(HealthDay News) – General Mills has recalled four varieties of its Gold Medal flour because of concerns over potential contamination with salmonella. The recalled flour has “better if used by” dates of March 27, 2024, and March 28, 2024, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The recalled products are both bleached and unbleached all-purpose flour in 2-, 5- and 10-pound bags. Other types of Gold Medal flour are not affected by the recall. Those who find recalled flour in their pantries should throw it out, the company said. The recall was issued after a sampling of the 5-pound size flour detected the potential presence of the bacteria. The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention always recommend that consumers don’t eat raw products made with any flour. The bacteria is killed through baking, frying, sautéing or boiling. Always clean all surfaces, hands and utensils that come into contact with uncooked flour or dough. Anyone who finds recalled flour in their kitchen and discards it can contact General Mills Consumer Relations at 1-800-230-8103. About 1.2 million people are infected with salmonella each year in the United States. Healthy people may experience nausea, diarrhea, fever and abdominal pains about six hours to six days after infection. This can last four to seven days. Some people become so ill they may need to be…  read on >  read on >

Women have heard for decades that cranberry products help prevent urinary tract infections. A new study appears to confirm that longstanding advice. About 60% of women over age 18 will suffer one or more urinary tract infections in their lifetime. About 30% will have recurrent UTIs, averaging two to three episodes a year, according to background notes with the study. A review of 50 randomized controlled trials found that taking cranberry supplements or drinking the juice reduced the risk of having repeat symptoms for a UTI by more than 25%. In children, cranberry products reduced these infections by more than 50%. People who were susceptible to a repeat infection after medical treatment such as antibiotics or probiotics saw a 53% reduction. “For the first time, we have consensus that cranberry products (concentrated liquid, capsules or tablets) work for some groups of people; specifically, people who experience recurrent UTI, children and people susceptible to UTI because of medical intervention,” said study author Jacqueline Stephens, senior lecturer in public health in the College of Medicine & Public Health at Flinders University in Australia. This updated review of research from around the world included nearly 9,000 people. Randomized controlled trials are considered the “gold standard” of research studies. “The inclusion of the totality of the global evidence and the rigorous review process means we are confident of the…  read on >  read on >

The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to get tougher on Salmonella bacteria found in breaded, stuffed raw chicken products, the agency announced Tuesday. About 1.35 million people are infected with Salmonella bacteria each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost a quarter of the nation’s Salmonella infections are caused by eating poultry. “USDA is taking science-based, decisive action to drive down Salmonella illnesses linked to poultry products,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a USDA news release. “Today’s proposal represents the first step in a broader effort to control Salmonella contamination in all poultry products, as well as a continued commitment to protecting American consumers from foodborne illness.” The agency’s Food Safety and Inspection Service proposed declaring Salmonella an “adulterant” if the amount in the product exceeds a very low level. The chicken products under scrutiny can appear to be cooked because they are pre-browned and heat treated. Yet the chicken is raw, often cooked from frozen. Home cooks may not be cooking it for long enough to raise the internal temperature to a level that will kill the bacteria, the agency noted in a news release. The products may be stuffed with raw vegetables, butter, cheese or meat, and these ingredients may cook at different rates than the chicken. These continue to be linked to Salmonella…  read on >  read on >

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the abortion pill mifepristone can remain widely available while litigation over its fate winds its way through the court system. In the meantime, the order effectively halts a ruling from a federal judge in Texas that said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the pill more than two decades ago was invalid. Following the Supreme Court ruling, President Joe Biden issued a statement saying, “As a result of the Supreme Court’s stay, mifepristone remains available and approved for safe and effective use while we continue this fight in the courts. I continue to stand by FDA’s evidence-based approval of mifepristone, and my Administration will continue to defend FDA’s independent, expert authority to review, approve and regulate a wide range of prescription drugs.” Friday’s order is just the second time in a year that the Supreme Court has considered slashing access to abortion in the United States. In overturning Roe v. Wade last June, a conservative majority said it was leaving the issue of abortion to elected officials. It was only last Wednesday when a federal appeals court partially overruled Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s April 7 ruling made in Texas, which said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone back in 2000 was invalid and the drug should not be used. While the three-judge appeals…  read on >  read on >

Put down that sugary soda. It could be deadly, particularly if you have type 2 diabetes. A nearly two-decade-long study linked high intake of sugar-sweetened beverages — soda, lemonade and fruit punch — with premature death in people with type 2 diabetes. The link was found for both heart-related reasons and all causes. But other beverages — specifically coffee, tea, low-fat milk and plain water — helped lower the odds of early death. These findings point to the potential role of healthy drinks for folks with type 2 diabetes, the study concluded. “Beverages can be a source of sugar, but also could be an important source of other dietary constituents, so it is natural to hypothesize that the different beverages may really have different effects on health among diabetes patients,” said study co-author Dr. Qi Sun, an associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He noted that there was little existing evidence about the impact of beverages on type 2 diabetes-related death. Data from the study came from more than 9,200 women and more than 3,500 men who were part of other major research projects. All had diagnosed with type 2 diabetes during the 18.5-year study period. Every two to four years, they reported how often they consumed sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened beverages, as well as juice, coffee,…  read on >  read on >

The Supreme Court on Wednesday delayed a decision on a federal appeals court ruling that seeks to limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone. In a brief order, Justice Samuel Alito Jr. said the pause on any decision would lapse Friday at midnight, giving the court more time to consider the case, the New York Times reported. The delay suggests there may be disagreement among the justices in the Supreme Court’s first major case about abortion access since a conservative majority overturned the constitutional right to an abortion last June, the Times reported. It also suggests there may be a dissent in the case. Justice Alito issued the order because he oversees the appeals court whose ruling is the focus of an appeal. Just last Wednesday, a federal appeals court partially overruled Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s ruling made in Texas earlier this month, which said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone back in 2000 was invalid and the drug should not be used. While the three-judge appeals court panel said mifepristone could remain available for now, it blocked mailing the pill to patients, as well as other measures the federal government has taken recently to boost access to the medication. In response, the Biden Administration last Friday asked the Supreme Court to allow mifepristone to remain widely available while the government pursued an…  read on >  read on >