say they'll sue over the constitutionality of the legislation's expansion of Medicaid which they say they simply can't afford, BusinessWeek reported. The health care bill will make up to 15 million additional Americans eligible for Medicaid in the next four years.
• The big news emerging from health care reform bill is an item that will require chain restaurants nationwide to start posting their calorie counts on their menus. The move, which follows in the footsteps of several cities and states across the U.S., is meant to help diners avoid hidden calorie pitfalls and give added motivation for restaurants to cut back on calorie-laden dishes. But don't expect to see the counts right away. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will need to come up with the regulations so the calorie disclosures could be as far as four years away, the Wall Street Journal reported.
• And as our portion sizes and eating habits get bigger, it appears our art is reflecting larger portion sizes as well. In a study by a Cornell University professor and his brother, a Presbyterian minister and religious studies professor, found portion sizes and plates in depictions of the biblical "Last Supper" have gradually grown between 23 percent and 69 percent, Reuters reported. Their report was published in the April edition of The International Journal of Obesity.
• New studies support the idea that some light drinking may actually be good for the heart - as long as folks don't overdo it. Researchers found those who drank about one-half to one alcoholic drink a day had the lowest incidence of death from heart disease and other causes of death than those who did not drink, the Los Angeles Times reported. However, those who drank more than two glasses a day had higher death rates from heart disease than those who completely abstained from alcohol.

AnnArbor.com