Stung by recent food safety scandals — most notably last year’s infant formula shortage, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it is creating a new unit devoted to food safety. The newly dubbed Human Foods Program will wield wide-ranging powers. “We’re proposing the creation of a unified, newly envisioned organization, called the Human Foods Program, that elevates key focus areas, removes redundancies and consolidates activities under a single leader, a deputy commissioner for human foods,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said during a media briefing announcing the change. The deputy commissioner “will have clear decision-making authority and oversight of priorities to ensure a safe and nutritious U.S. food supply,” Califf added. Not only that, the new program will “elevate the importance of nutrition, given declining life expectancy in the U.S. due in large part to chronic diseases with a basis in nutrition,” he noted. The sweeping move comes after a scathing report in early December from the Reagan-Udall Foundation found that the FDA’s food program is in a state of “constant turmoil” and requires stronger leadership. That report was commissioned by Califf once the agency conducted its own review after facing serious criticism for its handling of the infant formula shortage. That shortage, which dragged on for months, was prompted in part by a recall of potentially contaminated infant formula at Abbott…  read on >  read on >

Longstanding restrictions on blood donations from gay or bisexual men could soon shift towards a more nuanced policy, where such men are asked about sexual partners and practices instead, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Friday. Specifically, gay men who are in monogamous relationships will no longer be required to abstain from sex for any period of time before donating to the nation’s blood supply. Old rules in place since the 1980s had made such demands, out of fears of possible HIV contamination of donated blood. But pressure from LGBT organizations, improvements in blood screening technologies, as well as the input of blood banks and the American Medical Association, have all pushed the FDA to re-examine its rules. The draft recommendations around the new policy center on “individual risk-based questions to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted HIV,” the agency explained in a statement. “These draft recommendations are based on the FDA’s careful review of available information, including data from other countries [such as Canada and the United Kingdom] with similar HIV epidemiology that have instituted this approach, as well as ongoing surveillance of the U.S. blood supply,” the agency added. “Maintaining a safe and adequate supply of blood and blood products in the U.S. is paramount for the FDA, and this proposal for an individual risk assessment, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, will…  read on >  read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory panel on Thursday voted unanimously to recommend that the agency phase out original versions of COVID vaccines for use in the unvaccinated, in favor of updated bivalent booster shots. Committee members also weighed a proposal to streamline the dosing schedule for COVID vaccines by turning them into annual shots that would likely be given every fall. However, the committee did not vote on the proposal because many questions remain and more data on exactly who should get those annual shots, and exactly when, is sorely needed. Still, they agreed that COVID vaccines do need to become more routine, to clear up public confusion and hopefully boost vaccination rates. Such a move would be critical, given the fact that efforts to get people to get the updated COVID booster shots have fallen far short of expectations. While over 80% of Americans have had at least one dose of the original COVID-19 vaccine, only 16% of those over the age of 5 have gotten the updated booster shots that were approved last August, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We can’t keep doing what we are doing,” said panel member Dr. Bruce Gellin, chief of global public health strategy at the Rockefeller Foundation. “This is a good path forward.” But some committee members said it…  read on >  read on >

Just like adults, children need lots of fiber in their diets. Fiber is part of what fuels a child’s normal growth and development. It helps them feel full longer, controls blood sugar levels, reduces cholesterol and promotes regular bowel movements, according to Children’s Health of Orange County, Calif. (CHOC). “We see improvements in disease management like diabetes with lower spikes in blood sugar after meals when fiber intake is adequate. Improved satisfaction and satiety from the food we are consuming is evident when they contain more fiber, and this ultimately impacts weight management,” said Stephanie Di Figlia-Peck, nutrition coordinator at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New York City. A child who is still hungry will continue to eat, she said, so “a filling, satisfying, higher fiber meal will end the eating episode sooner.” However, most American children aren’t getting enough fiber in their diet. A recent study in the journal BMC Pediatrics found that few young children were getting the recommended amount of fiber in their diet. Those who got more fiber tended to eat more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nut butter and legumes, along with fewer fats. “Fiber tends to be the misunderstood, scarcely present dietary constituent that eludes many. This is especially true for today’s youth who eat more processed, and ultra-processed, foods than generations of the past,” Di Figlia-Peck noted. Foods are…  read on >  read on >

If it seems as though everyone you know struggles with some sort of allergy, new research suggests you are not mistaken. As many as 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 4 kids suffers from a seasonal allergy, a food allergy or eczema, the latest government data shows. Caused by a reaction to plant pollen, seasonal allergies were most common type of allergy in both kids and adults. Symptoms include sniffling, sneezing, coughing and itchy eyes. The study wasn’t designed to see if allergies are on the rise. Still, these conditions have become more prevalent according to previous reports, said study author Benjamin Zablotsky, a health statistician at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 19% of children and nearly 26% of adults were diagnosed with a seasonal allergy in 2021. Slightly more than 7% of adults have eczema, and 6.2% have a food allergy, the new survey showed. Seasonal allergies were more common in white adults, while Black adults were more likely to have a food allergy. Among kids, nearly 11% had eczema, and nearly 6% had a food allergy. Eczema is more common among kids aged 6 to 11, and Black children are more likely to have a food allergy. The new reports are designed differently from previous ones. Instead of asking about self-reported allergies, the researchers asked about doctor-diagnosed allergies.…  read on >  read on >

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration official who has led the agency’s food policy efforts since 2018 announced his resignation on Wednesday. Frank Yiannas was also among the top officials leading the agency response to last year’s infant formula shortage. “Today, I informed [FDA] Commissioner [Robert] Califf that I will be resigning my position as Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Food Policy and Response, effective February 24. I am honored to have served the American public, alongside each and every one of you, over these past four years,” Yiannas tweeted. In his resignation letter, Yiannas noted he inherited a “decentralized structure” at the foods program and said it “significantly impaired FDA’s ability to operate as an integrated food team and protect the public.” Yiannas’ role has included developing policies on food safety and responding to outbreaks, as well as involvement in investigations to trace food-borne illness, product recalls and supply chain innovation. But the infant formula shortage posed the greatest challenge. In that saga, Abbott Labs stopped production at the largest infant formula factory in the United States following reports of illnesses and deaths in infants who were given formula manufactured there. The U.S. Department of Justice is now investigating Abbott. Last summer, Califf ordered an independent investigation of the foods program on the heels of the infant formula shortage. An expert panel issued…  read on >  read on >

People who suffer a heart attack or stroke in middle age may develop memory and thinking problems earlier in life, too, a new study finds. The study, published online Jan. 25 in the journal Neurology, focused on people who had developed premature cardiovascular disease. That refers to heart disease, stroke or leg artery disease that strikes before the age of 60. The researchers found that those individuals generally performed worse on tests of memory and thinking compared to people their age who were free of cardiovascular conditions. And the differences were already apparent in middle age. It’s not clear what that could ultimately mean for their brain health down the road, said lead researcher Dr. Xiaqing Jiang of the University of California, San Francisco. But, she said, the findings underscore the fact that everyone, including young adults, should strive for a heart-healthy lifestyle. It has long been known that there’s a connection between heart health and brain health. Most studies, though, have focused on older adults, often linking heart disease and stroke to heightened risks of cognitive impairment (milder problems with memory and other mental skills) and full-blown dementia. There are multiple reasons that cardiovascular disease could feed those impairments, including reduced blood flow to the brain, Jiang said. But less has been known about whether premature cardiovascular disease can dull people’s mental acuity, and…  read on >  read on >

If you’re looking for a healthy way to eat that has stood the test of time, the Mediterranean diet may be your best bet. “There are many health benefits to the Mediterranean diet,” said Rahaf Al Bochi, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “The Mediterranean diet has been associated with lower risk for heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, and cognitive decline. It is also associated with improved fertility and pregnancy outcomes.” But exactly what is the Mediterranean diet? “The Mediterranean diet emphasizes plenty of vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts, seeds, olive oil, herbs and spices,” Al Bochi said. “Dairy, fish and poultry are consumed a few times a week, whereas red meat and processed meat is enjoyed less frequently.” It also emphasizes mindfulness and enjoyment of food. “Part of that is to be mindful of your body’s hunger and fullness cues, to guide you on the amount of food to be consumed, and that would help you reach your health goals,” she said. “The Mediterranean diet is more than just foods to eat,” Al Bochi said. “It is a lifestyle that encourages eating with friends and family, socializing over meals, mindfully eating food and incorporating daily movement.” How to begin the Mediterranean diet “To get started, focus on one food you can add to your meals and build on that…  read on >  read on >