Junk Food News and Research

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Study aims to identify age-related changes in metabolic pathways

Have you ever wondered why young children can eat bags of Halloween candy and feel fine the next day - compared to adults who experience all sorts of agony following the same junk food binge? Evolution and a gene called Foxo may be to blame. Working in fruit flies, scientists at the Buck Institute have identified a mechanism that helps the flies adapt to changes in diet when they're young; they've discovered that same mechanism gets misregulated as the flies age, disrupting metabolic homeostasis, or balance.

16 Oct 2013

Study: Healthy diet may reduce risk of severe depression

A healthy diet may reduce the risk of severe depression, according to a prospective follow-up study of more than 2,000 men conducted at the University of Eastern Finland. In addition, weight loss in the context of a lifestyle intervention was associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms.

16 Sep 2013

Simple changes in family's lifestyle helps 12-year-old to fight diabetes

Simple changes in a family's lifestyle can stop chronic illnesses in children before they start. For 12-year-old Austin Stanfill, a makeover of his family's diet allowed him to prevent a type-2 diabetes diagnosis.

7 Sep 2013

Exercise may prevent western-diet associated erectile dysfunction in men

Obesity continues to plague the U.S. and now extends to much of the rest of the world. One probable reason for this growing health problem is more people worldwide eating the so-called Western diet, which contains high levels of saturated fat, omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (the type of fat found in vegetable oil), and added sugar.

21 Aug 2013

Junk-food diet during pregnancy may change development of opioid pathway in baby's brain

Research to be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB), the foremost society for research into all aspects of eating and drinking behavior, shows that eating a junk-food diet during pregnancy changes the development of the opioid signalling pathway in the baby's brain and permanently alters the way this system operates after birth.

30 Jul 2013

Home environment and parenting can influence child's health by shaping dietary and physical behaviors

Kids whose moms encourage them to exercise and eat well, and model those healthy behaviors themselves, are more likely to be active and healthy eaters, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.

19 Jun 2013

Study: Poor eating habits may increase children’s risk for CVD later in life

How kids eat their food may turn out to be just as important as what they eat, according to a new study out of St. Michael's Hospital.

18 Jun 2013

Obesity in pregnancy can program kids to develop metabolic problems

Scientists in Sydney, Australia, have discovered that obesity and type 2 diabetes in pregnancy can program children to develop metabolic problems later in life. The good news is, this legacy is not set in stone-if children of obese mothers are careful about what they eat, it can be overturned.

11 Jun 2013

Heartburn complaints in children may be due to spicy food

Did you know the number one reason children complain about chest pain is because they actually have heartburn? A lot of people believe that adults are the only ones who get it, but I have been seeing more and more children complain about heartburn, and there are some common reasons why.

7 Jun 2013

Physicians call for tax hike on tobacco, alcoholic beverages; new tax on sugary drinks, fatty foods

Go ye and sin no more -- or pay for it, when it comes to junk food, smoking and consuming alcohol. That's the message from two Mayo Clinic physicians who say raising "sin" taxes on tobacco and alcoholic beverages and imposing them on sugary drinks and fatty foods would lead many people to cut back, improving public health.

4 Jun 2013

Study finds that developing good habits more important than self-control in meeting goals

Stress and exhaustion may turn us into zombies, but a novel study shows that mindless behavior doesn't just lead to overeating and shopping sprees - it can also cause us to stick with behaviors that are good for us.

27 May 2013

Research shows fish oils could minimize effects of junk food on brain

Data from more than 180 research papers suggests fish oils could minimise the effects that junk food can have on the brain, a review by researchers at the University of Liverpool has shown.

15 May 2013

State roundup: Medicaid contractor sues La. over canceled deal

A Maryland-based company whose nearly $200 million Medicaid contract was canceled amid an ongoing federal investigation sued Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration Monday for terminating the deal (5/6).

8 May 2013

Roundup: Minn. Democrats push pay hike for nursing home workers; Colo. official warns of possible exchange delays due to IT

A selection of health policy stories from Minnesota, Colorado, New York, Delaware, Georgia, Oregon, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Massachusetts and California.

11 Apr 2013

Mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression no barrier to weight loss success

Through a program that teaches simple nutrition messages and involves both counseling and regular exercise classes, people with serious mental illness can make healthy behavioral changes and achieve significant weight loss, according to new Johns Hopkins research.

22 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: Protect the FDA's regulatory efforts; Generic drug 'shenanigans;' Does Ryan not understand the 2012 election?

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Mutual Pharmaceutical v. Bartlett, a case about the ability of consumers to bring lawsuits against the makers of generic drugs.

20 Mar 2013

Junk food during pregnancy changes development of opioid signaling pathway in the baby's brain

Here's another reason why a healthy diet during pregnancy is critical to the future health of your children: New research published in the March 2013 issue of The FASEB Journal, suggests that pregnant mothers who consume junk food actually cause changes in the development of the opioid signaling pathway in the brains of their unborn children.

1 Mar 2013

Weekend reading: Why a trip to the ER costs more than a college semester; Searching for the 'stomach share;' Lessons for the U.S. from Rwanda

Routine Care, Unforgettable Bills .... Sean was allowed to see the doctor only after he advanced MD Anderson $7,500 from his credit card. ... The total cost, in advance, for Sean to get his treatment plan and initial doses of chemotherapy was $83,900.

21 Feb 2013

Viewpoints: FDA needs more power to regulate compounding pharmacies; Time to revamp military benefits, including health

Traditionally, the licensing and control of pharmacies has been left to the states, but their performance has been uneven. The federal role has been thrown into question in recent years by lawsuits. ... compounding pharmacies are not generally required to inform the FDA that they are in business nor to register with the FDA or disclose what products they are making.

15 Feb 2013

Macular pigment screening: an interview with Jaquie Finn, Product Line Manager at Elektron Technology

AMD is the leading cause of vision loss in anyone over 50 and globally in 2010 it was estimated to cost $340 billion to treat AMD. The costs are set to spiral over the next 20 years and really over burden the healthcare system unless people start to take preventative action.

18 Jan 2013