Zero trans fat doesn't always mean zero - Yahoo! News

Zero trans fat doesn't always mean zero - Yahoo! News:

"Federal regulations allow food labels to say there's zero grams of trans fat as long as there's less than half a gram per serving. And many packages contain more than what's considered one serving. 'The problem is that often people eat a lot more than one serving,' said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian of Harvard School of Public Health."

I stand by my advice: if it says hydrogenated anything, avoid it :) (Sorry manufacturers!)

Whole grains may lower odds of high blood pressure - Yahoo! News

Whole grains may lower odds of high blood pressure - Yahoo! News: "

Women who consumed the most whole grains had an 11-percent lower risk of high blood pressure than those with the lowest intakes. But the findings add to evidence of the cardiovascular benefits of whole grains such as oatmeal, bran and brown rice."

Household chemicals may be causing cat disease | Reuters

Household chemicals may be causing cat disease | Reuters:

"Although hyperthyroidism was a relatively rare disease 35 years ago, it has become a leading cause of death among U.S. pet cats. Symptoms include weight loss despite increased appetite, hair loss and irritability. Dye, a veterinarian, tied a spike in this disease to the introduction of PBDEs into homes as a flame retardant about 30 years ago. 'The increased use of these chemicals tracked the increased recognition of this syndrome in kitties,' Dye said. She believes dust from the chemicals may be ingested by cats as they groom themselves."

In case anyone needs a reason not to get new furniture.

Parents Are Warned on Cold Medicines - New York Times

Parents Are Warned on Cold Medicines - New York Times:

"...the Food and Drug Administration issued an advisory Wednesday warning parents never to give cough and cold medicines to children under the age of 2 unless instructed to do so by a doctor. The warning is part of a broad reassessment by the agency of the safety of the popular medicines, which have been blamed for hundreds of adverse reactions and a handful of deaths in children under the age of 2."

BBC NEWS | Health | Craving for junk food 'inherited'

BBC NEWS | Health | Craving for junk food 'inherited':

"Mothers who eat junk food during pregnancy may be condemning their children to crave the same diet, according to animal tests. Royal Veterinary College researchers found that when pregnant rats were fed a diet of biscuits, crisps and sweets, their babies ate more unhealthy food."

Red meat diet linked to colon cancer recurrence - Yahoo! News

Red meat diet linked to colon cancer recurrence - Yahoo! News:

"Colon cancer survivors with diets heavy in red meat and fatty foods are more than three times as likely to suffer a recurrence of their disease or die from it than those who avoid such foods, a study found."

and later:

"This study, published on Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, was the first to show how diet affects whether colon cancer returns in people previously treated for it, the researchers said."

"Healthy" fast foods not easier on the heart - Yahoo! News

"Healthy" fast foods not easier on the heart - Yahoo! News:

"So-called 'healthy' fast-food alternatives to the classic burger, fries, and soft drink, appear to have similar effects on the cardiovascular system, new research suggests...."

"...Dr. Tanja K. Rudolph....and colleagues measured the initial endothelial function and other markers of cardiovascular disease in 24 healthy volunteers (average age of 32 years) ...The 14 women and 10 men then ate one of three readily available fast food meals during one week, a different meal the second week and the remaining meal the third week."

While not a professional in anyway, if I were a reviewer I would ask for more than 24 data points (although the fact that it is the same person 3 times does help). With that small of sample, standard errors likely dwarf the differences that would be visible from a single meal (a study that looked at the cumulative effects might be more interesting, albeit more difficult.

The perils of a pot belly | the Daily Mail

The perils of a pot belly | the Daily Mail:

"Many experts now want waist circumference or waist-to-hip ratio, which indicates levels of abdominal fat, adopted as a more accurate guide than body mass index, which relates weight to height. Fat packed around the organs in the abdomen is more dangerous than fat on the hips because it's 'metabolically active', releasing more of the acids that raise heart disease risk."

Antioxidants Don't Appear To Reduce Risk Of Cardiovascular Events Among High Risk Women

Antioxidants Don't Appear To Reduce Risk Of Cardiovascular Events Among High Risk Women:

"Nancy R. Cook, Sc.D., of Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and team wrote that 'Antioxidants scavenge free radicals and limit the damage they can cause. Diets high in fruit and vegetable intake, and thus rich in such antioxidants, have been associated with reduced rates of coronary heart disease and stroke...."

BUT

"They detected no additional side effects among the women who took the active pills compared to those on a placebo, except for a slightly raised risk of stomach upset among the active beta carotene takers. The writers concluded "Overall, we found no benefit on the primary combined end point for any of the antioxidant agents tested, alone or in combination. We also found no evidence for harm"

Study: Early diet advice for kids sticks - Yahoo! News

Study: Early diet advice for kids sticks - Yahoo! News:

"The study of children in Finland found that those who were taught to focus on
healthy fats — those found in fish, nuts, seeds and oils from plants — had
slightly lower cholesterol levels compared to those who ate an unrestricted
diet. The researchers have been following the 1,062 children since the age of 7
months. "

WHFoods: Can you tell me more about chlorophyll, including what foods it can be found in and the effect that cooking has upon it?

WHFoods: Can you tell me more about chlorophyll, including what foods it can be found in and the effect that cooking has upon it?:

"Research on the health benefits of chlorophyll has focused on the area of cancer (including treatment and prevention). This research got underway when damage to genes (or more precisely, to the genes' DNA) by carcinogenic substances called aflatoxins (or more precisely aflatoxin B1, or AFB1), was found to be prevented by chlorophyllin. Chlorophyllin is a derivative of chlorophyll in which the magnesium in its center is removed (usually by placing it in an acid bath in a science lab) and replaced with copper.

Research studies in humans have found that damage to DNA by aflatoxin can be decreased as much as 55% through supplementation with chlorophyllin at 100 milligrams, three times a day, for four months. This amount of chlorophyllin, 300 milligrams per day, is the same amount of chlorophyll found in one weighted ounce of spinach (a little over 1/2 cup of chopped raw spinach). Although research is still in the early stage, prevention and treatment of liver cancer, skin cancer, and colon cancer are all being investigated in relationship to intake of chlorophyll-containing vegetables and supplementation with chlorophyllin.

Interesting. Maybe chlorophyll is more important than most had thought. Stay tuned.

Caffeine Protects Thinking And Memory In Older Women

Caffeine Protects Thinking And Memory In Older Women:

"New research by scientists in France and Portugal suggests that drinking caffeine may help protect thinking and memory skills in older women.

The study is published in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).

Study author Dr Karen Ritchie, of INSERM, the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, in Montpellier, France, said:

'Caffeine is a psychostimulant which appears to reduce cognitive decline in women.'"

Marginal Revolution: Twinkie, Deconstructed

Marginal Revolution: Twinkie, Deconstructed:

Yeah I know twinkies get a bad rap, but sort of deserved too! From a very cool econ blog the Marginal Revolution.