Health

Dry milk recall expands to cereal, hot cocoa, popcorn toppings
What began as a small investigation into tainted milkshake powder has become a nationwide recall of related products. No illnesses have been linked to the contamination of ingredients sold by a Minnesota milk cooperative, says the Food and Drug Administr

Organic foods may not be
There is an old Latin saying: "Caveat emptor", translated as "Let the buyer beware." Where food labeled as "USDA Organic" is concerned, this old adage is a good warning. Consumers, who pay significantly higher prices in many instances for organic foods, a

Study: Even Cockroaches Get Fat From Bad Food
Cockroaches may be tiny enough to slip through the smallest of cracks, but just like humans, these eternal pests can get fat on an unhealthy diet. As part of a decade's worth of research on cockroaches, Patricia Moore of the University of Exeter studie

Is organic food better? There's growing evidence
As production of organic foods is rising about 20 percent a year, farmers markets are crowded and even mainstream grocery stores carry organic produce. Organics are moving beyond the fad stage, Jim Riddle says. They are here to stay because they are of

Fourth of July food safety tips
With the Fourth of July weekend upon us, the USDA has issued several food safety tips to ensure that your festivities aren’t hampered by sickness due to improper food handling. Since many families will be grilling this Fourth of July weekend, it’s importa

Common Pain Relief Drug Linked to Liver Damage
An over-the-counter painkiller widely used around the globe is not as safe as many people think. An expert panel told the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that acetaminophen is responsible for acute liver damage if taken in too high a dose. Margalit R

From One Chicken Breast, Many Meals
If you have seen Robert Kenner’s excellent and disturbing movie, "Food Inc.," then you may already have crossed chicken off your list of acceptable foods. Or, like me, you may have resolved to seek out chicken that has been raised in a humane way, not mas

Ky. Schools' Healthy Example Could Shape a National Policy
It didn't seem like a radical idea at the time. First, Ginger Gray, the food service director for Kenton County, Ky., schools, took away fried potato chips, offering students baked versions instead. Next, she phased out fruit drinks such as Kool-Aid in fa

School foods blamed for obesity – your chance to vote now!
Fast food, sodas and other sweets are pretty common in schools these days. If the Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act of 2009 passes, drastic changes could be coming to a school cafeteria near you. With childhood obesity rates more t

Nestlé Recall Leaves A Mystery in Its Wake
Federal microbiologists and food safety investigators have descended on the Danville, Va., plant that makes Nestlé's refrigerated cookie dough, trying to crack a scientific mystery surrounding a national outbreak of illness from E. coli 0157, a deadly str

How the Food Makers Captured Our Brains
As head of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. David A. Kessler served two presidents and battled Congress and Big Tobacco. But the Harvard-educated pediatrician discovered he was helpless against the forces of a chocolate chip cookie. In an experime

Zicam alternatives natural, cheaper, plentiful
From a few flakes of cayenne pepper to a steaming mug of herbal tea, there are many alternatives to those Zicam cold remedy products the Food and Drug Administration has warned against, according to an Alternative Medicine Examiner. "In the event of plug

'Food, Inc.': The Unsavory Business of Feeding America
By Ann Hornaday Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, June 19, 2009 In the muckraking tradition of Upton Sinclair and the slick documentary stylings of "An Inconvenient Truth," Robert Kenner's "Food, Inc." seeks to lift the curtain on the cynical and o

Depression-era chronicle shows a squirrelly food pyramid
If you live by the government's nutritional guidelines, you sat down this morning to a breakfast of protein and fiber - maybe juice, whole grain cereal, and low-fat milk. If, however, you were rushed like a lot of Americans, you pulled into a fast-food

Dark SugarThe decline and fall of high-fructose corn syrup.
High-fructose corn syrup first started trickling into our food supply about 40 years ago; by 1984, it was flowing from just about every soda fountain in the country. These days HFCS accounts for almost half of all the added sugars in the U.S. diet, but th

Swine Flu Vaccine Months Away, FDA Says
U.S. scientists hope to have a key ingredient for a swine flu vaccine ready in early May, but tell The Associated Press that the novel virus grows slowly in eggs - the chief way flu vaccines are made. Even if all goes well, it still will take months be

Hospitals adding fresh, organic food to the menu
The days of bland chicken, reconstituted potatoes, frozen peas and a side of syrupy, canned peaches appear to be coming to a close at a growing number of hospitals across the U.S. Spurred by patient demand, concerns about setting a healthful example an

Novel Approach to Health Plans Gains Traction
As the Obama administration wrestles with how to expand health-care coverage to the millions of uninsured Americans, some local organizations are finding creative ways to help cover one of the most affected groups -- employees of small businesses. The

White House Seeks Bill on Climate by December
BOSTON -- Climate czar Carol Browner said she wants Congress to establish a broad U.S. greenhouse-gas policy before global climate-change talks near the end of the year. Speaking at a conference Monday at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ms.

Why That Big Meal You Just Ate Made You Hungry
Every few months, a new study purports to prove that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie, and that the only way to lose weight is to burn more than you take in. But veteran dieters know something that some researchers apparently don't: Certain foods se

Six foods that are definitely good for you
BOOST YOUR DIET | Easy, tasty ways to add vitamins, fiber, flavor What do eggs, coffee and chocolate have in common? You're probably confused about whether they're good for you or not because of conflicting scientific information. But there are plen

Free-Range Trichinosis
IS free-range pork better and safer to eat than conventional pork? Many consumers think so. The well-publicized horrors of intensive pig farming have fostered the widespread assumption that, as one purveyor of free-range meats put it, “the health benefits

Free-Range Trichinosis
IS free-range pork better and safer to eat than conventional pork? Many consumers think so. The well-publicized horrors of intensive pig farming have fostered the widespread assumption that, as one purveyor of free-range meats put it, “the health benefits

Chinese drywall poses potential risks
PARKLAND, Fla. – At the height of the U.S. housing boom, when building materials were in short supply, American construction companies used millions of pounds of Chinese-made drywall because it was abundant and cheap. Now that decision is haunting hund

Sweet Surrender: Taxing soda to make you stop drinking it.
The food police are closing in on their next target: a soda tax. New York City's health commissioner, Thomas Frieden, is leading the way. He's the guy who purged trans fats from the city's restaurants and made them post calorie counts for menu items. L

Where Policy Grows
Dave Murphy is the founder of a food advocacy group. But he wants you to know, "in no uncertain terms," that he is not a foodie. Foodies are people who obsess about the perfect apple tart. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But for Murphy, the fig

Scientists eye energy-burning 'good fat' to fight obesity
Fight fat with fat? The newest obesity theory suggests we may one day be able to do just that. Just like good and bad cholesterol, there apparently are good and bad types of body fat. Scientists until recently believed this good fat, which spurs the bo

Number of food-borne illnesses holds steady
New statistics on 2008 food-borne illnesses show the same rogues' gallery of five infectious pathogens remain at the core of food-related sickenings, and although estimates on the number of illnesses have not worsened, they haven't improved. Nationwide

Hidden Allergens in 7 Ethnic Foods
Global cuisines can be a delicious way to experience different cultures. Part of the fun is seeing how different people use exotic and familiar ingredients in uncommon ways. But this practice can pose risks for those with food allergies. As the ingredi

Deeper Digital Penetration: The expanding invasion of the naked body scanners.
The naked body scanners are taking over. When we first checked in on them two years ago, the scanners, which see through clothing, were being deployed at a single airport. A few months later, they were upgraded to millimeter-wave technology, which deli

Pistachio Firm Expands Recall Over Salmonella
The second-largest pistachio processor in the nation yesterday significantly expanded its recall of nuts after federal investigators found salmonella bacteria in "critical areas" of its California facility.

Pistachio Recall Signals Tough Stance on Safety
WASHINGTON — As the nation’s second-largest processor of pistachios agreed Monday to recall its entire 2008 crop despite no confirmed illnesses, the Obama administration issued a tough warning to all food makers that sloppy manufacturing practices would n

Lawmakers want heart-clogging foods off menus.
Texas diners who like everything — Twinkies to bacon — a heaping lot better if it’s been deep-fried soon may be chowing on healthier cuisine if the Legislature approves a measure to ban heart-clogging artificial trans fats from restaurant meals. Lawmak

In your 20s? Your brain’s already on the decline
updated 12:41 p.m. MT, Thurs., April. 2, 2009 Declining mental function is often seen as a problem of old age, but certain aspects of brain function actually begin their decline in young adulthood, a new study suggests. The study, which followed mor

Mind over Chocolate
Move over, organic, fair trade and free range--the latest in enlightened edibles is here: food with "embedded" positive intentions. While the idea isn't new--cultures like the Navajo have been doing it for centuries--for-profit companies in the U.S. and C

My son's struggle against deadly food allergies
Chicken nuggets. Sandwiches. Pizza. Baseball games. Play-Doh. These are some of the basics of childhood that could prove deadly to my 4-year-old son, Teddy. He has to steer clear of milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts and tree nuts -- even places like baseball

Unrequired test nipped tainted pistachios in bud
TERRA BELLA, Calif. – The reason it didn't take dozens of illnesses for federal regulators to learn about salmonella-tainted pistachios has nothing to do with federal regulations. Routine but unrequired testing by a manufacturer for Kraft Foods Inc. firs

GOVERNMENT POLICY AT ODDS WITH SCIENCE
Over the last decade, our radically changing diet has ushered in the explosive growth of food-related ailments, such as allergies, asthma, obesity, diabetes, autism, infertility, gastro-intestinal disorders, and learning disabilities. Of all the changes i

Pistachio growers are shell shocked by FDA warning
The agency has warned consumers to not eat the nuts because of potential salmonella contamination. Growers say it was an overreaction to the discovery of the disease in a small part of the crop. The FDA is scrambling to prevent a repeat of a recent sal

Researchers Weigh In on Debate About Affordability of Highly-Nutritious Food
Researchers at the University of California – Davis and the University of Washington tested their hypothesis that lower-cost diets among low-income women would be higher in calories but lower in nutrients. Their tests concluded that the more energy-dense

Salmonella in Pistachios Spurs Recall
Barely two months after a huge recall of peanut-related products, federal officials said late Monday that a California processor would recall about one million pounds of pistachio products because of concerns about salmonella contamination. The company

Marijuana No Laughing Matter, Mr. President
The problem for Mr. Obama is that marijuana reform was at or near the top of the list of all questions in three major categories: budget, health care reform, green jobs and energy. Our leader doesn't seem to understand that millions of his interlocutor-co

Will Obama's Food Safety Team Finally Regulate the Biggest Food Safety Hazard of Our Time
Over the last decade, our radically changing diet has ushered in the explosive growth of food-related ailments, such as allergies, asthma, obesity, diabetes, autism, infertility, gastro-intestinal disorders, and learning disabilities. Of all the changes i

Hunger lives here
When most people think of “the hungry,” they tend to think of those in poor, third-world countries. Or the homeless. Or poor people who live “somewhere else.” In reality, millions of Americans are going hungry in every community in the country. Familie

Fast-food diners don't check calorie content
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Ever wonder how often people take time to find out how many calories are in their large order of fries? Almost never. Out of 4311 people buying food at McDonalds, Burger King, Au Bon Pain, or Starbucks, Christina A. Rober

Poor records slow food probes: U.S. watchdog
By Christopher Doering WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Many U.S. food handlers do not maintain proper records to track products such as milk and oatmeal, making it hard to identify the source of a food-borne outbreak, a government investigator said on Thursday.

Recipe: Roasted Asparagus with Spring Onions and Sun-dried Tomatoes
Asparagus not only is a pleasant and affordable harbinger of spring, it also does great things for a healthy diet. Asparagus loses its vitamins and sugars quickly when left at room temperature and is best eaten the day it is purchased. To keep asparagu

Pharmaceuticals found in fish across U.S.
Fish caught near wastewater treatment plants serving five major U.S. cities had residues of pharmaceuticals in them, including medicines used to treat high cholesterol, allergies, high blood pressure, bipolar disorder and depression, researchers reported

Fast Food Calorie Counter for iPhone
You were being totally sincere last New Year’s Eve when you yanked that lampshade off your head and shouted out some semi-lucid babble to nobody in particular about this being the year you finally lose some weight. And though you’ve definitely worked broc

Food recall: brown eggs may contain salmonella
Two brands of brown eggs sold at Costco, Safeway and Pack N Save groceries have been voluntarily recalled because the eggs may be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. No illnesses have been linked to the eggs. But the distributor, a Ripon-based busines

Commentary: Legalize drugs to stop violence
Prohibition creates violence because it drives the drug market underground. This means buyers and sellers cannot resolve their disputes with lawsuits, arbitration or advertising, so they resort to violence instead. Violence was common in the alcohol in

Smart Goop
It would be safe to assume that there’s nothing much left to be said about Gwyneth Paltrow’s self-appointed role as America’s holistic adviser. After all, what’s not to trash about a glamorous actress who fixates on having the cleanest GI tract south of 1

Drug industry advocates join chorus to split FDA
WASHINGTON (AP) — As momentum builds to rework the nation's food-safety system after a salmonella outbreak linked to peanuts, the drug industry is hoping for a happy side effect: faster approvals for new medicines. Drug industry advocates are quietly all

What next for the beloved, beleaguered peanut?
In America, when it comes to food, the low-cost, high-protein peanut is one of the national icons — right up there with the hamburger and the apple. "We grew up, and it was just a part of our lives," says Beth Feldman, a New York Web entrepreneur, mother

GAO study: Fraudulent fish easily slip into the food stream
Sometimes excessive amounts of water, ice or breading are added to increase weight, sometimes seafood is shipped through an intermediate country to avoid customs duties, and sometimes packages are labeled as containing more seafood than they actually do,

Sugar Is Back on Food Labels, This Time as a Selling Point
Sugar, the nutritional pariah that dentists and dietitians have long reviled, is enjoying a second act, dressed up as a natural, healthful ingredient. From the tomato sauce on a Pizza Hut pie called “The Natural,” to the just-released soda Pepsi Natura

Is a Food Revolution Now in Season?
AS tens of thousands of people recently strolled among booths of the nation’s largest organic and natural foods show here, munching on fair-trade chocolate and sipping organic wine, a few dozen pioneers of the industry sneaked off to an out-of-the-way con

To GM or Not To GM
There’s been quite a bit of contention erupt over a bill being proposed in the House, the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, HR 875: This bill is purportedly to establish a ‘Food Safety Administration’ within the DHHS to regulate food safety, labellin

Eating Food That’s Better for You, Organic or Not
In the six-and-one-half years since the federal government began certifying food as “organic,” Americans have taken to the idea with considerable enthusiasm. Sales have at least doubled, and three-quarters of the nation’s grocery stores now carry at least

Vegfest offers fun opportunities with healthy food this weekend
Baby boomers are interested in being healthy, so Vegfest, Seattle's annual vegetarian food festival, is a good place to gather information and learn about new, nutritious foods. You can taste more than 500 kinds of free food samples, see cooking demons

Will Obama Go AWOL on VA Health Benefits?
'If you were injured in Iraq or Afghanistan and you have not paid your co-pay, please press 1. If you were injured during military training and you have not yet reached your deductible, please press 2. If your family has reached its maximum insurance bene

Nothing to Sneeze at: Rethinking Childhood Food Allergies
Over a decade ago, I put myself through college by working as a pre-school teacher at a well-equipped private school. The job was often challenging, as four year-olds can be, but one of the more nerve wracking and daunting responsibilities was caring for

Food Rules: Labels Must Now Give Origin
New regulations at U.S. supermarkets are giving consumers the knowledge they have been asking for—where the fresh food they buy originates. Recent food contaminations have made headlines across the globe causing deaths, illness and overall unease. Most

Finally, US Bans Diseased Cattle from Food Supply
At long last, a rule finalized this weekend will ban so-called “downer” cattle from entering U.S. slaughterhouses, said Reuters. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) finalized the rule nearly one year after the largest meat recall in American history

Bee hygiene key to world food supply
Bee hygiene may not be right at the top of most people's worry lists in these troubled times. But maybe it should be. For, if researchers are to be believed, the future of the world's food supplies may depend on it. Britain's only professor of apiculture

The future of food
“No Farms, No Food,” is the motto of American Farmland Trust, an advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. The motto serves as an important reminder to the consuming public that food comes from fields and waterways, not supermarkets. The Trust’s le

Greenopia Releases Online Eco-Ratings for Fast Food Restaurants
SANTA MONICA, CA - Greenopia announced today that it has released the Green Industry's most comprehensive ratings for fast food restaurants. Available on its popular website, www.greenopia.com, the fast food ratings use Greenopia's 4-Leaf rating system to

Scrutiny inconsistent in food safety
Under the government's fragmented regulation of food safety, some industries, such as meat and seafood, are required to have science-based programs to keep harmful germs out. For most other food processors, such programs are voluntary. Makers of fresh

Who’s Cooking? (For Health, It Matters)
You may be cooking more these days. But is your cooking healthier? Studies show that the biggest influence on family eating habits is the person who buys and prepares the food. These “nutritional gatekeepers,” as researchers call them, influence more t

Alice Waters' Crusade For Better Food
(CBS) When it comes to food, Alice Waters is a legend. At age 64, she has done more to change how we Americans eat, cook and think about food than anyone since Julia Child. Waters was only 27 years old in 1971 when she opened her French bistro Chez P

Obama Targets Food Safety
President Obama accused the Bush administration yesterday of creating a "hazard to public health" by failing to curb food contamination problems, and he announced new leadership and other changes aimed at modernizing food-safety laws. In his weekly add

Administration Is Open to Taxing Health Benefits
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is signaling to Congress that the president could support taxing some employee health benefits, as several influential lawmakers and many economists favor, to help pay for overhauling the health care system.

Obama's public health insurance idea draws fire
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A big new public health insurance program envisioned by President Barack Obama is shaping up as one of the most contentious issues in his drive to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system. But even before a plan emerges, some Republic

School near fast-food joint? Expect fatter kids
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A fast-food restaurant within about 500 feet of a school may lead to at least a 5 percent increase in the obesity rate at that school, according to a study released on Friday. The study, conducted by economists at Columbia Universi

Do optimists live longer?
A perennial grump? Always see the glass as half empty instead of half full? Might want to brighten up a bit – if, that is, you'd like to live longer. A new study says that the optimists among us may have a lower risk of heart disease and early death.

Scientists' stem cell breakthrough ends ethical dilemma
Experts in Britain and Canada find way to make stem cells without destroying embryos. Scientists have found a way to make an almost limitless supply of stem cells that could safely be used in patients while avoiding the ethical dilemma of destroying embry

She turns cameras on American hunger
How she came to be in Gaines' living room, holding her babies and listening to her problems, is a testament to one woman's dogged determination to make a difference. For years, Chilton directed statistical studies about hunger and food insecurity witho

Half a glass of wine a day increases risk of cancer: researchers
Drinking just half a glass of wine a day can increase the risk of cancer, research has found. The study from the National Cancer Institute in Paris found one unit of alcohol, the equivalent of half a standard 175ml of ordinary strength wine per day increa

Clean living way to beat cancer
Over 40% of breast and bowel cancer cases in rich countries are preventable through diet, physical activity and weight control alone, experts say. Simple measures like cycling to work and swapping fatty foods for fruit can make all the difference for thes

New Tactics in the Fight against Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is second only to HIV as the worldwide cause of death from infection, and the pandemic is growing in many places. New tools are enabling scientists to study the TB-causing bacterium in greater detail, offering unprecedented insight into th

The more fast-food surrounds you – the higher your stroke risk: study
“The association suggested that the risk of stroke in a neighbourhood increased by 1% for every fast-food restaurant," the authors said at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference last week. According to the study people who li

Confidence erodes in U.S. food supply
The deadly salmonella outbreak tied to peanut butter made at a filthy Georgia processing plant has caused consumer confidence in the food supply to plummet. Just one in five Americans now believe the food supply is safer than it was a year ago

Crop Scientists Say Biotechnology Seed Companies Are Thwarting Research
Biotechnology companies are keeping university scientists from fully researching the effectiveness and environmental impact of the industry’s genetically modified crops, according to an unusual complaint issued by a group of those scientists.

History Suggests HHS Candidate Not Unbiased on Thimerosal-Vaccine Issue
With Tom Daschle's withdrawal over unpaid taxes, a leading candidate to head HHS is Kathleen Sebelius. Sebelius is Governor of Kansas, has served as Kansas Insurance Commissioner and was an ardent supporter of Obama throughout his campaign. What she has

What Michael Phelps Should Have Said
Dear America, I take it back. I don’t apologize. Because you know what? It’s none of your goddamned business. I work my ass off 10 months a year. It’s that hard work that gave you all those gooey feelings of patriotism last summer. If during my brie

The Father Factor: How Dad's Age Increases Baby's Risk of Mental Illness
Could becoming a father after age 40 raise the risks that your children will have a mental illness? Researchers say that advanced paternal age, as they call it, has also been linked to an increased risk of birth defects, cleft lip and palate, water on the

Encouraging Stem Cell Research Published
Researchers in America have reported encouraging results from a trial treating people with MS with stem cells derived from their bone marrow.

Strange but True: Antibacterial Products May Do More Harm Than Good
Antibacterial soaps and other cleaners may actually be aiding in the development of superbacteria.

Disruptive Innovation, Applied to Health Care
Technological advances are making it possible to envision a health care system that provides more individualized care without necessarily increasing costs, some experts say.

Fantastic Voyage, Revisited: The Pill That Navigates
Philips Research has developed a prototype for a pill that can navigate toward a specific spot in the body and deposit its medicine there, radioing dispatches to the doctor as it travels.

Relief Seen for Jobless and States in Health Care Plan
For Democrats, the stimulus bill is also a tool for rewriting the social contract with the poor, the uninsured and the unemployed.