May 12th, 2009 by admin in Better Health Network, News
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I really don’t think the cholesterol lowering effects of Cheerios are comparable to how a drug may help lower cholesterol, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is saying that the claims Cheerios is making on it’s boxes are similar to those made by drug companies. And, by the way, it is against the law. The FDA sent General Mills a letter (read the whole letter here) saying that the phrases they are using on their packages and website are misleading consumers.
Here is snapshot of what FDA said in their letter:
Unapproved New Drug
Based on claims made on your product’s label, we have determined that your Cheerios® Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease. Specifically, your Cheerios® product bears the following claims on its label:
• “you can Lower Your Cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks”
• “Did you know that in just 6 weeks Cheerios can reduce bad cholesterol by an average of 4 percent? Cheerios is … clinically proven to lower cholesterol. A clinical study showed that eating two 1 1/2 cup servings daily of Cheerios cereal reduced bad cholesterol when eaten as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.”
These claims indicate that Cheerios® is intended for use in lowering cholesterol, and therefore in preventing, mitigating, and treating the disease hypercholesterolemia. Additionally, the claims indicate that Cheerios® is intended for use in the treatment, mitigation, and prevention of coronary heart disease through, lowering total and “bad” (LDL) cholesterol.
You may or may not think this is a big deal, but I can tell you that the FDA takes health claims seriously. There are only certain FDA approved claims that food companies are allowed to make on a product label. In this letter they also included the website as part of the label since the web address www.wholegrainnation.com is listed there. So that means that everything on the website also needs to comply with the official FDA health claims.
Cheerios is a great cereal that is low in sugar and has soluble fiber. I am sure they will correct their language to comply with the FDA’s request and this will blow over. Keep eating your Cheerios with low fat milk and a handful of blueberries. Yum!
This post, Cheerios: A Drug?, was originally published on
Healthine.com by Brian Westphal.
April 28th, 2009 by admin in Better Health Network, Health Tips
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A meeting this week called Experimental Biology had some really interesting new research presented on eggs. I have written about eggs in the past and tried to clear up some of the confusion around whether they are good or not. Check out my past blog called The Incredible Edible Egg for more background on nutritional plus’s and minus’s on eggs. I also wrote a fun post on eggs which included some food safety tips. I personally love eggs and my favorite way to eat them is a spinach and feta omelet! Mmmmmm……
Here are some of the findings presented at Experimental Biology 2009 this week:
Eggs for Breakfast Helps Manage Hunger and Calorie Consumption
A study led by Maria Luz Fernandez, Ph.D., professor in the department of nutritional sciences at the University of Connecticut, investigated the differences in post-meal hunger and daily caloric intake when eating a breakfast of either protein-rich eggs or carbohydrate-rich bagels. Although the two breakfast options contained an identical amount of calories, the researchers found that adult men who consumed eggs for breakfast:
- consumed fewer calories following the egg breakfast compared to the bagel breakfast
- consumed fewer total calories in the 24-hour period after the egg breakfast compared to the bagel breakfast
- reported feeling less hungry and more satisfied three hours after the egg breakfast compared to the bagel breakfast
Protein for Breakfast Helps Teens Control Appetite
Researchers from the University of Kansas Medical Center assessed the impact of a protein-rich breakfast on appetite and overall calorie consumption among teens who traditionally skip breakfast. While each test breakfast contained 500 total calories, the researchers examined variables including the protein form (solid food or beverage) and the amount of protein versus carbohydrate in the breakfast.
- Teens consumed fewer calories at lunch when they ate a protein-rich breakfast of solid foods compared with a protein-rich beverage breakfast
- Post-meal hunger was significantly reduced when the teens ate a protein-rich breakfast of solid foods
Cracking Open Heart Health Myths
Florida State University researchers examined the relationship between cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors such as body mass index, serum lipids and levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (a marker for inflammation), and the degree to which these factors are influenced by dietary intake of fiber, fat and eggs. The study found:
- No relationship between egg consumption and serum lipid profiles, especially serum total cholesterol, as well as no relationship between egg consumption and hs-CRP
- A positive correlation (meaning the more the higher the risk) between dietary trans-fat intake and CVD risk factors, as well as a negative correlation (meaning lowered risk) between fiber and vitamin C intake and CVD risk factors
These studies support more than 30 years of research showing that healthy adults can consume eggs as part of a healthy diet. Eggs are all-natural and packed with a number of nutrients. One egg has 13 essential vitamins and minerals in varying amounts, high-quality protein and antioxidants, all for 70 calories. Eggs are also an excellent source of choline, an essential nutrient vital for fetal and infant brain development but also good for everyone.
For more information, check out the Egg Nutrition Center
January 9th, 2009 by Stacy Stryer, M.D. in Quackery Exposed
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Not only am I welcoming in a new year, but also a new opportunity. This is my first blog on getbetterhealth.com, and I am very excited. I previously worked with Dr. Val at Revolution Health, where I was a pediatric consultant and blogger, and I now have the good fortune of working with her on her new health website.
I plan on blogging regularly and look forward to getting to know you better – your interests, questions, and goals. Actually, I would love to learn what you want from me and how I can best serve you. It might help if I first tell you about myself and my own interests. I am a pediatrician in private practice in Maryland. I am also a blogger, speaker and writer. I just finished my first book, “Anorexia,” for ABC-CLIO and recently wrote a story which will appear in a book about pediatricians, which is being edited by Dr. Perri Klass and published by Kaplan Publishing.
I love to teach. One of my favorite aspects of pediatrics is educating parents and kids, whether it’s about breastfeeding, asthma, puberty, or the latest clinical research. I love to travel and learn about new cultures. My late-husband and I spent three years working at the Kayenta Health Center on the Navajo Reservation, where we were constantly learning about health-related customs and decisions which were so different from our own.
And I love my children. I have two wonderful daughters (if I must say so myself), ages 13 and 10 years. I enjoy writing about them in my blogs occasionally. It hasn’t bothered them yet, but I assume I will soon have to be careful about what I divulge with regards to my teenager.
A very sad part of my life was the death of my incredible husband almost four years ago. He was diagnosed with a glioblastoma, a type of brain tumor, on his 40th birthday, and died exactly one year later. His illness and death were not only difficult for obvious reasons, but also because the location of the tumor caused significant personality changes and the loss of his ability to do every day things which we take for granted, such as motivating himself to stand up from a sitting position. I learned more than I ever wanted to know about the pitfalls of the health care system and how to look for clinical research trials. Since my husband became ill, I have been working on a book for children whose parents have cancer. I am determined to finish it.
I think that’s enough about me. Now I’d like to know about you. I want to know what your issues and concerns are, and what you would like me to discuss and blog about. Let’s make this year our best and most productive yet!
Stacy Beller Stryer, M.D., FAAP
December 12th, 2008 by Dr. Val Jones in Celebrity Interviews
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Dr. Richard Carmona
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I’ve interviewed Dr. Richard Carmona (the 17th Surgeon General of the United States, and former EMT, nurse, and surgeon) several times on this blog and have been intrigued by his insights and approaches to health. In our most recent interview, he discussed obesity from a provocative new angle: national security.
Dr. Val: What do you mean that obesity is a national security issue?
Dr. Carmona: There are many competing interests on Capitol Hill – the war, the economy, etc. and obesity is something that just doesn’t get enough traction. When I was serving as Surgeon General, I realized that obesity was acting as an accelerator of chronic disease and was the number one health threat to our country. But after several failed attempts to get attention focused on this issue, I realized that I had to present the message in a unique way in order to get it to resonate. It occurred to me that if I used different language to describe the threat, people would allow me to connect the dots and explain the problem fully.
Retaining EMS, police, firemen, soldiers, sailors, and airmen has been challenging because many of them can’t pass their physical fitness tests due to obesity and sedentary lifestyles. Health is therefore inextricably tied to national security. Describing the health threat in these terms helped legislators to understand the complex ramifications of the condition.
Dr. Val: How rigorous are these fitness tests? Are we talking about soldiers not being able to run a 5-minute mile, or is it less challenging than that?
Dr. Carmona: The fitness tests are based on research from the Cooper Clinic in Texas and include a measure of aerobic capacity, strength, and flexibility. There are standardized minimums based on gender and decade of age, and although I don’t have the exact minimums memorized for each age group, they’re very reasonable. We’re not talking about having to run a 5 minute mile. More like having to run a mile and a half in 15 minutes or having the flexibility to touch your toes in a seated position. As far as push-ups are concerned, the qualifying range is about 20-45.
Dr. Val: One of my blogger friends relayed a story recently about a surgeon who asked his hospital cafeteria to serve healthy options instead of fried food. They responded that no one would buy the healthy food and they’d go out of business – so economic necessity required that they continue to serve unhealthy food. What would you say to that surgeon?
Dr. Carmona: I’d invite that surgeon to come out to Canyon Ranch where we serve healthy gourmet meals every single day. Our chefs are very innovative and entrepreneurial – they make healthy food taste delicious, and at a cost-effective price. Americans need to learn how to make healthy food delicious. My friend Toby Cosgrove is a surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, and he was able to spearhead a healthy food initiative there that has been very successful. We strive to find new and creative ways to prepare healthy food at Canyon Ranch – and are always coming out with new recipes and cookbooks to keep people interested in healthy eating.
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I caught up with Dr. Carmona at the STOP Obesity Alliance briefing about the new GPS (Guide for Policy and Program Solutions) initiative. Please click here to learn more about the STOP Obesity Alliance.
November 29th, 2008 by Dr. Val Jones in Announcements
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I had the honor and privilege of being a judge for the annual MedGadget science fiction writing contest. Please check out the winning entries here. We judges were blinded to the author names when reading the selections – though it came as little surprise to me that a professional writer (Charles Pappas) won the contest.
Charles’ story hit close to home – it was the diary of a food-lover slowly gaining weight and watching their health insurance premiums increase as a chip implanted under their skin reported increasing cholesterol and insulin resistance directly to their employer. His struggle with weight gain and its financial implications was both humorous and poignant. Please head on over to Medgadget to enjoy the winning entry. Great timing for those of us recovering from Thanksgiving…
