More media time associated with worse health

A review of 173 studies on the subject has found that the more time kids spend with media, be that on the computer, watching television or listening to music, the less healthy they are. Kids who spend the most time with media are more likely to be obese, use tobacco and have more sexual relations than kids who don’t get so much media. Media use was also correlated with drug and alcohol use and poor performance in school, but it wasn’t clear from the studies if people who use more media have more attention deficit disorder. The research was financed by a group called Common Sense Media and was being presented to policymakers in Washington today.

Salt found in places you might not expect

Amazing amounts of sodium can be found in packaged and processed foods that you might not expect to be salty, according to a report from Consumer Reports. Bagels, pasta sauce and cottage cheese all have high amounts of sodium, making it really easy to get too much. For example, V-8 juice billed as heart healthy has 480 milligrams of sodium per serving (the recommended daily amount is 2,300 milligrams, or 1,500 for people with high blood pressure), while a Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain White Bagel has 440 milligrams. Products that are lower in fat often have more sodium to make them tastier, the report said.

Australian Senate denies junk food ad ban

Working across party lines, the Senate in Australia has failed to pass a bill that would limit junk food advertising, saying that it would be premature to set guidelines for ads when the country is still working on its obesity policy. Health groups in the country have vigorously supported the ban and say self-regulation of the junk food industry won’t work.

Antioxidants don’t extend life of worms

Preventing cell damage caused by free radicals through the use of antioxidants doesn’t help Nematode worms live longer. In a study from the University College London published in Genes and Development, researchers genetically manipulated worms so they were able to get rid of free radicals. A theory that’s been around since the 1950s says that eliminating these substances should slow the aging process, allowing the worms to live longer. In fact, though, the boosted worms lived just as long as other worms, suggesting free radicals have no or only a small role in the harmful effects of aging. Researchers say worms actually share a lot of genetic makeup with humans, so the research may apply to us as well.

Genetic-based diet will be most effective

Researchers studying various diets in 500 people over five years showed that genetic variations play a role in whether a diet is helpful or harmful when it comes to symptoms of metabolic syndrome, meaning that in the future designing a diet based on your genes will likely be the most effective way to stay healthy. Participants in Europe were put on a diet high in saturated fat, a diet high in monounsaturated fat, or one or two low-fat diets and also supplemented with fish oil as part of the Lipgene study. Of course eating lots of saturated fat made metabolic syndrome worse, while the fish oil helped, but sometimes people’s genes determined how effective or ineffective a particular diet would be.

China says six babies died from tainted milk

Finally, the Chinese government has raised the death toll from the melamine-tainted infant formula to six, twice the number previously announced. In addition, 300,000 children were sickened, up from initial estimates of around 50,000. Health officials investigated 11 infant deaths but ruled out melamine as the cause of death for all but six of them. The government also says the danger has largely passed for children who were sickened by the formula, most of whom have been treated for small kidney stones.

(By Sarah E. White for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 and is filed under Childhood obesity, Diet programs, Food miscellaneous, Food safety, Foreign stories (non-U.S.), Kids and families, Metabolic syndrome, Nibbles: diet news shorts, Nutrition, Obesity research and studies, Public policy. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. Permalink.