Category: Issue 444
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British Report Claims Obesity a Burden on Environmental Sustainability
A recent report by researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) has claimed that rising obesity rates “could have the same implications for world food energy demands as an extra half billion people living on earth.” Sarah Walpole, “The weight of nations: an estimation of adult human biomass,” BMC Public Health,…
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Scientists Engineer Cows to Produce Low Lactose, Omega-3 Milk
Two groups of scientists at Inner Mongolia University in Huhhot, China, have reportedly created two genetically modified (GM) calves capable of producing either low-lactose milk or milk high in omega-3 fatty acids. According to media sources, the group involved with low-lactose milk production hopes to create herds of GM cows that would supply a range…
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Sodium Intake Linked to Hypertension Risk in New Study
A recent study has reportedly concluded that a diet high in sodium is associated “with increases in biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction, specifically serum uric acid (SUA) and urine albumin excretion (UAE),” leading to hypertension. John Forman, et al., “Association between Sodium Intake and Change in Uric Acid, Urine Albumin Excretion, and the Risk of Developing…
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PLoS Medicine Kicks Off Series on “Big Food,” Calls for Investigation
The journal PLoS Medicine has published two articles and an editorial in a “major new series” on “Big Food” in this week’s issue, and will publish five additional related articles over the next two weeks. The editorial notes that the articles, focusing on “the role in health of Big Food, which we define as the…
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Brownell Weighs In on NYC Proposal to Limit Beverage Sizes
The director of Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity recently authored an article in The Atlantic arguing in favor of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s (DOHMH) proposal to limit the size of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) sold in restaurants and other food service establishments. According to Kelly Brownell, industry…
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EWG Issues Updated Guide to Pesticide Residues in Produce
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has issued its “2012 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce,” updating “pesticide loads” on 45 conventional fruits and vegetables. EWG’s contamination rankings were derived from the organization’s review of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration data from 2000 and 2010 that detailed the amounts and types…
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New York Abuzz with Bees
The New York City Police Department has reportedly noted an uptick in the number of bee swarms scouring the five boroughs in search of a new home, a phenomenon which experts have attributed to unusually warm weather as well as an increase in residential apiaries. According to a June 18, 2012, New York Times article,…