Category: Scientific/Technical Items
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Teens Allegedly Influenced by Soft-Drink Warning Labels
Researchers with the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine’s Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics have authored a study claiming that adolescents are less likely to purchase sugary beverages that carry warning labels. Eric VanEpps and Christina Roberto, “The Influence of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Warnings,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine, September 2016. The study…
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Study Claims Carrageenan Causes No Adverse Effects
A study commissioned by the International Food Additives Council (IFAC) has claimed that when used as a gelling or thickening agent in foods, carrageenan (CGN) causes no adverse effects in human cells. James McKim, Jr., et al., “Effects of carrageenan on cell permeability, cytotoxicity, and cytokine gene expression in human intestinal and hepatic cell lines,”…
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NAP Issues Report Targeting Potential Relationship Between Chemical Exposures and Obesity
The National Academies Press (NAP) has published a report summarizing a March 2015 workshop held by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on The Interplay Between Environmental Chemical Exposures and Obesity. The report summarizes both animal model and human epidemiological studies allegedly linking exposure to environmental chemicals “to weight gain and to glucose…
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Report Claims Alcohol Consumption Causes Cancer
Taking issue with language that only loosely links alcohol consumption to increased cancer incidence, an article in the July 2016 issue of Addiction suggests that 5.8 percent of all cancer deaths worldwide are caused by alcohol-attributable cancers of the oropharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, colon, rectum, and female breast. Jennie Connor, “Alcohol consumption as a cause…
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Alcohol Price Increase Would Allegedly Reduce Violence-Related Injuries
A study examining data from 299,381 adults in England and Wales has concluded that a 1-percent increase in alcohol beverage prices would result in 6,000 fewer emergency department (ED) visits for violence-related injuries. Nicholas Page, et al., “Preventing violence-related injuries in England and Wales: a panel study examining the impact of on-trade and off-trade alcohol…
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Swedish Study Highlights Potential Flaws in fMRI Findings
Swedish researchers have warned that the software packages used to analyze the results of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) contain flaws that increase the chance of a false positive by as much as 70 percent. Anders Eklund, “Cluster failure: Why fMRI inferences for spatial extent have inflated false-positive rates,” PNAS, June 2016. For more than…
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New Meta-Analysis Targets Health Effects of Butter Consumption
A meta-analysis examining the effect of dairy fats on health has identified “a small positive association between butter consumption and all-cause mortality, no significant association with incident CVD [cardiovascular disease] or CVD subtypes, and a modest inverse association with type 2 diabetes.” Laura Pimpin, et al., “Is Butter Back? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of…
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NAS Report Discusses Benefits and Risks of Gene Drive Research
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NAS) has released a study examining research into man-made gene drives, a type of gene editing that allows for the spread of gene modifications “throughout a population of organisms intentionally.” Titled Gene Drives on the Horizon: Advancing Science, Navigating Uncertainty, and Aligning Research with Public Values, the…