A study conducted at the Department of Psychology, Macquarie University in Australia, and printed in the journal Appetite has found that a Western diet - high in saturated fat and refined carbohydrates, called HFS diet - can damage brain systems in human beings. There is evidence that shows this damage in animal research. Diet can affect frontal, limbic, and hippocampal systems in the brain. Those areas have functions in learning, memory, cognition, and hedonics. Researchers suggest "there is a causal link running from HFS diet to impaired brain function in humans, and that HFS diets also contribute to the development of neurodegenerative conditions." Unfortunately, scientists think that there is not much evidence that this damage can be reversed. The researchers reviewed evidence … [Read more...]
FTC Upholds Trial Decision Against POM Wonderful LLC
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) upheld an Administrative Law Judge's decision that the marketers of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice and POMx supplements deceptively advertised their products and did not have support for their claims. Ads claimed that the products could "treat, prevent, or reduce the risk of heart disease, prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction, and that they were clinically proven to work." The FTC found that POM marketers made deceptive claims in 36 ads and promotional materials. That goes beyond Judge D. Michael Chappell's May 2012 ruling that there were false or deceptive claims in 19 of the challenged items. Food Poisoning Bulletin told you about that ruling last year. A Final Order was issued that prohibits POM marketers from making any claim that their … [Read more...]
Nutrition Facts Label Turns 20
The black and white “Nutrition Facts” label that’s on almost all the food we buy turns 20 this year. For many of us, it’s hard to remember a time when food packaging lacked this fact box, but before it was mandated by the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, nutritional labeling was provided by manufacturers on a voluntary basis. The FDA issued the final rule for food nutrition labeling on Jan. 6, 1993. Over the years, consumers have increased their usage of the label when shopping. From 2002 to 2008, the percentage of US consumers reporting that they often use the label when shopping rose from 44 to 54 percent, according to data from the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Health and Diet Survey. Increased consumer use of the labels has prompted some manufacturers to … [Read more...]
New Study Finds Junk Foods Increase Risk of Asthma and Eczema
A study published in Thorax, an international journal of respiratory medicine, has found a correlation between junk food or fast food consumption and an increase in asthma, eczema, and rhinoconjuntivitis in children. The study is part of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. The research was conducted at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Researchers sent questionnaires on the prevalence of the diseases and food intake over the past 12 months to 13 and 14 year old adolescents and the parents of 6 and 7 year old children. The study involved more than 50 countries and almost 500,000 children. It is the largest study to date on allergies among children and adolescents. They found there was a 39% increased risk of severe asthma in adolescents and a 27% … [Read more...]
Diet Soda, Fruit Punch Consumption Linked to Depression
A new study conducted at the National Institutes of Health has found a link between depression and consumption of diet soda. Conversely, drinking coffee is tied to a slightly lower risk of developing that disease. The study will be released in March at a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers looked at the soda, tea, fruit punch, and coffee consumption of 263,925 people between the ages of 50 and 71, in the years 1995 and 1996. They then studied the mental health of those patients from 1985 to 2000, and found that people who consumed at least four cans of diet soda every day had a 30% greater risk of developing depression. The scientists also found that those who drank four cans of fruit punch every day were 38% more likely to develop depression than those who did not … [Read more...]
Mother’s Vitamin D Level Linked to Babies’ Birth Weight
A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism has found that vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women, especially during the first trimester, restricts the fetus' growth in utero. In fact, mothers with less than 0.015 parts per million of vitamin D in their blood in the first 26 weeks of pregnancy delivered babies who weighed 46 grams less than babies born to mothers with adequate levels. Those babies were more likely to fall in the lower 10th percentile for weight, a condition called "small for gestational age." The most usual source of vitamin D for people is exposure to sunlight. Especially in the northern hemispheres, it can be difficult to obtain enough vitamin D for good health. Very foods contain the vitamin naturally. Some foods, such as dairy … [Read more...]
Antibiotics Fatten Farm Animals: People Too?
Food Poisoning Bulletin has been reporting about the sub clinical use of antibiotics in farm animals for the past year. Many farmers routinely feed chickens, pigs, and cows antibiotics in their feed to prevent disease and to promote growth. The link between antibiotic dose and disease prevention may be obvious. But how do antibiotics promote growth? Mother Jones has a report connecting antibiotic use and weight gain. Regular low doses of antibiotics make animals gain weight because they change bacteria that live in the gut. The colonies of bacteria are called "microbiomes" and they can affect everything from allergies to the immune system to weight gain. A study published in Nature last year found that low doses of antibiotics changed the bacteria in the intestines of mice. Those … [Read more...]
USDA Is Updating School Lunch Rules to Allow More Grains, Meat
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack wrote a letter to members of Congress last week, telling them that the USDA is revising school lunch rules. The new rules are removing calorie limits on grains and meats offered to children. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) has been in effect since the beginning of this current school year. If a school meets the minimum serving requirements for grains and meats, they will be in compliance with the law, even if they exceed the maximum limits. Schools had been having difficulty working within the operational challenge of the minimum and maximum serving ranges. Vilsack wrote, "This flexibility is being provided to allow more time for the development of products that fit within the new standards while granting schools additional weekly menu … [Read more...]
Most Food-Cancer Links Unproven, According to New Study
Dr. Jonathan Schoenfeld of the Harvard School of Public Health has published a new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that says trials have failed to find effects for observational studies that link foods with cancer. Everything from low fat salad dressing to celery, olives, and sugar has been linked to cancer development in observational studies. The scientists chose 50 random ingredients from the Boston Cooking-School Cook Book then searched each ingredient to find associations with cancer risk in medical literature. They found that 40 foods, including flour, coffee, butter, sugar, peas, duck, tomatoes, lemons, onions, carrots, parsley, lobster, veal, cinnamon, and mustard, had been studied as being possible carcinogens. The ten that were not studied were uncommon … [Read more...]
FDA Helps Consumers Reduce Sodium Intake
The Food and Drug Administration wants to help American consumers reduce their sodium intake. On average, U.S. consumers eat about 3300 mg of sodium every day, a full 1000 mg above the 2010 Dietary Guidelines level of 2300 mg. That much sodium can cause development and escalation of high blood pressure, which is a leading cause of stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease. Anyone over the age of 51 should reduce their sodium level to just 1500 mg daily. The CDC has reported that children and adolescents consume this high level of sodium too, which doubles their risk of developing high blood pressure. Dr. Jessica Leighton, senior advisor for science in the FDA's Office of Food and Veterinary Medicine, said, "There has been a common misconception that sodium intake is just a concern for … [Read more...]
