Category: Issue 474
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Study Points to Maternal Diet’s Purported Role in Creating “Junk Food Junkies”
A recent animal study has concluded that exposing rats to a perinatal “junk-food” (JF) diet “results in early desensitization of the opioid system which may explain the increased preference for junk food in these offspring.” Jessica Gugusheff, et al., “A maternal ‘junk-food’ diet reduces sensitivity to the opioid antagonist naloxone in offspring postweaning,” The FASEB…
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Salt Consumption Allegedly Linked to Autoimmune Disorders
Two groups of researchers have allegedly provided evidence that sodium induces the differentiation of CD4 T cells responsible for immune responses, thereby raising concerns about the role of salt intake in autoimmune disorders. Both published in Nature, the two studies in question suggested that “a high-salt diet can enhance the differentiation of a class of immune…
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Sunstein Focuses on the Nanny State in Book Review
According to Law Professor and former White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Administrator Cass Sunstein, a new book addresses the intersection of recent findings on human behavior with the paternalism many Americans equate with “big government” regulations, such as New York City’s restrictions on the size of sugar-sweetened beverages. Sarah Conly’s Against Autonomy: Justifying…
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Monster Energy Briefs Reporters on Expert Findings in Maryland Teen’s Death
During a recent press conference, counsel for Monster Energy reportedly addressed claims made in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the company by the parents of a Maryland teenager who allegedly died after consuming the company’s energy drink. The company’s experts have apparently reviewed the medical records in the case and determined that “there is…
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NYC Department of Health Highlights Gaps in Potassium Labeling
A research letter published February 25, 2013, in JAMA Internal Medicine claims that less than 10 percent of surveyed packaged food products provided information about potassium content on their nutrition facts panels (NFPs). Noting that under current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) policy the disclosure of potassium levels is optional, researchers with New York City’s…
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IATP Webinar to Feature Anti-Sugar Crusader Robert Lustig
The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) has announced a March 18, 2013, webinar to discuss how “America’s sweet-laden diet is helping drive obesity and chronic metabolic disease.” Titled “Sickly Sweet: The Science and Policy of Fructose Overconsumption in America,” the webinar will reportedly be led by Robert Lustig, a specialist in neuroendocrinology at…
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PHA Issues Report on Childhood Obesity
A non-profit focusing on childhood obesity has issued its first annual progress report on private sector commitments to address the issue. According to the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), nearly 3 million children “got moving in 2012,” more than 8,000 “new physical activity opportunities became available for kids in 2012,” dozens of new or renovated…
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IOM Issues Workshop Summary on Trends in Food and Beverage Marketing to Children
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has issued a pre-publication summary of its workshop “New Challenges and Opportunities for Change in Food Marketing to Children and Youth.” Conducted by IOM’s Standing Committee on Childhood Obesity Prevention, the November 5, 2012, workshop featured “presentations and discussion on contemporary trends in marketing of foods and beverages to children…