Healthy Eating

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which regulates product advertising, will impose strict new limits on claims for Dannon probiotic yogurt products as part of a $21 mil- lion settlement of an investigation into the companys marketing. Dannon, however, insists the settlement means business as usual, stating, Our claims remain intact. The agreement with the FTC states that Activia, a spoonable yogurt touting digestive health benefts, can only claim to relieve temporary irregularity or help with slow intestinal transit time if it also states that three daily servings are required for this ben- eft. And Dannon, which has marketed its drinkable yogurt DanActiv as an immune-system booster, must not claim that any yogurt, dairy drink or probi- otic food or drink reduces the likelihood of getting a cold or the fu, unless the claim is approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The company insisted it had never made such claims. FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz commented, These types of misleading claims are enough to give consumers indigestion.

I f you remember the great saccharin scare of the late 1970s, it may come as a sweet surprise to learn that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has removed the artifcial sweetener from its list of hazard- ous substances. The switch clears the last offcial blemish from saccharins reputa- tion, with the FDA having given it an OK in 2000. Following studies linking saccharin with cancer in rats, the EPAs Carcinogen Assessment Group listed the sweetener as a possible human carcinogen in 1980. Now, in response to a petition from an artifcial- sweetener trade group, the agency has reversed that listing, saying theres insuffcient evidence that saccharin causes cancer in humans. Although not as popular in the US in part because of lingering can- cer fears, inexpensive saccharin remains the largest-volume artifcial sweetener in the world, primarily used in Asia.

Can foods, beverages or dietary supplements really increase your mental energy? Scientists at the Life Sciences Research Organization (LSRO) recently reported the results of a review of the scientific evidence for such claims regarding ginkgo biloba, ginseng, glucose and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. They defined mental energy as consisting of mood (transient feelings about the presence of fatigue or energy), motivation (determination and enthusiasm) and cognition (sustained attention and vigilance)

Consumers know that whole grains are good for you-but after that, knowledge tends to give way to confusion, according to a new General Mills study of 1,010 US adults. More than half of those surveyed said they specifically shop for whole-grain products

Americas farmers have built a better egg-and theyre hoping the payoff isnt just chicken feed. According to new research from the US Department of Agricultures Agriculture Research Service, todays eggs have less cholesterol and more vitamin D than they did just a few years ago.To update nutritional data last calculated in 2002, the USDA sent samples of large eggs from 12 locations nationwide to a laboratory for testing. The eggs averaged 186 milligrams of dietary cholesterol, down 14% from 212 milligrams in 2002. And a typical large egg, yolk plus white, now delivers about 41 IU of vitamin D-up 64% from the last measurement of just 18 IU

Long the object of jokes, prunes may now have the last laugh. New research demonstrates that prunes (dried plums) are more effective than psyllium fiber in combating constipation

It will soon be harder to ignore the caloric carnage of that fast-food burger, fries and shake youre ordering. A new FDA proposal, an outgrowth of last years health overhaul, will mandate calorie counts on menus at 280,000 establishments nationwide

If you had any doubt that whole grains are hot, count up the number of products sporting the black-and-gold Whole Grain Stamp. That total recently passed the 5,000 milestone

A long, leisurely meal may not discourage snacking, despite increased satiety and lower levels of hormones associated with hunger. The availability of sweet and salty snacks, Dutch researchers report, seems to override the bodys internal messages to stop eating

In a rare bit of good news for red-meat lovers, a study of nearly a half-million people from 10 European countries has found no link between eating red or processed meat and risk of bladder cancer