Young American children are not getting enough fruits and vegetables, but they are consuming too many sugary drinks, a new state-by-state government report shows. To come to that conclusion, the survey questioned the parents of more than 18,000 children between the ages of 1 and 5 about their kids’ eating habits. “This is the first time we’ve had state-level estimates on these behaviors,” senior study author Heather Hamner, a senior health scientist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told CNN. “It’s a really good time to think about the programs and policies that states have in place and areas where they can continue to work and improve to make the nutrition environment the best it can be for our young children.” Almost half of kids did not eat even one single vegetable every day, the report published Feb. 17 in the CDC publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found. In Louisiana, 64% of kids didn’t eat a daily veggie. About one-third of children overall did not have fruit each day. In Louisiana, that was half of all children. Young kids in Vermont ate the most fruits and vegetables. Meanwhile, about 57% of kids overall had at least one sugary beverage each week. In Mississippi, that was nearly 80%. In Maine, it was 38.6%. “Compared with children living in food-sufficient households, those living…  read on >  read on >

Americans eat too much salt and more than a dozen favorite and convenience foods are largely to blame. Nearly 90% of Americans exceed dietary guidelines for sodium intake, a risk factor for high blood pressure and heart disease. New research out of Canada put some familiar favorites at the top of the list. “The top 15 food category contributors to dietary sodium represent just over 50% of total dietary sodium intake for American adults, with pizza, breads, cold cuts, soups and burritos being the top five contributors,” the study authors said in a news release from the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences. At the top of the list is pizza with 5.3% of total dietary sodium intake, followed by breads, rolls and buns at 4.7%. After that is cold cuts and cured meats at 4.6%; soups at 4.4%; burritos and tacos with 4.3%; savory snacks at 4.1%; and poultry at 4%. Rounding out the bottom half of the list and comprising between 1.5% and 3.1% of sodium intake are cheese; pasta mixed dishes; burgers; meat mixed dishes; cookies, brownies and cakes; bacon, frankfurters and sausages; vegetables; and chicken nuggets. For the study, University of Toronto researchers used U.S. health survey data for 2017 to 2018. The survey asked respondents to recall what they ate. Education and food-labeling campaigns to get people…  read on >  read on >

A nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose should be sold over-the-counter, two expert panels to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended Wednesday. Research has shown that wider availability of naloxone — brand named Narcan — could save lives as the opioid epidemic rages on in this country. The FDA advisors voted unanimously in favor of making the drug easier to access after a daylong meeting that focused on whether untrained users would be able to safely and effectively use the nasal spray in emergencies, the Associated Press reported. The recommendation came despite concerns from some panel members about the clarity of the drug’s instructions and packaging, which caused confusion among some people in a company study. The manufacturer, Emergent Biosolutions, said it would revise the packaging and labeling to address those concerns, the AP reported. The FDA will make a final decision on the drug in the coming weeks. “Perfect should not be the enemy of the good, and the evidence we saw today provides clear indication that the drug can be used without the direction of a health care provider,” said panel member Dr. Brian Bateman, of Stanford University. In a statement, the American Medical Association applauded the panel’s decision. “The AMA believes greater access will occur when naloxone for overdose risk is just as easily accessible in a pharmacy, grocery…  read on >  read on >

A nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose may become available for easier over-the-counter purchase. U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisers are meeting Wednesday to discuss making generic naloxone hydrochloride available without requiring interaction with a pharmacist, CNN reported. Approval could happen later this year. Research shows that wider availability of the antidote could save lives in the growing U.S. opioid epidemic. The meeting of the FDA’s Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee and the Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee is a response to an application submitted last year by Emergent BioSolutions, Inc. of Baltimore. The FDA gave the company’s application priority review, CNN reported. Emergent has said in briefing documents that its nasal spray was designed to be administered by people who have no medical training. Naloxone is available in various strengths and applications. The spray is easier to administer than an injection, the company said. Naloxone is used to revive those believed to be overdosing on opioids. There are no known harmful effects if it is given to someone who is not on opioids. Although naloxone is already available without a prescription, it must be obtained directly from a pharmacist. Not all pharmacies stock it, CNN reported. “Allowing it to be over-the-counter in the same manner in every state really clears up some confusion and hopefully clears up some of that red…  read on >  read on >

People with peanut allergies have to be vigilant about avoiding the food and always be armed with emergency treatment. Now scientists say they’ve taken an early step toward a drug that could prevent severe reactions to peanuts in the first place. The compound has only been tested in lab mice, and no such drug will be available for people anytime soon, experts stressed. But in early experiments, researchers found that the drug protected lab mice from severe allergic reactions to peanuts for more than two weeks. However, animal findings do not always pan out in humans. The vision is to have a self-injected medication that people with peanut allergy can take every couple weeks, or maybe once a month, according to researcher Mark Kaplan, chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Indiana University School of Medicine. It would not be a “cure” for the condition. But it could give people an additional layer of protection should they accidentally ingest peanuts. “Accidental exposure is always a real risk,” Kaplan explained. That’s because peanuts are harder to avoid than many people realize, he noted. They are often used as ingredients in processed or prepared foods, and cross-contamination is also possible — when the same equipment that has touched peanuts is used for other foods, too. Even though parents and adults with peanut allergy studiously read…  read on >  read on >

The key to living longer could be eating less. In a new study published in the journal Nature Aging, researchers found that a calorie-restricted diet had substantial health benefits, including delayed aging. “The main take-home of our study is that it is possible to slow the pace of biological aging and that it may be possible to achieve that slowing through modification of lifestyle and behavior,” senior study author Dr. Dan Belsky, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York City, told NBC News. The phase 2 clinical trial included 220 adults who either made a 25% calorie cut to their diet or no changes at all. The body mass index (BMI) for participants ranged from 22 to 27 (a BMI of 30 is the threshold for obesity). In the first month, those in the calorie-restricted group were given three prepared meals each day so they would be familiar with portion sizes. They were counseled about their diet for the first 24 weeks of the two-year study. The other group had no counseling or restrictions. Despite the plan to cut about 500 calories in a 2,000-calorie daily diet, most cut only half that, said Dr. Evan Hadley, director of the geriatrics and clinical gerontology division at the National Institute of Aging (NIA), which funded the study. “But…  read on >  read on >

A new treatment for chronic constipation may bring relief without having to use drugs. It’s a vibrating pill called Vibrant that stimulates the colon as it passes through the body. Although the pill was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last August, doctors can start prescribing Vibrant this week. “We are working right now with insurance companies to obtain coverage in commercial plans,” Cathy Collis, chief commercial officer for Vibrant Gastro Inc., told CNN. “But until we get that coverage, our goal and commitment is to make sure that this is accessible and affordable to patients.” The company had to show the pills contained no toxic materials, could withstand an accidental bite and didn’t carry risk of infections, getting stuck, irritating tissues or interfering with other medical devices, CNN reported. A person prescribed the pill would take it at bedtime daily. The pill would then travel through the stomach and small intestine before reaching the large intestine about 14 hours later and stimulating nerve cells. In doing this, it causes muscle contractions that move food out. The pill then leaves the body with the feces. The pills are made of medical-grade material similar to what gastroenterologists use for pill cameras, CNN reported. Vibrant is intended for the 10% to 20% of people who live with chronic constipation, having fewer than three bowel movements…  read on >  read on >