Diet News and Research

Latest Diet News and Research

Treatment helps 26% of black Americans with chronic hepatitis C

Twenty-six percent (26%) of black Americans (BA) with chronic hepatitis C who received treatment with Pegasys plus Copegus (peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin) achieved a sustained virological response (SVR), according to study results published in the June 2004 issue of Hepatology.

1 Jun 2004

Yo-yo dieting may have a lasting negative impact on immune function

Yo-yo dieting, in which a person repeatedly loses and regains weight, may have a lasting negative impact on immune function, according to new findings by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

1 Jun 2004

Louise Redknapp and Ronan Keating on cancer and how it affected them

Singer Louise Redknapp talks exclusively to the NHS about her fears that a fertility-threatening disease could threaten her plans for a family in a consumer-style magazine published today. Louise was diagnosed with endometriosis, a disease in which small pieces of the womb lining grow outside the womb, causing chronic pain and, in many cases, depression and fertility problems.

1 Jun 2004

WHO launches this year's campaign for World No Tobacco Day

The World Health Organization (WHO) launches this year's campaign for World No Tobacco Day with the slogan: Tobacco and Poverty: a vicious circle, stressing the enormous economic costs of tobacco use and cultivation to families, communities and countries.

1 Jun 2004

Atkins high-fat-low-carbohydrate diet may have caused severe heart disease

A Florida businessman filed suit today against Atkins Nutritionals, Inc., and the Estate of Dr. Robert C. Atkins, claiming that the late diet author’s controversial high-fat, low-carbohydrate regimen caused severe heart disease, necessitating angioplasty and a stent. He is seeking a court injunction banning Atkins Nutritionals from marketing its products without a warning of potential health risks and asks for compensatory damages.

31 May 2004

Most Americans are not meeting their dietary needs for calcium

According to government surveys, 70 percent of girls and 60 percent of boys ages 6-11 do not meet current calcium recommendations.

31 May 2004

A third of U.S. adults use some form of complementary and alternative medicine

According to a new nationwide government survey, 36 percent of U.S. adults aged 18 years and over use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

27 May 2004

More than half of Quebecers over 65 have no teeth

More than half of Quebecers over 65 have no teeth. This is a problem of major proportions, given that medical studies indicate that tooth loss has a negative impact on diet and health.

27 May 2004

Antibiotics could be the cause of many allergies

Allergies making your life miserable? Tired of popping antihistamines like candy? Can't go anywhere without your inhaler? The real problem may not be your stuffed-up head. It could be the microbes in your gut.

27 May 2004

Weight loss medication Xenical® more effective than lifestyle changes alone in managing weight

The weight loss medication Xenical® (orlistat) has been shown to be significantly more effective than lifestyle changes alone in managing weight in overweight adolescents, according to new study results presented today at ECO2004, Prague, Czech Republic.

27 May 2004

UK House of Commons Health Committee publishes its long-awaited Report on obesity

Obesity has grown by almost 400% in the last 25 years such that three-quarters of the adult population are now overweight or obese (around 22% are now obese). England has witnessed the fastest growth in obesity in Europe and childhood obesity has tripled in twenty years.

27 May 2004

Atkins announces new low-carbohydrate frozen pizzas

Atkins Nutritionals announced today the introduction of a new line of controlled-carbohydrate frozen pizzas. Atkins Quick Quisine(TM) Pizza is available in three varieties and will be distributed nationwide by Sara Lee Foods.

26 May 2004

Pregnant female asthmatics who eat oily fish may be helping to protect their children against developing asthma

Pregnant female asthmatics who eat oily fish, such as salmon or trout, may be helping to protect their children against developing asthma, according to a study presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in Orlando on May 25.

25 May 2004

Three year olds and upwards should have their blood pressure checked as part of routine examinations

Children as young as three years old should have their blood pressure checked as part of their routine pediatric examinations--according to new treatment guidelines to be presented at the American Society of Hypertension’s (ASH) Annual Scientific Meeting on Thursday, May 20, in New York City.

25 May 2004

Global food and soft drinks industries must demonstrate their commitment towards promoting the health and wellbeing of their consumers

A positive step has been made towards action being taken to curb the rising diabetes and obesity epidemics, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) said as it welcomed the endorsement of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health by Health Ministers last weekend in Geneva.

25 May 2004

Wyeth to seek rehearing of court ruling

Wyeth today said it would seek rehearing of a decision issued by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit reversing rulings by U.S. District Court Judge Harvey Bartle III of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania which excluded certain evidence in state court diet drug trials.

25 May 2004

New findings suggest mammograms may help predict cardiovascular disease

The presence of breast vascular calcifications found through common mammograms is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases in women, according to an article in the May Journal of Women's Health.

25 May 2004

Launch of Zorbtive for use in the treatment of patients with short bowel syndrome

Serono, Inc., the US affiliate of Serono, announced today the launch of Zorbtive™ [somatropin (rDNA origin) for injection] for use in the treatment of patients with short bowel syndrome.

25 May 2004

Food colourings and preservatives make kids hyperactive

Artificial food colourings and preservatives have a "significant" impact on hyperactivity levels in very young children, finds research in Archives of Disease in Childhood.

25 May 2004

Antioxidant compound found in green tea leaves does not clear established plaque

Using a technique that enables them to study both early and advanced stages of arterial plaque buildup in the same mice, researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center found that an antioxidant compound found in green tea leaves does not clear established plaque but does inhibit the development of new deposits.

24 May 2004