Newsbites: Dietary Choices; “Natural” Labeling; Diabetes; Foodborne Illness

Uptick Reported in Healthier Dietary Choices

Americans are eating healthier—resulting in an estimated 1.1 million fewer premature deaths since 1999—but still have a long way to go. That’s the conclusion of a study of national nutritional survey data on 33,885 US adults, published in the journal Health Affairs. Researchers found that average scores on the Alternate Healthy Eating Index improved from 39.9 in 1999 to 48.2 in 2012. But they noted that the scale goes to 110, so there’s plenty of room for further improvement.

About half the better scores could be attributed to reductions in the amount of trans fats in the typical US diet. Other gains included declines in consumption of red meat and sugary beverages and increases in intake of fruits, whole grains and polyunsaturated fats. Sodium intake rose slightly, while there was little change in consumption of vegetables, omega-3 fats and alcohol.

FDA Seeks Comments on “Natural” Labeling

You may think the term “natural” on a food label connotes all kinds of positive attributes. To the US Food and Drug Administration, however, “natural” officially means almost nothing. That could be about to change, though, as the agency has opened a comment period on use of the controversial term: “Because of the changing landscape of food ingredients and production, and in direct response to consumers who have requested that the FDA explore the use of the term ‘natural,’ the agency is asking the public to provide information and comments on the use of this term in the labeling of human food products.” The FDA also noted that some federal courts have asked for a ruling on the term’s definition as part of lawsuits against manufacturers labeling foods “natural” even when, for example, a product contains high-fructose corn syrup or genetically modified (GMO) ingredients.

The move came as a surprise, as the FDA has avoided wading into the controversy since 1993, when it defined “natural” as meaning: “nothing artificial or synthetic (including all color additives regardless of source) has been included in, or has been added to, a food that would not normally be expected to be in the food.” That “guidance” was not binding, however, and did not take into consideration “whether the term ‘natural’ should describe any nutritional or other health benefit.”

Eating at Home Linked to Lower Diabetes Risk

Home cooking may not only stir warm and cozy memories of familiar foods coming from the kitchen—it could also be healthier for you than the modern trend of takeout, fast food and restaurant meals. New research presented at the annual conference of the American Heart Association shows a link between frequency of home-prepared lunches and dinners and risk of type 2 diabetes. People who ate 11-14 lunches or dinners prepared at home per week were 13% less likely to develop diabetes during eight years of follow-up. Home cooking was also associated with less weight gain and incidence of obesity, which researchers said could explain the difference in diabetes risk.

The research used data from two large studies of health professionals totaling nearly 100,000 men and women. There was not enough data to include breakfast habits.

Optimistic Heart Patients Fare Better

An optimistic attitude may help you recover from a heart attack or angina. A feeling of gratitude, however? Not so much. A study of 164 patients recovering from acute coronary events found that initial optimism, measured two weeks after a heart attack or angina, was significantly associated with greater physical activity six months later. Optimists were also less likely to be readmitted to the hospital for cardiac care. Roughly half of participants reported feelings of gratitude, defined as “appreciating and being thankful for people, events and experiences in one’s life,” after surviving a coronary scare. But gratitude was only minimally associated with outcomes over six months. The study was published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

Foodborne Illness Strikes 1 in 10

Globally, foodborne illness strikes almost 1 in 10 people each year, according to a new report from the World Health Organization. The report looked at 31 different causes of foodborne disease, such as salmonella, E. coli and campylobacter as well as foodborne cholera and typhoid. Overall, as many as 600 million people fall ill annually after consuming contaminated food, the WHO said, and 420,000 die. Causes vary by geography, with campylobacter more common in high-income areas; Africa suffered the most total cases of foodborne illness per capita.

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