Tag: children
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Democratic Senators Issue Report Critical of Energy Drink Industry
Sens. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have released a report asserting that while 12 of 16 companies that responded to a series of questions from the lawmakers have made progress in reducing marketing and promotion activities targeting children younger than age 12 and children in K-12 school settings, they have…
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EFSA Seeks Comments on Caffeine Safety Assessment
The European Food Safety Authority (ESFA) has opened a public consultation on a draft scientific opinion finding that “single doses of caffeine up to 200 mg and daily intakes of up to 400 mg do not raise safety concerns for adults.” Authored by EFSA’s Nutrition Unit, the draft opinion also concludes that (i) “it is…
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Study Claims “Obese Children’s Brains More Responsive to Sugar”
A University of California, San Diego, study has reportedly claimed that the brains of obese children “literally light up differently when tasting sugar,” according to a December 11, 2014, press release. Kerri Boutelle, et al., “Increased brain response to appetitive tastes in the insula and amygdala in obese compared to healthy weight children when sated,”…
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Prenatal Phthalate Exposure Allegedly Linked to Lower IQ Scores
A recent study has claimed that children born to women whose urinary phthalate levels during pregnancy were in the top quartile of their study cohort had lower intelligence-quotient (IQ) test scores at age 7 than their peers born to women in the quartile with the lowest exposure. Pam Factor-Litvak, et al., “Persistent Associations between Maternal…
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Groups Urge FTC to Investigate Ring Pop Maker for Alleged COPPA Violations
Ten consumer organizations, including the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, have filed a Request for Investigation with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleging that Topps Co., maker of Ring Pops, violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by encouraging children younger than age…
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Rudd Center Report Targets Advertising Sugar-Sweetened Beverages to Children
The Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity has published Sugary Drink FACTS 2014, a report funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that targets trends in beverage advertising to children. Claiming that companies spent $866 million on advertising for sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) in 2013, the report argues that even though youth-oriented TV programs and…
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WHO Reviews Energy Drink Consumption in Europe
World Health Organization (WHO) researchers recently published an analysis of energy drink consumption in Europe that takes into account relevant scientific literature published through June 2014. Joao Breda, et al., “Energy drink consumption in Europe: a review of the risks, adverse health effects, and policy options to respond,” Frontiers in Public Health, October 2014. Noting…
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Children Consume More Salt Than Recommended, Says CDC
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published a September 2014 Vital Signs report claiming that nine in 10 U.S. children “eat more sodium than recommended.” Noting that children ages 6-18 years consume an average of 3,300 mg sodium per day, CDC estimates that 43 percent of children’s daily sodium intake “comes from…