Large scale food retail interventions and diet
Improving retail provision alone may not have a substantial impact on diet
The British Medical Journal now believes that providing healthy food choices to consumers is not enough—we also need to provide extensive education demonstrating why making better choices will improve our health throughout life. Even providing easy access to stores supplying fresh fruit and vegetables did not always prompt consumers to shop more wisely....
At F.D.A., Strong Drug Ties and Less Monitoring When federal drug officials suspected in 1992 that a popular allergy pill might cause heart problems, they turned to their own scientists. Their trial confirmed the danger, and the drug was pulled from the market. Eight years later, similar worries surrounded the arthritis pill Vioxx. But by then, the Food and Drug Administration had shifted gears.... |
Reducing vitamin deficiency can improve world economy A new report from UNICEF and the Micronutrient Initiative finds that lack of basic vitamins and minerals in the diet is damaging the health of one-third of the world's people and holding back the economic development of virtually every country in the southern hemisphere. |
School Vending Machines Dispensing Junk Washington, DC's Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) recently published a report condemning schools that line their hallways—and their pockets—with vending machines selling junk food and soda pop to students. Their survey of schools across America revealed that most choices presented in school vending machines are poor nutritional choices. |
JAMA reverses policy on vitamin supplements By publishing two articles recommending all adults take a multivitamin supplement, the Journal of the American Medical Association has ended a long-standing silence on the benefits of supplementation. The Clinical Application article recommends all doctors review vitamin and mineral deficiencies with each of their patients to reduce the risk of disease. |
UNICEF: Less than half the world is likely to meet target for cutting child deaths According to a progress report from UNICEF published this week, less than half the world is on track to meet the United Nations’ target to cut death rates among children aged under 5 years. The report, Progress for Children, also says that an estimated 11 million children are still dying needlessly every year. |
New, ß-carotene rich sweet potato combats blindness in Africa The world's leading cause of childhood blindness is a simple deficiency in vitamin A. While UNICEF and other organizations have had great success in reducing this nutritional tragedy with supplementation programs, a variety of sweet potato selected by scientists in Peru may have a role to play as well. |
Top health officials adopt global plan to cut obesity After months of tough negotiations with sugar producers, the 192 nation World Health Organization adopted a global plan last weekend to help millions of people avoid obesity and other chronic diseases by adopting a healthy diet. |
US food industry ensures that consumers are not told to eat lessMarion Nestle, professor and chairwoman of the department of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University, said the US food industry had used sophisticated marketing and advertising techniques to make people eat more. Meanwhile, its powerful political lobby had stopped government agencies providing advice to consumers on reducing their energy intake. |
EU to ban use of unsubstantiated health claims for food products Food and drink manufacturers will have to prove scientifically the health and nutritional claims they make for their products under new legislation tabled by the European Commission last week. |
FDA Stops Sale and Distribution of Dietary Supplements Making Misleading Claims About Obesity and Impotence |
US government rejects WHO's attempts to improve dietThe US government has rejected a link between junk food and obesity in a confidential letter to the director general of the World Health Organization, Dr Lee Jong-wook. |
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