Eats « Weekly Gravy

After a recall was issued last year for lead-tainted applesauce pouches linked to illnesses in over 500 children, the discount retailer Dollar Tree failed to remove all products from store shelves for too long, federal officials said Tuesday. In a warning letter sent to the company, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said WanaBana apple puree products remained in stores in several states through late December, two months after Dollar Tree was first told about the recall. Officials at the Virginia-based company told the agency that it refused sales of the products at registers, but the FDA said that was “not an effective measure” because at least one child in Washington state ate a recalled fruit pouch in a store before a purchase was made. The recall effort first began in October 2023, when WanaBana recalled its fruit pouches over concerns about lead and chromium contamination. Chromium is a carcinogen, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As a seller of the pouches, Dollar Tree was notified of the recall. However, subsequent checks of stores “revealed that you continued to offer the recalled WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree pouches on store shelves well after the recall was initiated, despite FDA’s numerous attempts to bring this serious issue to your attention,” the agency said in its warning letter. “Exposure to lead at the levels found… read on > read on >

The average American diet has only improved modestly over the past two decades, despite tons of research tying unhealthy food to obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease, a new study finds. The percentage of U.S. adults with a poor diet decreased from 49% to 37% between 1999 and 2020, based on data from a regular federal survey of American dietary patterns. Americans with intermediate diet quality increased from 51% to 61% during the same period, showing some improvement. But the proportion of Americans with an ideal diet remained starkly low, rising only from 0.7% to 1.6%, researchers at Tufts University in Boston found. “While we’ve seen some modest improvement in American diets in the last two decades, those improvements are not reaching everyone, and many Americans are eating worse,” said researcher Dariush Mozaffarian, cardiologist and director of the university’s Food is Medicine Institute. “Our new research shows that the nation can’t achieve nutritional and health equity until we address the barriers many Americans face when it comes to accessing and eating nourishing food,” Mozaffarian added in a Tufts news release. For the study, researchers analyzed federal diet survey data for more than 51,700 adults. Diet quality was measured using a scoresheet developed by the American Heart Association. Results show people are eating more nuts and seeds, whole grains, poultry, cheese and eggs, researchers found.… read on > read on >

The number of pregnant women with chronic high blood pressure doubled during the past decade and a half, but treatment remains low among them, a new study found. About 3.7% of pregnant women were diagnosed with high blood pressure in 2021, up from 1.8% in 2008, researchers said. However, prescriptions handed out to pregnant women for high blood pressure remained about the same, with only 60% getting drugs that could lower their blood pressure. “While the rate of hypertension in pregnancy has doubled, the use of medication for treatment remained stable at only 60%, which we believe is likely below what it should be if patients are treated according to clinical guidelines,” said lead researcher Stephanie Leonard, an epidemiologist with Stanford University School of Medicine. For the study, published June 17 in the journal Hypertension, researchers analyzed a database of private health insurance claims for 2007 to 2021, reviewing records for 1.9 million pregnancies during that period. They found that the frequency of high blood pressure diagnosis during pregnancy continued to rise steadily over the past decade and a half. However, the researchers were surprised to find no spike in diagnoses following a 2017 guideline update that lowered the threshold for early-stage high blood pressure. “We had hoped to see some impact from the 2017 guideline, which reduced the blood pressure threshold for treatment of… read on > read on >

In countries where gender equality is becoming more of a reality, men’s meat consumption tends to rise relative to women’s, a new study shows. The phenomenon was seen mainly in richer countries in North America and Europe, and was not seen at all in large but less affluent China, India and Indonesia. Why? Researchers believe it’s due to men in wealthier, more gender-equal nations having more control over their meal choices — and choosing meat more often. The trend is “more likely to be driven by more extensive meat consumption among men in developed countries, in which greater wealth creates more opportunities for men to choose meat, than by lower meat consumption among women,” the researchers concluded. The study was led by Christopher Hopwood, a professor of psychology at the University of Zurich, in Switzerland. It was published June 13 in the journal Scientific Reports. The researchers started off with one longstanding statistic: Almost everywhere, men tend to eat more meat than women. But would that carnivore gender gap close once women made gains in equality with respect to men? To find out, Hopwood’s team looked at survey data collected in 2021 from almost 21,000 people from 23 countries in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Participants reported their gender and how frequently they ate meat. As expected, in most countries (with the exception… read on > read on >

The number of people severely sickened after consuming mushroom edibles sold as Diamond Shruumz-brand Chocolate Bars, Cones or Gummies has risen, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday. As of Monday, “a total of 12 illnesses have been reported from eight states,” the FDA noted in an updated advisory. “All 12 people have reported seeking medical care; 10 have been hospitalized.” No deaths have been reported. Symptoms have included “seizures, central nervous system depression [loss of consciousness, confusion, sleepiness], agitation, abnormal heart rates, hyper/hypotension, nausea and vomiting,” the agency added. The Diamond Shruumz-brand mushroom edible products are being marketed online and at smoke/vape shops, legal CBD/THC shops and other retail outlets nationwide. The FDA is asking retailers to stop selling the products. The edibles pose a special danger to kids, the agency added. “This product may appeal to children and teenagers as it is marketed as a candy,” the FDA noted. “Parents and caregivers should consider discussing the information in this advisory with their children and take extra care to avoid this product being consumed by younger people.” Anyone who does become ill after consuming Diamond Shruumz-brand products should call the Poison Help Line at 800-222-1222 and let them know the product was consumed. More information Find out more about the dangers of edibles at the American Academy of Pediatrics. SOURCE: U.S. Food and… read on > read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Monday that it has joined up with the Department of Justice and several other federal agencies to do more to stop the sale of illegal e-cigarettes in this country. In launching the newly created task force, the FDA aims “to coordinate and streamline efforts to bring all available criminal and civil tools to bear against the illegal distribution and sale of e-cigarettes responsible for nicotine addiction among American youth,” the agency said in a news release. “Enforcement against illegal e-cigarettes is a multi-pronged issue that necessitates a multi-pronged response,” Dr. Brian King, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, explained in the release. “This ‘All Government’ approach — including the creation of this new task force — will bring the collective resources and experience of the federal government to bear on this pressing public health issue.” Anti-smoking groups welcomed the news. “The creation of this task force can be an important step in preventing youth use of e-cigarettes, which are endangering the health and well-being of young people,” Yolonda Richardson, president and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said in a statement. “We encourage the Administration to take an aggressive approach in clearing the market of illegal e-cigarette products, which the public health community has been requesting consistently and most recently urged in a letter to… read on > read on >

Folks using a weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy or Zepbound still have nutritional requirements for good health, even if they’re eating less. A new set of nutritional recommendations are expected to help people remain healthy even as they shed unwanted pounds, researchers say. The guidelines are meant “to equip clinicians with knowledge and tools to help support optimal nutritional and medical outcomes for their patients treated with anti-obesity medications,” researcher Lisa Neff, executive director of global medical affairs for Eli Lilly and Company, said in a news release. Eli Lilly makes Zepbound. The guidelines, crafted following an evidence review, call for women taking a weight-loss drug to eat between 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day. Men using the medication should eat 1,500 to 1,800 calories a day. A day’s food should include: More than 60 to 70 grams of protein. Recommended sources include beans, seafood, lean meat, poultry, low-fat dairy and eggs. Healthy carbohydrates constituting 45% to 65% of overall energy intake, with added sugars limited to less than 10% of intake. Whole grains, nuts and seeds, fruits, vegetables and dairy are recommended. Fats constituting between 20% and 35% of energy intake, with saturated fats limited to less than 10% of intake. Nuts, seeds, avocado, vegetable oil, fatty fish and seafood are recommended; avoid fried and high-fat foods due to gastro-intestinal effects associated with weight-loss… read on > read on >

A plant-based eating regimen designed to save the Earth also saves people’s lives, a large study confirms. “Shifting how we eat can help slow the process of climate change,” said corresponding author Dr. Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “And what’s healthiest for the planet is also healthiest for humans.” Known as the Planetary Health Diet (PHD), the regimen emphasizes minimally processed plant foods, while modest intake of meat and dairy foods are allowed. While other studies have shown that plant-based diets have benefits for the planet and people alike, most have looked at one point in time. The new study drew on health data from more than 200,000 men and women who were followed for up to 34 years. Researchers found those whose diets most closely hewed to the PHD regimen had a 30% lower risk of early death compared to those whose diets were the least like it. That was true for every major cause of death — cancer, heart disease and lung disease, the study found. None of the participants had major chronic illnesses at the outset. They completed dietary questionnaires every four years and were scored based on intake of 15 food groups, including veggies, poultry, whole grains and nuts. Those whose eating habits were closest to the PHD had a… read on > read on >

A ban on Juul e-cigarettes has been reversed, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday. Why? The agency said it needs to review both new court decisions and updated data from the vape maker. While the company’s e-cigarettes are back under review, they have not been fully cleared for sale in this country, the FDA said in its announcement. Juul was first banned from selling its vaping devices in the U.S. market back in June 2022, but the firm’s products have remained on store shelves while the company appealed the ban. Reaction to the news was swift. “The FDA’s continuing delays in reviewing Juul’s marketing applications are unacceptable and harmful to America’s kids as Juul remains one of the most commonly used e-cigarette brands among youth [according to the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey],” Yolonda Richardson, president and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said in a statement. “It is inexplicable that Juul’s applications remain pending nearly four years after they were first filed and nearly two years after the FDA initially denied them.” “The FDA should swiftly finish its review and again deny marketing applications for all Juul products, given Juul’s primary role in causing the youth e-cigarette epidemic and the continuing popularity of Juul’s products among youth,” Richardson added. “There is no question that Juul fueled this epidemic by introducing a sleek,… read on > read on >

Vigorous exercise more than once a week can lower the risk of dementia for people with high blood pressure, a new clinical trial shows. People who engaged each week in vigorous physical activity had lower rates of mild cognitive impairment and dementia despite their high blood pressure, according to results published June 6 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, Examples of vigorous activity include hiking uphill, running, fast bicycling, swimming laps, aerobic dancing, jumping rope and heavy yardwork, according to the American Heart Association. “We know that physical exercise offers many benefits, including lowering blood pressure, improving heart health and potentially delaying cognitive decline,” said lead researcher Dr. Richard Kazibwe, an assistant professor of internal medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C. This new study offers an idea of how much exercise is needed to reap these benefits, Kazibwe added. The clinical trial involved more than 9,300 participants with high blood pressure aged 50 and older, recruited from about 100 hospitals and clinics throughout the United States. Early results published in 2019 showed that tight control of blood pressure significantly reduced the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, a precursor of early dementia, researchers said. For this new report, researchers analyzed the effect of exercise on brain health in these folks. Nearly 60% of study participants reported… read on > read on >