Health News
- Federal Dietary Guidelines Recommend Cutting Back On Red And Processed Meat, Sugar And Refined Grains
The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services have released proposed 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The guidelines, released every five years, "provide authoritative advice about consuming fewer calories, making...
- Proposed Nutritional Guidelines Add Sustainability Issues, In Spite Of Republicans' Warnings; Eggs Get A Green Light
A new draft of the federal government's healthy eating guidelines recommends for the first time that Americans consider the "health of the planet along with the health of their hearts," Liz Szabo reports for USA Today. For the first time ever, the...
- Trans Fat Levels In White Adults Have Fallen By More Than Half Since Fda Started Requiring Labeling Of The Unhealthy Food Ingredient
After the Food and Drug Administration required food manufacturers to label how much trans fat is in their products, levels of the unhealthy ingredient in the bloodstream dropped by 58 percent. (Associated Press photo by Ed Andrieski) The numbers come...
- Cut Your Diabetes Risk
By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom Nearly 10% of the US population has type 2 diabetes. But you don?t have to be part of this group! The good news is that even making one key lifestyle change can reduce your risk by about one-third. An NIH study showed how 5 specific...
- New Dietary Guidelines Stress Portion Control, Less Sodium
While the government has issued new dietary guidelines for us to follow, it's worth asking if anyone is listening. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans has been published jointly every 5 years since 1980 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human...
Health News
Using food labels and other guidance helps you control weight and reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, FDA study finds
Food labels and dietary guidance help consumers make healthier choices and lose weight, according to a study for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The FDA's Joanna Parks used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to estimate the effect of labels and guidance on the intake of 18 nutrients. She found that people who used the Nutrition Facts panel on food labels consumed about 120 fewer calories per day, enough to explain at least an 11-pound difference in body weight between them and those who didn't use the information.
Parks also found that using health claims, ingredient lists and serving-size information appears to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, and help weight-control efforts; and using the MyPyramid meal panel decreases the average daily intake of cholesterol.
"Unfortunately," Parks writes, "it appears that many individuals only use these tools and information once they have developed diet-related diseases that necessitate changes in diet and lifestyle." A PDF of her paper can be downloaded here.
The FDA's Joanna Parks used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to estimate the effect of labels and guidance on the intake of 18 nutrients. She found that people who used the Nutrition Facts panel on food labels consumed about 120 fewer calories per day, enough to explain at least an 11-pound difference in body weight between them and those who didn't use the information.
Parks also found that using health claims, ingredient lists and serving-size information appears to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, and help weight-control efforts; and using the MyPyramid meal panel decreases the average daily intake of cholesterol.
"Unfortunately," Parks writes, "it appears that many individuals only use these tools and information once they have developed diet-related diseases that necessitate changes in diet and lifestyle." A PDF of her paper can be downloaded here.
- Federal Dietary Guidelines Recommend Cutting Back On Red And Processed Meat, Sugar And Refined Grains
The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services have released proposed 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The guidelines, released every five years, "provide authoritative advice about consuming fewer calories, making...
- Proposed Nutritional Guidelines Add Sustainability Issues, In Spite Of Republicans' Warnings; Eggs Get A Green Light
A new draft of the federal government's healthy eating guidelines recommends for the first time that Americans consider the "health of the planet along with the health of their hearts," Liz Szabo reports for USA Today. For the first time ever, the...
- Trans Fat Levels In White Adults Have Fallen By More Than Half Since Fda Started Requiring Labeling Of The Unhealthy Food Ingredient
After the Food and Drug Administration required food manufacturers to label how much trans fat is in their products, levels of the unhealthy ingredient in the bloodstream dropped by 58 percent. (Associated Press photo by Ed Andrieski) The numbers come...
- Cut Your Diabetes Risk
By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom Nearly 10% of the US population has type 2 diabetes. But you don?t have to be part of this group! The good news is that even making one key lifestyle change can reduce your risk by about one-third. An NIH study showed how 5 specific...
- New Dietary Guidelines Stress Portion Control, Less Sodium
While the government has issued new dietary guidelines for us to follow, it's worth asking if anyone is listening. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans has been published jointly every 5 years since 1980 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human...