Category: Scientific/Technical Items
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Study Purports to Link SSBs with Lower Fertility
A study from the Department of Epidemiology at Boston University’s School of Public Health has concluded that consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) may reduce fertility in both males and females. Elizabeth E. Hatch, et al., “Intake of Sugar-sweetened Beverages and Fecundability in a North American Preconception Cohort,” Epidemiology. Researchers studied 3,828 women and 1,045 of…
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JAMA Op-Ed Calls for Activism Transparency in Food Research
In a JAMA Viewpoint article, researchers from Stanford University have argued that nutrition studies should be transparent about their authors’ financial and non-financial conflicts of interest, including their dietary preferences and activism work. Noting that “the puritanical view that accepting funding from the food industry ipso facto automatically biases the results is outdated,” the authors briefly…
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Dairy Test May Support Grass-Fed Milk Mislabeling Claims
Iowa State University researchers have reportedly developed an inexpensive method to test whether milk was produced by grass-fed cows. Fluorescence spectroscopy, which measures light to identify the amount of chlorophyll metabolized by cows, may help regulators enforce organic milk standards requiring cows to eat a minimum of 30 percent foraged grass. The researchers reportedly found…
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Industry Groups Criticize JAMA Study Questioning Benefits of Omega-3
After JAMA Cardiology published a meta-analysis purporting to find “no significant association” between consumption of omega-3 fatty acids and “fatal or nonfatal coronary heart disease or any major vascular events,” industry groups reportedly criticized the conclusion, arguing that other meta-analyses find statistically significant reductions in cardiac death risks. The JAMA meta-analysis examined 10 randomized trials that…
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Obesity and Food Addiction
As the number of obese and overweight Americans has climbed, many people have searched for causes and prevention strategies, with some noting that fat may be “the next tobacco” as researchers continue to find links between obesity and a variety of health issues. Questions have arisen about whether some ingredients, such as cheese, cause behaviors…
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Cornell Announces Internal Investigation of Brian Wansink
Cornell University has reportedly begun a formal investigation into the research work of Brian Wansink, director of the university’s Food and Brand Lab. Four of Wansink’s papers have been retracted in 2017, including a Frontiers of Psychology article retracted on November 27 and a JAMA Pediatrics article retracted in October. Reportedly, an additional eight papers have been or…
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Study Reports Association Between “New Generation” SSBs and Dental Disease
University of Sydney researchers have apparently found an association between adolescents’ consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and oral health or obesity. Louise Hardy, et al., “Association between adolescents’ consumption of total and different types of sugar-sweetened beverages with oral health impacts and weight status,” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, November 22, 2017.…
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Study Reports Labeling Food as Snacks Increases Consumption
Researchers at the University of Surrey have evaluated the impact of “snack” labeling compared to “meal” labeling, reportedly finding that those who ate products labeled as snacks consumed “significantly more in terms of nearly all measures of food intake than those in the other conditions.” J. Ogden et al., “‘Snack’ versus ‘meal’: The impact of…