Whole foods - for health

Free range egg expose

2008-06-23T14:14:00.001+02:00

"A Five News investigation has discovered chickens being kept in terrible conditions on a Norfolk poultry farm. Five's Crime Correspondent Jason Farrell went undercover to expose the appalling conditions in one farm which produces free range eggs." (Five.tv) Crime Correspondent, Jason Farrell's blog.

In Defence of Food

2008-01-21T16:35:00.001+01:00

There is an interesting book review at Times Online.

The title reviewed is "In Defence of Food" by Michael Pollan.

Top quote from the article "The true scandal of these quasi-foods, for Pollan, is that many of them are allowed to arrive with jumped-up health claims. No cholesterol! Low fat! Low salt! Far from being contested by the official nutrition advice of the government and medical establishment, the rise of the “edible foodlike substance” in the 1970s and 1980s was actually sanctioned by them. Pollan abhors what he calls “nutritionism”, the reduction of food to mere nutrients."

Even if you do not feel the need to buy the book, the article [by Bee Wilson], at the above link, is a great read.

Possible dangers of cooked fats

2007-12-03T11:27:00.001+01:00

Research about the danger, or otherwise, of acrylamide has appeared for some years.
In the latest chapter, BBC News reports new research which suggests that, "Women who eat crisps or chips every day may double their chances of ovarian or womb cancer, say scientists." [Full article @BBC]

Previous news articles, at BBC, about acrylamide research:
Cooking chemical 'no cancer risk' - 16 march 05
Food chemical cleared of cancer link - 29 January 03

Press release, regarding the latest research by University of Maastricht, published in "Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention", which posits a link between acrylamides in the diet and risk of cancer, can be found at the following link:
Acrylamide in food possibly increases the risk of endometrial and ovarian cancer

How compassionate is your supermarket?

2007-12-02T14:46:00.001+01:00

Every two years Compassion in World Farming carries out a detailed survey of UK supermarket performance on farm animal welfare.
This website presents the 2007 results. We hope it will help you understand what matters most to farm animals and how you can make a difference to their lives.

Compassion in World Farming won this year's BBC Radio Award for Best Food Campaigner/Educator 2007. BBC Radio 4 Food and Farming Awards

Technorati Tags: food, health, compassion, animal welfare

National Salt Awareness Week 2008

2007-11-29T18:38:00.001+01:00

28th January to 3rd February 2008

Salt Awareness Week 2008 will focus on Salt and Children. Research has shown that reducing children's salt intake by half results in immediate falls in blood pressure, which in turn could lead to major reductions in the risk of developing stroke, heart attacks and heart failure later in life. It is well established that the higher the blood pressure in childhood, the higher the blood pressure in adulthood. Therefore, anything that lowers blood pressure in children is likely to reduce the number of people developing high blood pressure later in life. A high salt intake has also been linked to adverse effects such as: failure to reach peak bone mass predisposing to osteoporosis; aggravation of asthma; predisposition to stomach cancer; and it could also influence the development of obesity.

Full details

Possible Food Frauds

2007-11-21T15:23:00.001+01:00

"Made with whole grains! Real Fruit! Strengthen your body’s defenses! Food marketers are seemingly stopping at nothing to convince consumers that fairly ordinary products like waffles, green tea, and jam hold the secret to better health. But according to the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), these claims are often misleading, and are popping up all over the grocery store, from the chip aisle to the dairy case. Not even the baby food aisle is safe from fraudulent health claims, says the group." (Full article at CSPI)

An interesting read which discusses claims by Kellog, Gerber, Sara Lee - the full list can be found at foodfrauds

E128 or red 2G - additive warning

2007-07-10T12:13:00.001+02:00

BBC News reports that:

An additive used in some sausages and burgers could cause cancer, food safety experts have warned.
The European Food Safety Authority has expressed concern about the use of the colouring E128, also known as Red 2G.
Its expert panel on food additives has recommended that the dye should no longer be considered safe for human consumption. Link

More information can be found here.

Organic foods have more antioxidants and better for the heart

2007-07-06T00:26:00.001+02:00

Organic fruit and vegetables may be better for you than conventionally grown crops, US research suggests.

A ten-year study comparing organic tomatoes with standard produce found almost double the level of flavonoids - a type of antioxidant. Full article - BBC News

Peter Melchett of the Soil Association concurred, "These findings also confirm recent European research, which showed that organic tomatoes, peaches and processed apples all have higher nutritional quality than non-organic."

The article in New Scientist reports that "according to the new findings, levels of the flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol were found to be on average 79 and 97 per cent higher, respectively, in organic tomatoes." read more - New Scientist

Technorati Tags: organic, nutrition, heart, food, diet

Palaeolithic (Stone Age) diet

2007-07-03T11:06:00.001+02:00

A new study, from Lund University, suggests that a Palaeolithic diet could help people avoid diabetes.

The Palaeolithic diet, popularly labelled "the stone age diet", is said to include fruits, nuts, vegetables, fish and lean meat. Coming before the advent of farming, it did not include dairy products, refined sugars and fats, or grains.

Technorati Tags: nutrition, research, food, diet, health, diabetes

Superfood ban under EU rules

2007-06-29T13:41:00.001+02:00

Products claiming to be superfoods will be banned under new EU rules coming into effect on Sunday - unless the claim can be proved.
Blueberries, salmon, spinach and soy have all been hailed as so-called superfoods - foods rich in nutrients.
Some say superfoods can protect against cancer and heart disease, but others say there is no evidence for this.
The new laws will apply to all food or drink products made or sold for human consumption within EU nations. BBC News

Excellent! I feel the EU legislation is bang on with this one. The term "Super Foods" has gotten out of hand. It now seems to be more about the ludicrous fads of "celebrity" nutritionists, and maximising profit, than real healthy eating. The less we hear from these bandwagon jumping "celebrity" fadists the better.

Technorati Tags: wholefood, food, nutrition, superfood

Whole grain breakfast cereals are 'better for the heart'

2007-03-05T18:07:00.001+01:00

An interesting article on whole grain high fibre breakfasts. The study mentioned was funded by the National Cancer Institute and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute in US.

"To some it is like chewing soggy cardboard. To others it is the only way to start the day. Now researchers have come to the defence of lovers of muesli, Weetabix, Shredded Wheat and similar breakfast cereals with a study showing they really are better for the heart.
People who eat whole grain breakfast cereals seven or more times a week have a 28 per cent lower risk of developing heart failure, researchers found.
The risk of heart failure falls 22 per cent in those who eat the cereals two to six times a week and by 14 per cent in those who eat them up to once week." read more at Independent.co.uk

Technorati Tags: nutrition, health, food, heart

Vitamins and lifespan - a controversy continues

2007-02-28T11:12:00.001+01:00

BBC News has posted an interesting item today regarding a publication which has appeared in The Journal of the American Medical Association:

"Taking certain vitamin supplements may adversely affect people's lifespan, researchers have suggested.
Millions worldwide use antioxidant supplements such as vitamins A and E, and beta-carotene.

Looking at dozens of previous research studies, Copenhagen University researchers suggested these appeared to raise, not lower, the risk of death." BBC

Needless to say, the supplements' industry has retaliated with claims that the study, by Copenhagen University researchers, is flawed.

While the big boys battle it out, let us eat a balanced diet and teach our children to do likewise.

The review of the article, in The Journal of the American Medical Association, "Mortality in Randomized Trials of Antioxidant Supplements for Primary and Secondary Prevention," can be seen here.

Technorati Tags: nutrition, health, food, diet, vitamins

Garlic and Cholesterol study

2007-02-27T10:51:00.001+01:00

There's an interesting study in the "Archives of Internal Medicine".

"Garlic is widely promoted as a cholesterol-loweringagent, but efficacy studies have produced conflicting results.Garlic supplements differ in bioavailability of key phytochemicals.We evaluated the effect of raw garlic and 2 commonly used garlicsupplements on cholesterol concentrations in adults with moderatehypercholesterolemia." from the abstract

Technorati Tags: health, food, nutrition, garlic

Extreme eating - 2000 calories an appetizer

2007-02-27T10:38:00.001+01:00

Chain restaurants in the United States are promoting dangerous "X-treme Eating", a US watchdog has said.

They are serving up "ever-more harmful new creations," says the Center for Science in the Public Interest. BBC

I guess we just don't get it - as a society I mean. 60 million adults are obese in the US and yet some restaurant chains celebrate and encourage extreme eating.

"...par for the course at Ruby Tuesday, On the Border, the Cheesecake Factory, and countless other top table-service chain restaurants. But since those chains make almost zero nutrition information available on menus, their customers don�t have a clue that they might be getting a whole day�s worth of calories in a single dish, or several days� worth in the whole meal." CSPI Newsroom

Technorati Tags: health, food, nutrition

Research, health benefit claims and commercial interests

2007-01-12T11:32:00.000+01:00

"Recent analyses have documented bias in pharmaceutical studies funded by industry. Now, an analysis from Children's Hospital Boston finds a similar phenomenon in scientific articles about nutrition, particularly in studies of beverages. The analysis - the first systematic one performed on nutrition studies - found that beverage studies funded solely by industry were four to eight times more likely to have conclusions favorable to sponsors' financial interest than were studies with no industry funding. Findings are published online in the January 9 issue of the journal PLoS Medicine." (from Medical News Today press release)

The full article ans results can be found on the PLoS MEDICINE site here.

Technorati Tags: food, health, research, nutrition

Celebrities asked to check before opening their mouths

2007-01-03T11:50:00.001+01:00

"Celebrities have been asked to check their facts before lending support to scientific research and campaigns, rather than risk misleading people." Stars must 'check science facts'

The charity, Sense About Science, works with scientists to -

respond to inaccuracies in public claims about science, medicine, and technology
promote the benefits of scientific research to the public
help those who need expert help contact scientists about issues of importance
brief non-specialists on scientific developments and practice

An interesting site!

US says yes to clone source food

2006-12-29T11:29:00.001+01:00

"Meat and milk from cloned animals is safe for human consumption, the US food regulator said in a draft ruling.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled that cloned
cattle, pigs and goats produced food "as safe as the food we eat every
day".

The recommendation, coming after a five-year study, is a
major step towards allowing food from animals onto US supermarket
shelves." bbc.co.uk

If things go according to plan, the US could become the first country to allow food products from cloned animals on supermarket shelves. Don't bother checking the labels though, it looks like the consumer will not be advised when or if the item on the shelf is a cloned by-product, as the FDA see no reason to label the fact.

Rice exporters move on Genetically Engineered contamination.

2006-12-07T13:58:00.000+01:00

Indian rice exporters move Supreme Court as new GE contamination.: "New Delhi, India — The All India Rice Exporters Association on Tuesday filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court demanding a ban on GE crops in India, even as rice producers from Thailand and Vietnam, together the world's biggest exporters, announced their commitment to growing only GE-free rice. The two countries account for more than half of all the rice traded in the world market today and will put mounting pressure on other rice producing nations to commit to a GE-free rice supply.

This announcement from the biggest rice exporters across three nations comes in the wake of massive backlash against the GE industry following the recent scandals where illegal and unapproved GE rice varieties from the US and China contaminated the global rice supply."

Wheat's lost gene helps nutrition

2006-11-24T16:35:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS reports: "Turning on a gene found in wheat could boost levels of protein, iron and zinc, scientists have discovered.

The gene occurs naturally in wheat, but has largely been silenced during the evolution of domestic varieties.

Researchers found evidence that turning it back on could raise levels of the nutrients in wheat grains.

Writing in the journal Science, they suggest that new varieties with a fully functioning gene can be created through cross-breeding with wild wheat."

Related link: Science Magazine article

Technorati Tags: health, diet, nutrition, food, additives

Junk Food Ad Ban

2006-11-17T17:04:00.000+01:00

"Junk food ads during TV programmes targeted at under-16s will be banned, under rules put forward by regulators.

Ofcom says these foods include any that are high in fat, salt and sugar."

Full story: BBC - Junk food ad crackdown announced

Technorati Tags: food, whole foods, health, diet, children, advertising

Fast food customers want healthy options

2006-11-16T14:10:00.000+01:00

don't they?

"Fast-food customers are turning their noses up at unhealthy menus, according to a survey by market research group Key Note." Fast-food customers opt for healthier option, says survey

Can this be true when companies like McDonalds and Burger King continue to throw double whopper this and big mac that at us and appear to have taken only a half-hearted stab at real healthy options? Neither a wilting salad nor a stale sandwich on white bread can count.

Remember the healthy blend of cooking oil that McDonalds was supposed to be working on - an oil which is lower in trans fats - what happened to it?

Let's hope the powers that be in New York carry through with their plans to ban restaurants from serving foods which are saturated in trans fats. If that happens, watch the big brands suddenly find a way of complying. The oil is available - the will appears to be absent.

Technorati Tags: whole foods, trans fats, health, diet, mcdonalds, fast food, burger king, KFC

Obesity puts children at risk

2006-11-15T14:03:00.000+01:00

"Diet and exercise are especially important to curb the escalating problem of childhood obesity," she said. "Obesity puts children at risk for high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol levels. Children's diets have changed dramatically, influenced by television commercials and the convenience of fast foods. Children are eating too much fatty and processed foods. Parents need to involve their kids in regular exercise activities and cut down on fatty meals, emphasizing healthy foods such as vegetables." Children with heart disease risk factors should get preventive treatment

As the efforts of governments and celebrity chefs go to waste while parents feed their children local junk food through the bars of the playground rather than encourage their charges to eat the healthier options; as the new improved healthy school dinners in UK go to waste, binned rather than eaten, the world's experts continue to issue stark warnings.

Technorati Tags: obesity, heart, food, nutrition, diet, whole food, health

Healthy food profits

2006-10-28T11:49:00.000+02:00

Holland and Barrett, the retail health food chain, with 500 stores in UK, was named most profitable high street store, yesterday. The nearest rival in the profit margin stakes was River Island, the fashion chain.

The chain is owned by the US vitamin manufacturer NBTY.

The Managing Director of H&B, Peter Aldiss, said "We have tried to concentrate on products which are unique to us and to ensure that our staff are fully knowledgeable about all the products we sell." He insisted that he was not profiteering by charging high prices. Scotsman

The retail league results were published by Retail Week Magazine.

Technorati Tags: health food, health, retail, nutrition

Health food store advice

2006-10-24T11:25:00.000+02:00

Here's a topic close to my heart. Having been involved in the health food industry for much of my working life, I know firsthand that this is a problem. I spent much of the time arguing the position of openness and truth over profit at any cost. I also advocated appropriate independent product knowledge training rather than relying on the claims of the manufacturers.

Health-food store advice puts people at risk

"A leading toxicologist is urging authorities to closely monitor retailers who specialize in natural health treatments, citing new evidence the stores routinely claim that unproven products can treat serious illness.

All 20 health-food shops visited by undercover University of Western Ontario researchers insisted that natural cures ranging from garlic to hawthorn were as good or better than licensed pharmaceuticals for treating high blood pressure. By contrast, a large majority of pharmacies tested by the team made no such assertions, the study found." [follow link for full article]

Technorati Tags: whole food, health, food, nutrition, diet

An apple a day or more?

2006-10-23T16:51:00.000+02:00

It is official - the study says so.

Vienna, Va. — For those who think that picking and eating apples this time of year is just for fun and for the great taste of America's favorite fruit, you may want to think again. Apples and apple juice may be among the best foods that anyone could add to their diet, finds a collection of recent research studies, the latest of which was presented yesterday at the Society of Neuroscience annual conference in Atlanta. Researchers G. Bureau and M. Martinoli from the University of Quebec a Trois-Rivieres, found that quercetin (one of the antioxidants found abundantly in apples) was one of two compounds that helped to reduce cellular death that is caused by oxidation and inflammation of neurons. An abstract of their presentation can be found at http://tinyurl.com/wdu4h.

This finding was previously confirmed not just by testing quercetin by itself, but by using apples as a whole food. Published in the May 2006 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine, researcher Eric Gershwin, M.D., with the University of California, Davis Health System, discovered a way in which flavonoid-rich apples and apple juice protect cells from damage. Gershwin exposed human cells to an extract of apple mash made from different apple varieties, similar to outcomes presented today at the Society of Neuroscience meeting. The UC Davis researchers then challenged these cells by exposing them to tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a protein-like compound found in the body that usually triggers cell death and promotes inflammation via a mechanism called the "nuclear factor kappa B pathway" (this pathway involves chemical signaling between cells). The UC Davis research revealed that apple extract protected the cells from the normally lethal effects of TNF by interfering with this pathway that would otherwise damage or kill cells in the body. Gershwin noted that the method by which apple extract protects cells is different than that reported for other flavonoid-rich foods.

Other more recent research demonstrated how apples and apple juice can help boost neurological health, specifically in the brain. The latest study from the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML), published in the August 2006 Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, indicates that apple juice consumption may actually increase the production in the brain of the essential neurotransmitter acetylcholine, resulting in improved memory among mice who have Alzheimer's-like symptoms. Neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine are chemicals released from nerve cells that transmit messages to other nerve cells. Such communication between nerve cells is vital for overall good health, not just in the brain. In addition to finding the improved levels of acetylcholine in their brains, "it was surprising how the animals on the apple-enhanced diets actually did a superior job on the maze tests than those not on the apple-supplemented diet," remarks Dr. Thomas Shea, who led the research.

Shea, who is the director of the UML Center for Cellular Neurobiology and Neurodegeneration, published yet another study in the December 2005 Journal of Alzheimer's Disease in which older mice (not mice with Alzheimer's like conditions) performed significantly better on memory tests than did animals whose diet was not enriched with apple products. Both of these studies, along with similar study published by Shea in the February 2004 issue of Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging strongly suggests that apples must possess a unique mix of antioxidants that improve cognition and memory via inhibition of oxidation in the brain

Both the UC Davis and UML studies were funded by unrestricted grants provided by the U.S. Apple Association and Apple Products Research and Education Council.

# # # US Apple: Media - News Releases: Consumer and Health News 2006

Technorati Tags: food, health, nutrition, research, apples, whole food