Archive for category Nutrition and obesity

Fruit juices contribute to weight gain and increased health risks, and antioxidant water is a marketing ploy

One big myth is that fruit juice is a healthy part of our diet. Wrong. Drinking a glass of fruit juice a day ‘” which is the equivalent of one soft drink of 110 to 180 calories ‘” has been linked in the U.S., Australia and Spain to increased calorie intake and higher risks of diabetes and heart disease. Find this interesting story by Bary Popkin in NYT.

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Food taxes and discounts affect weight

Food prices can affect weight outcomes and pricing interventions can have a significant effect on obesity rates, U.S. researchers said.

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Meat Intake and Mortality: A Prospective Study of Over Half a Million People

Individuals who eat more red meat and processed mea have an increased risk of death from all causes and also from cancer or heart disease over a 10-year period. In contrast, a higher intake of white meat appeared to be associated with a slightly decreased risk for overall death and cancer death.

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Big Tobacco Played Dirty and Millions Died. How Similar Is Big Food?

A review and analysis of empirical and historical evidence pertaining to tobacco and food industry practices, messages, and strategies to influence public opinion, legislation and regulation, litigation, and the conduct of science. The tobacco industry had a playbook, a script, that emphasized personal responsibility, paying scientists who delivered research that instilled doubt, criticizing the ‘œjunk’ science that found harms associated with smoking, making self-regulatory pledges, lobbying with massive resources to stifle government action, introducing ‘œsafer’ products, and simultaneously manipulating and denying both the addictive nature of their products and their marketing to children. The script of the food industry is both similar to and different from the tobacco industry script. See alsohttp://www.fooducate.com/blog/2009/03/17/the-food-industry-is-not-behaving-like-the-tobacco-industry-right/

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Sugary Drinks Are Bad For Your Heart

A new study found a significant positive association between sugar-sweetened beverage intake and risk of coronary heart disease. Women who consumed two or more servings of these beverages each day had a 35% higher risk of heart disease compared to those who consumed less than two servings per month.

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School kids skipping breakfast are missing healthy brain fuel

A new Australian survey found that 22% of parents interviewed said their children skip breakfast on three to five school days of each week, and a further 20% skip breakfast on one or two school days. The remaining 58% of parents said their school aged children always ate breakfast before school.

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Malcolm Gladwell’s lecture on spaghetti sauce

Malcolm is the gifted author behind Bink, Outliers and The Tipping Point. This lecture was recorded on video in 2004. Enjoy his analysis of food technology and how to work with consumers.

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Setting the Record Straight: Nutritionists Define Healthful Food

The Strategic Alliance of the Prevention Institute has produced a working definition of a healthful food. In this report healthful food is defined by three principles: Healthful food should be (1) wholesome, (2) produced in ways that are good for people, animals, and natural resources, and (3) available, accessible, and affordable. This definition will make food labeling like GDA and nutrient profiling unnessesary. ‘Wholesome’ says this document, means foods that are minimally processed, full of naturally occurring nutrients, produced without added hormones or antibiotics, and processed without artificial colors, flavors, or unnecessary preservatives.

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How Beliefs about the Causes of Obesity Affect Support for Public Policy

New research has found that an individual’s personal beliefs about the causes of weight problems are a reliable indicator of whether he or she will support public policies designed to combat the problem. The study surveyed 1,009 people on their views about the causes of obesity and their level of support for 16 policy responses, taking demographics, health characteristics and political attitudes into account.

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Red meat diet tied to early eye problems

People whose diet includes a lot of red meat are more likely to develop the early stages of an eye condition known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is the leading cause of vision loss in older adults, according to an Australian study.

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