Todays Newsbites

Globally, the number of obese children and adolescents has risen sharply since 1975, according to a study in The Lancet. The study examined data on the height and weight from 200 countries and nearly 130 million people. Of the total, about 32 million were age 5 to 19.

As a result of a proposed schedule change by the FDA, shoppers will see two different types of Nutrition Facts labels on foods and dietary supplements-one old and one new-for about a year and a half. Large food makers were supposed to start using the updated design by July 2018; smaller companies had until July 2019.

The more time you spend physically inactive during the day, the greater your risk for a variety of health problems-a lot of research shows that. But a new observational study in Annals of Internal Medicine found that being sedentary is even more risky if a person is inactive for long, interrupted bouts of 30 minutes or longer.

Eating small amounts of food throughout the day (grazing), rather than taking in most of your calories in main meals and a few snacks, is associated with greater body mass index (BMI) in women and a poorer quality diet in both sexes, according to an Australian study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Raw orange, red, yellow, and dark green vegetables contain vitamin E and K as well as carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A. Mixing a bit of healthy plant oils with your greens helps unlock fat-soluble nutrients. But how much oil do you need to drizzle on your salads to get that benefit?

Spreading protein intake more equally among breakfast, lunch and dinner was associated with greater muscle mass and strength (but not mobility) in healthy older adults compared to eating the majority of protein later in the day, says new research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Eating leads to widespread opioid release in the brain, which signals feelings of satiety (fullness) and pleasure, according to a study in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Increased genetic risk for obesity doesnt necessarily mean youll become obese, and maintaining a more physically-active lifestyle may decrease the obesity risk contributed byyour genetics, says Lu Qi, MD, PhD, senior author of a recent study on the topic published in Diabetes and director of the Tulane University Obesity Research Center in New Orleans.

Recently FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, announced the FDA will be providing additional, practical guidance on menu (calorie) labeling requirements by the end of this year.

With the holidays approaching, a new study in PLOS One reinforces the importance of staying a good distance away from festive food tables to help avoid overeating.