Todays Newsbites

Consumption of sugary drinks may lead to an estimated 184,000 adult deaths each year worldwide, according to research recently published in the journal Circulation. Many countries in the world have a significant number of deaths occurring from a single dietary factor-sugar-sweetened beverages, says Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH, senior author of the study and dean of Tufts Friedman School. Dr. Mozaffarian is also editor-in-chief of the Health & Nutrition Letter. It should be a global priority to substantially reduce or eliminate sugar-sweetened beverages from the diet.

Responding to pleas from the restaurant industry, the US Food and Drug Administration pushed back its deadline for chain eateries and other food outlets to post calorie counts on their menus. The delay, to Dec. 1, 2016, gives restaurants with 20 or more locations, movie theaters, vending-machine firms, amusement parks and supermarkets with takeout food an extra year to comply. Pizza parlors had been especially vocal against the rule. Even some supporters cited the lack of a key guidance document from the FDA, with less than six months to go, as necessitating a delay. Others, however, said the extension only gives the restaurant industry more time to lobby against the rule ever going into effect. (For tips on healthy eating out, see this issues special pull-out supplement.)

After the fourth espresso, maybe its time to switch to decaf. Thats the message from European Union (EU) food-safety regulators, who for the first time recommended that adults should keep their daily caffeine intake below 400 milligrams. Four standard espressos (or two and a half Starbucks venti lattes) would add up to about that much, but regulators are actually more concerned about less-traditional sources of caffeine, including colas and energy drinks. The findings were similar to the recent Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee report. An EU spokesperson said, The main message of the report is that consumers must account for caffeine consumption from sources other than coffee. The health risk is not enormous, but it exists.

Although American farmers, responsible for four-fifths of the vegetables we eat, produced 5% more last year, American consumers arent eating more veggies. A recent US Department of Agriculture report says vegetable consumption was almost flat at about 1.6 cups per capita. The report did reveal a few encouraging shifts in consumption, however, with slight declines in the popularity of fresh white potatoes and processed potatoes, iceberg lettuce and sweet corn. Among the generally more nutritious veggies trending up are Romaine and other lettuces, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus and artichokes.

As consumer groups lobby for mandatory labeling of foods with genetically modified (GMO) ingredients, the US Department of Agriculture is rolling out its first certification and labeling program for GMO-free foods. The program is voluntary and companies have to pay the agency for the certification. Currently, companies can label their foods as GMO-free, but there is no official government labeling other than the USDAs organic certification; all organic products are GMO-free, but not all GMO-free foods are organic. Many companies have adopted a private label verified by the nonprofit Non-GMO Project. Under the USDA plan, the agency would work with companies to certify non-GMO claims as part of its Process Verification Program, much as it now does with such labeling as humanely raised.

You can still leave your heart in San Francisco, but officials would prefer that you leave your sugary soft drinks outside the city limits. The citys lawmakers approved a requirement that a label-similar to those for cigarettes-be placed on advertisements for sugary drinks. The warning, which would not be required on actual bottles or cans, would read: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. A separate measure under consideration at the state level would extend such a warning to the drinks themselves. San Francisco also passed a ban on ads for sugary drinks on public property and on using city funds to purchase such beverages.

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled a plan that would require many chain restaurants to attach a menu saltshaker icon (pictured) to any dish exceeding 2,300 milligrams of sodium-the entire days limit in a single meal. New York would become the first US city to adopt such a rule. Examples of dishes that exceed the 2,300-milligram level include Applebees chicken-fried steak (3,240 milligrams), TGI Fridays Jack Daniels Ribs (3,220 milligrams) and KFCs Famous Bowl (2,350 milligrams). By setting the bar so high, however, some experts noted the cautionary icon would not be required for items that nonetheless contain more than half a days sodium, such as McDonalds bacon and cheese quarter-pounder (1,380 milligrams) or Olive Gardens Florentine Rollatini with Chicken (1,510 milligrams).

Food manufacturers and franchises that are abandoning artificial preservatives and chemical additives are in sync with (or perhaps influencing) Americans attitudes, according to a new survey by CivicScience. The poll of 4,200 US consumers found worries about preservatives and chemicals in food topping all other concerns, including those with stronger scientific underpinnings. While 35% cited preservatives and chemicals when asked, Which of these do you feel is most harmful to your nutritional health?, only 15% said saturated fat and 13% said total sugar. Those were followed by sodium (9%), added sugar (8%), GMOs (7%) and carbs (4%). Another 9% picked, I dont see any of these as harmful to my health.

Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH, dean of Tufts Friedman School, is the new Editor-in-Chief of the Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter, and Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, Stanley N. Gershoff Professor of Nutrition at the school, is the new Executive Editor. Dr. Mozaffarian became dean in 2014; he was previously associate professor at Harvard University and co-director of the Program in Cardiovascular Epidemiology. Lichtenstein, who is also director of Tufts HNRCA Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory, is a long-time member of the newsletters Editorial Advisory Board. Irwin H. Rosenberg, MD, who served as Editor for some two decades, will remain active in the newsletter as a member of the board. David A. Fryxell continues as Managing Editor.

Consumers mostly ignore disclaimers on dietary supplements and erroneously believe the government warrants such products to be safe and effective, according to a review of 11 studies on the subject. Most products sold under the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) carry a small-print notice about their claims such as, This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Under DSHEA, so-called dietary supplements are regulated differently than medicines or drugs, with the manufacturer and not the FDA responsible for safety and effectiveness. But the recent review, published in Health Affairs, found many consumers unaware of that distinction and unaffected by disclaimers.Overall, consumers either failed to notice the disclaimers or reported that the notices did not change their view of the product. There was little difference in consumer perceptions in random tests of products with or without a disclaimer. Many continued to believe the FDA had evaluated the product even after being shown a disclaimer to the contrary. In surveys, a similar disconnect was found. The largest survey, of 3,500 adults, found that 48.8% of self-identified supplement users and 45% of non-users agreed with the incorrect statement, Appetite suppressants, herbal products, and weight loss supplements must be approved for efficacy, or effectiveness, by a government agency like the FDA before they can be sold to the public.For more on such products, see our April Special Supplement.