A scheme that offered a health insurance rebate that lowers the cost for healthier supermarket foods, such as fruit and vegetables and wholegrain foods, has been successful in improving the diets of shoppers. The scheme also appears to have reduced the consumption of nutritionally less-desirable foods. The findings by the global research organisation, RAND Corporation, which are based on a scheme developed in South Africa, demonstrates an alternative to tackling nutritionally-poor dietary patterns.... ...Read more »

In a groundbreaking speech this week, a representative of the National Heart Foundation of Australia  told a national conference of planning professionals that agricultural land around Australian cities should be protected by city planners. Dr Robert Grenfell, National Cardiovascular Health Director at the Heart Foundation said State governments should consider food production as part of their metropolitan planning strategies in order to provide better access to “fresh, nutritious, culturally... ...Read more »

Australian researchers at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (MCRI) have found that children who are obese are more likely to have a Vitamin D deficiency. Dr Matt Sabin, one of the researchers and a consultant at the Royal Children’s Hospital, told Australian Food News today that researchers were not sure if the low Vitamin D levels were caused by the children’s excess weight, or vice versa. Vitamin D is stored in the body’s fatty tissue, and an increase level of fat could mean that Vitamin... ...Read more »

Researchers in the US have found that consumption of skim milk may be linked with excess weight gain in pre-school aged children. The research, published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, found the average weight of children who drank 2 per cent fat milk or full fat milk was lower than that of children who drank skim or semi-skim milk, even after accounting for other influential factors. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association have until now recommended... ...Read more »

A New York judge has blocked the City Council’s ban on large servings of sweet soft drinks, mere hours before the restrictions were due to come into effect. Australian Food News reported in September 2012 that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s policy against soft drinks had gained support from weight loss groups. In September 2012, the New York Board of Health had approved a restriction on soft drinks, which would ban the sale of the sugary drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces (470 mL)... ...Read more »

The Queensland Minister for Health has announced a mass-media campaign that will use shock tactics similar to anti-smoking advertisments. According to the Queensland Department of Health, obesity rates for adults in Queensland have doubled in the last 16 years, with nearly a third of adults in the State obese or overweight, according to a government report released in 2012. One in five Queensland children is overweight, according to the report, and one in ten is obese – nearly one-third of the... ...Read more »

Many synthetic chemicals found in common foods could have significant health implications according to a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). The new UNEP – WHO report highlights research findings that some substances, known as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) or “hormone-mimicking chemicals” which are commonly found in household products, can cause different cancers, reproductive issues, obesity, and problems with brain... ...Read more »

Las Vegas’ Heart Attack Grill’s unofficial spokesperson, John Alleman, is believed to have just died from a heart attack. The high-fat American hamburger venue in Las Vegas is famous for its “Quadruple Bypass Burger” which contains two pounds of meat and is cooked in “pure lard” as promoted on the website. Other popular menu items include a “Butterfat Shake” and “no-filter cigarettes.” It is reported that since the medically-themed venue’s opening in October 2011, Mr Alleman... ...Read more »

A recent study published in the International Journal of Obesity has concluded that timing of when meals are eaten plays a crucial role in the success of a weight loss program. The study led by Professor Marta Garaulet from the University of Murcia Spain analysed 420 people who followed a 20-week weight-loss treatment, grouped as either “early lunch eaters” or “late lunch eaters.” The study found that late lunch eaters lost less weight and displayed a slower weight-loss rate during the 20... ...Read more »

New US research from the University of North Carolina has found that 75 per cent of formulated foods contain sweeteners, raising health concerns with the study authors. The study published in the recent addition of The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics analysed 85,451 formulated foods, finding that 68 per cent use caloric sweeteners. A further 1 per cent used non-caloric sweeteners, and six per cent used both caloric and non-caloric sweeteners. Researchers found that caloric sweeteners... ...Read more »