Category: Issue 464
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Research Examines Role of High-Sugar Diet in Tumor Growth
A recent study has purportedly found that “high levels of glucose in the diet of mice with cancer is linked to increased expression of mutant p53 genes,” raising questions about the effect of a high-sugar diet on tumor growth. Olga Catalina Rodriguez, et al., “Dietary downregulation of mutant p53 levels via glucose restriction: Mechanisms and…
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Animal Study Implicates Nonnutritive Sweeteners in Weight Gain
A recent study has reportedly suggested that compared with sucrose, some nonnutritive sweeteners (NNSs) induce greater weight gain in Wistar rats. Fernanda de Matos Feijó, et al., “Saccharin and aspartame, compared with sucrose, induce greater weight gain in Wistar rats, at similar total caloric intake levels,” Appetite, November 2012. After feeding 29 male rats a…
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Brain Imaging Study Focuses on Food Logos
Researchers with the University of Missouri-Kansas City and University of Kansas Medical Center have used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to map brain responses to food logos in obese and healthy-weight children. Amanda Bruce, et al., “Brain Responses to Food Logos in Obese and Health Weight Children,” Journal of Pediatrics, November 2012. According to the study,…
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Danish Councils Establish Database to Identify Products Containing Nanomaterials
The Danish Consumer Council and Danish Ecological Council, in conjunction with the Department of Environmental Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark, have reportedly developed a database intended to help consumers identify products that may contain nanomaterials. The database evidently includes a description of each nanotechnology involved; rates of purported exposure risks to professional end-users,…
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Food Fight for Nickelodeon
In the ongoing battle over whether the government should regulate food ads targeting children, the Food Marketing Workgroup (FMW), a coalition of more than 80 health groups and nutritionists, is putting pressure on Nickelodeon and its parent company, Viacom, to adopt nutrition guidelines for foods marketed to children, particularly foods that license Nickelodeon characters such…
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Arbitrator Orders May 2013 Deadline for U.S. COOL Rules to Comply with WTO Ruling
A World Trade Organization (WTO) arbitrator has determined that the United States must conform its country-of-origin-labeling (COOL) rules in accordance with an earlier ruling by May 23, 2013, finding that 10 months was a reasonable time for implementation. Additional details about the dispute, which involved a challenge brought by Canada and Mexico over 2008 COOL…
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Challengers Seek Expedited Argument on NYC Large-Size Soda Ban
Soft drink manufacturers and restaurateurs have reportedly requested that the court reschedule oral arguments in their challenge to a New York City prohibition on the sale of sweetened beverages in sizes that exceed 16 ounces. N.Y. Statewide Coal. of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce v. NYC Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene, No. 653584/2012 (N.Y. Sup. Ct.,…
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Malicious Prosecution Suit Filed Against Attorneys by 5-Hour Energy® Company May Proceed
In an unpublished decision, a California appeals court has determined thatInnovation Ventures, LLC, the parent company which makes 5-Hour Energy®, may proceed with a malicious prosecution action against Howard Rubinstein and other consumer-fraud attorneys in connection with a putative class action filed against the company in 2010 on behalf of a woman, Vi Nguyen, whose…