FDA Investigation Leads to Several Indictments for Importing Contaminated Ingredients Used in Pet Food
The article says it all:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations announced that two Chinese nationals and the businesses they operate, along with a U.S. company and its president and chief executive officer, were indicted by a federal grand jury today in separate but related cases. The indictments are for their roles in a scheme to import products purported to be wheat gluten into the United States that were contaminated with melamine. These products were used to make pet food.
… On March 15, 2007, a pet food manufacturer alerted FDA to the deaths of 14 cats and dogs, several reported by consumers and several that died during routine taste trials conducted by the company. The animals were reported to have developed kidney failure after eating pet food that had been manufactured with the purported wheat gluten.
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Lower-income Neighborhoods Associated With Higher Obesity Rates
Obesity prevalence has increased significantly among adults and children in the U.S. over the last two decades. A new study appearing in the journal Nutrition Reviews reveals that characteristics of neighborhoods, including the area’s income level, the built environment, and access to healthy food, contribute to the continuing obesity epidemic.
… [The researchers] also found that residents in low-income urban areas are more likely to report greater neighborhood barriers to physical activity, such as limited opportunities for daily walking or physical activity and reduced access to stores that sell healthy foods, especially large supermarkets.
I’ve read in several places over the years about the cheaper calories (snack foods, fast food, etc) being the unhealthiest available. I wonder what the prevalence of fast food and potato chips is among the neighborhoods studied – too bad the report didn’t include this information.
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Childhood Obesity And Sleep Duration Linked
Less sleep can increase a child’s risk of being overweight or obese, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Their analysis of epidemiological studies found that with each additional hour of sleep, the risk of a child being overweight or obese dropped by 9 percent. The results are published in the February 2008 edition Obesity, the journal of The Obesity Society.
… The recommended amount of daily sleep varied between studies analyzed and with children’s age. Some research suggests that children under age 5 should sleep for 11 hours or more per day, children age 5 to 10 should sleep for 10 hours or more per day, and children over age 10 should sleep at least 9 hours per day. The Hopkins researchers used these suggestions for their analysis.
I’ve read several similar research summaries over the years and often wondered what the connection is between sleep and weight gain. My personal experience is when I’m tired, not only do I tend to eat more (sometimes unconsciously), but my craving trends towards higher-calorie foods like breads – it’s almost as if, in order to stay awake, my body consumes more fuel than it needs.
