The new edition of ‘F as in Fat: How Obesity Rates Are Failing in America 2009’, finds that in the past year, adult obesity rates grew in 23 states and did not decrease in a single state. Two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese, and the number of obese adults now exceeds 25 percent in nearly two-thirds of states. The report also finds disturbing trends in childhood obesity rates. Nearly one third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese.
In an effort to help families and school administrators fight the epidemic of obesity among children, a Yale-led team of researchers has developed a practical coding system to evaluate school wellness policies, which are required of all schools participating in the National School Lunch Program. This coding system was introduced in the July 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine have observed in a study of pregnant women that consumption of at least seven servings per day of fruits and vegetables moderately reduced the risk of developing an upper respiratory tract infections.
Sweeping healthcare legislation in US Congress includes money for walking paths, streetlights, jungle gyms, and even farmers’ markets.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published its first Annual Report on Pesticide Residues, which provides an overview on the pesticide residues in food throughout the European Union during 2007.
The report, said that 96 % of the samples analysed were compliant with the legal Maximum Residues Levels and 4 % exceeded them, compared to 5% in 2006.
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.
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.