Category: Issue 522
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Tuna Caught Off U.S. Coasts Contain Trace Levels of Fukushima Radiation
Researchers have apparently found levels of radiation “too small to be of realistic concern” from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown in albacore tuna caught off the coasts of Washington and Oregon. Neville et al., “Trace Levels of Fukushima Disaster Radionuclides in East Pacific Albacore,” Environmental Science & Technology, April 2014. The study examined 26 Pacific albacore…
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Extra Cup of Coffee May Reduce Type 2 Diabetes Risk
A recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) has reportedly found that “[p]eople who increased the amount of coffee they drank each day by more than one cup over a four-year period had an 11% lower risk for type 2 diabetes than those who made no changes to their coffee consumption.” Shilpa…
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USDA Researchers Claim Low Seafood Intake Linked to Cognitive Decline
Research presented at the Experimental Biology 2014 meeting has apparently confirmed the importance of dietary long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), concluding that lower intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA) were predictive of cognitive decline. According to an April 27, 2014, press release, scientists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Human Nutrition Research…
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Mother’s Diet Before Conception Can Allegedly Modify Child’s DNA
Researchers have reportedly found that nutrient levels in a pregnant woman’s diet before conception can permanently affect how the child’s genes function. Paula Dominguez-Salas et al., “Maternal nutrition at conception modulates DNA methylation of human metastable epialleles,” Nature Communications, April 2014. The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) researchers selected 167 pregnant women…
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Study Examines Alternative Hormonal Receptor Affected by BPA
A recent study has reportedly identified an alternative hormonal receptor that mediates bisphenol A (BPA), raising questions about the purported link between BPA exposure, diabetes and obesity. Marie Tohmé, et al., “Estrogen-related receptor γ is an in vivo receptor of bisphenol A,” The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, April 2014.…
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CNN Money Reports on Alleged Wage Violations in Fast Food Industry
CNNMoney has published a May 1, 2014, article claiming that the Department of Labor (DOL) has difficulty cracking down on labor and wage violations in the fast food industry due to the franchise model. Based on data collected by DOL’s Wage and Hour Division that reportedly found individual Subway franchisees “in violation of pay and…
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Scientists Develop Magnetic DNA Tag to Protect Olive Oil from Counterfeiters
Researchers from Switzerland’s technology and natural sciences university, ETH Zurich, have reportedly developed a method of tagging olive oil that can determine the product’s origin and whether it has been adulterated. Consisting of tiny, magnetic DNA particles encapsulated in a silica casing that are mixed with the oil, a few grams of the material are enough…
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CCFC and CAI Criticize USDA Proposal on Food Marketing in Schools
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) and Corporate Accountability International (CAI) published an April 25, 2014, letter to U.S.Department of Agriculture (USDA) School Programs Branch Chief Julie Brewer, criticizing a proposed rule that would require schools “to implement policies for the marketing of foods and beverages on the school campus during the school day…