Most Denny’s meals are dangerously high in sodium, putting the restaurant chain’s customers at greater risk of high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke, according to a class action lawsuit filed today by a New Jersey man with the support of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Archive for category Nutrition and obesity
Obesity-related diseases account for nearly 10 percent of all medical spending in the United States or an estimated $147 billion a year, U.S. researchers said Monday.
They said obese people spend 40 percent more — or $1,429 more per year — in healthcare costs than people of normal weight.
“It is critical that we take effective steps to contain and reduce the enormous burden of obesity on our nation,” Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Foodnavigator reports that IDG recently conducted focus groups and a quantitative survey of 1,067 adults aged 15 and over in April 2009. It shows that consumers don’t trust food industry portion sizes.
Drinking water in our parks
Jul 30
Sustain in the UK launched a new campaign to get drinking fountains provided in every public park.
It’s a grassroot campaign where concerned individuals can download and do a survey in a local park. After visiting a local park to check out the drinking water supply citizens are encurraged to filling in a short Survey Monkey survey by 30th September 2009. Sustain will use this information to build up a picture of drinking water in parks across the UK.
Also help is provided if the water supply in local parks is not good enough. A template letter and information on finding the correct contact details are available.
UK corner shops in deprived areas are being asked by ministers to sell more fruit and vegetables.
Fridges will be given to the convenience stores to allow them to stock fresh produce and help the battle against obesity.
In return, the shops must agree to move healthy foods to more prominent spots and appoint an employee as their ‘fresh food champion’.
A pilotstudy showed that sales of fresh fruit and veg increased on average by 40 per cent, with around a third of shoppers saying they will buy more fruit and veg from their local store in future. Not bad. But it is difficult to believe this can really be roled out nationwide without strong government funding. This was not mentioned, but a new partnership with the Association for Convenience Stores, an organisation which represents more than 28,000 retailers and suppliers in England, including well known franchises such as NISA Local, SPAR and Landmark was mentioned. I wonder if all 28,000 retailers will be offered this program including new Fridges.
A bar of Cadbury Dairy milk, currently 49g, should also be sold in 40g sizes, while a Mars Bar and Twix, both 58g, should be made in 50g portions, the Food Standards Agency has recommended. And cans of fizzy drinks, currently 330ml, should be sold in a significantly smaller size of 250ml.
Weight of the Nation
Jul 30
A highly interesting conference was held in Washington DC in July 2009 to provide a forum to highlight progress in the prevention and control of obesity through policy and environmental strategies.
Program Objectives:
1. Highlight strategies that overcome barriers to the primary prevention of obesity for youth and adults in communities,
medical care, schools, and workplaces.
2. Provide economic analysis of obesity prevention and control efforts.
3. Share promising, emerging, and best practices for setting specific policy and environmental initiatives
impacting obesity.
4. Highlight the use of law-based efforts to prevent and control obesity.
Program highlights:
Report on Cost Burden of Obesity
Improving Health Outcomes: Integrating Obesity Prevention in Health Reform
Nexus between Transportation and Obesity Prevention
Nexus between Food Systems and Obesity Prevention
Collaboration Fosters Healthy Places and Healthy People
Innovative Policy Initiatives at the Local Level
Focusing State Health Departments on Obesity Prevention
Improving Access To Healthy Places and Healthy Foods – Impact of Federal Legislation on Obesity Prevention and Control
Find the program including speaker names here.
From August 14’th a webcast from this event will be available here.
Grains for Health Foundation
Jul 30
This month Jodi Engleson became the first Director of Scientific Affairs for the Grains for Health Foundation. The Foundation aims to redesign the food supply by facilitating the development, delivery and consumption of grain-based foods that promote a balanced body weight, reduce chronic disease and curb health care costs. Wow, this is in my eyes a highly visionary and relevant mission.
Len Marquart is behind this. He is a very active researcher on Whole Grains at the University of Minnesota. He serves as President of the new Foundation. I meet Len and Jodi in June, and I’m sure they will make important contributions and I look forward to interacting with them and the Grains for Health Foundation
You can find their mission here.
Visit the Grains for Health Foundations website for more information.
High fruit and vegetable intakes may limit weight gain, particularly in susceptible persons, such as those who stop smoking. Data from 89,432 men and women from 5 countries: Denmark, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, and United Kingdom. The association between fruit and vegetable intake and weight change after a mean follow-up of 6.5 y was assessed. Fruit and vegetable intake relates significantly, albeit weakly inversely, to weight change. For persons who stop smoking, high fruit and vegetable intakes may be recommended to reduce the risk of weight gain.