Todays Newsbites

If youre reading this, youre not alone-Americans are thinking more about food and health and, in general, know more about nutrition and prevention of chronic disease. A newly released survey by the US Food and Drug Admini stration (FDA) reports that the percentage of people who say they read the nutrition label before buying a product for the first time increased from 44% in 2002 to 54% in 2008. Nearly half of the more than 2,500 adults surveyed said such label information had changed their decision to buy or use a product. On the other hand, 56% said they didnt believe such front-of-package claims as low fat or high fiber.

Keeping a promise made last year when food packagers were warned to voluntarily police their label claims-or else-the FDA fired off warning letters to 17 companies, including many familiar names. Some were singled out for boasting that products contain zero trans fat, without the required disclaimer that the foods are, however, high in saturated fat; these included several Dreyers icecream treats, Mrs. Smiths Coconut Custard Pie and Gortons Fish Fillets. Such claims can be misleading, FDA chief Margaret Hamburg, MD, explained, because they imply that the product is a better choice than products without the claim.

Is that produce labeled organic really pesticide-free? The US Depart - ment of Agricultures National Organic Program recently announced a step-up in spot inspections to make sure organic foods live up to their promises.

Theres a new generation gap when it comes to healthy ingredients and supplements: Baby Boomers, ages 45 to 64, are much more likely than younger or older consumers to seek out foods and other products for promised health benefits. Market research group Decision Analyst surveyed 16,392 US adults and found, Belief in magic foods

The US leads the world in introducing lowsodium products- with food giant Kraft recently announcing it will cut the sodium in all its North American products by an average 10% over the next few years. But low-sodium foods arent high on consumers shopping lists, according to a new report from Packaged Facts market research. >From 2005 to 2009, US companies launched 762 food products or non-alcoholic beverages with a reducedor no-sodium claim-five times the number of the next-highest nation, Japan.

Despite advances in pharmaceutical treatments for osteoporosis, diet and lifestyle remain womens first line of defense, according to a new statement by the North American Meno - pause Society. The society recommended periodic review of seven key measures plus annual assessment of fall risk after menopause.

Cake may someday be on the menu again for people watching fat and calories, thanks to new research at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR) in Peoria, Ill. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists there are formulating low-fat cake mixes and frostings with Fantesk-microdroplets of trans-fat-free cooking oil,

You deserve a break from sodium today. Researchers from the New York City Health Department report that a typical fast-food lunch contains as much sodium as many people should consume in an entire day. They studied the receipts for 6,580 lunches bought at 11 different fast-food chains by ordi-nary consumers, adding up the sodium content. The average was a whopping 1,751 milligrams. Thats nearly as much as the federal dietary guidelines 2,300-milligram limit for an entire day, and more than the 1,500 milligrams the government recommends for everyone over age 40, African-Americans and those with hypertension.

If youre not overweight and want to stay that way, you may need to exercise even more than the 150 minutes per week that federal guide-lines recommend. And if youre already overweight, it may be too late for exer-cise to get you slim-although physical activity can still have important benefits against chronic disease. Those were the depressing findings of a new analysis of data on 34,079 healthy US women, average age 54, from the Womens Health Study.

Do pregnant women participating in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program have healthier babies? A study of the nationwide spread of WIC since 1974 finds that pre-natal WIC nutritional assistance is associated with a significant increase in babies birth weight-important in its own right and as a predictor of later health.