Soda consumption is a hot-button issue right now.

Between New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s controversial plan to ban “jumbo-sized” soda and other high-calorie drinks (16 ounces being the cut-off point) and the increased push to raise the overall health consciousness in America, soda drinkers find themselves in the middle of a heated, at times contentious debate.

Last week, the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) got involved, sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to request a deep and thorough investigation of the negative health impacts of soda and other surgary drinks. The ACS is asking for a study similar to the Surgeon General’s landmark comprehensive report on the dangers of smoking in 1964.

This begs the question: Will cans and bottles of soda eventually be required to carry a Surgeon General’s warning?

Eat your vegetables.

It's the three magic words every parent says to a child, and every doctor says to a patient. It's widely recognized as one of the keys to good health, but few people realize that a vegetable-heavy diet can be the most effective form of cancer prevention.

University of Arizona Cancer Center member Cynthia Thomson, PhD, RD, CSO, is at the forefront of nutrition-related cancer prevention research, and her latest work is being recognized as a major advancement in the field.

Dr. Thomson has been selected as a winner of the 2011 Huddleson Award for her manuscript, "A Systematic Review of Behavioral Interventions to Promote Intake of Fruit and Vegetables," published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (now the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics).