Some new studies of note this morning:
- Researchers have found that measuring neck circumference may be the best way to determine whether a child is potentially obese and at risk for health problems like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.It might be a more accurate (and more comfortable) test than using the body mass index, or BMI, according to the study, published in the journal Pediatrics. BMI, the ratio of weight to height, does not really prove one’s amount of belly fat. The more belly fat, the greater the risk factor for various diseases.
About 1 out of 3 children are now considered overweight or obese.
- A new study has added more evidence to claims that high-fructose corn syrup is bad for your health after all. It continues fructose, which raises your uric acid levels, potentially setting off a hormone that makes blood vessels tighten and increase your blood pressure, said researchers at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver.Associations and oganizations that use the syrup, including the Corn Refiners Association and the American Beverage Association, say the study is flawed and more testing must happen.
- Foods from baby formula to French fries should become a bit safer: more than 130 countries have adopted more than a dozen new food safety standards and guidelines Monday designed to lower levels of cancer-causing agents and bacteria in many foods.The countries, part of a joint commission of the UN Food and Agricultural Organization and the World Health Organization, agreed to reduce acrylamide in foods, “a chemical which may cause cancer and is produced during frying, roasting and baking of carbohydrate-rich foods: French fries, potato crisps, coffee, biscuits, pastries and breads,” according to the Associated Press. They also agreed on measures to reduce melanine content in packaged salads, a chemical responsbile for much food poisoning worldwide, largely added to salads though contaminated water used in watering, processing and storage.
- Early pot smoking may lead to depression, according to one study by TK. Data collected from more than 50,000 adults in 17 countries in a World Health Organization mental-health study showed 50 percent in risk of developing depression in people who smoked before 17.More studies however are needed before jumping to a conclusion: researchers are unsure whether people who are likely to develop depression or other mental health problems are drawn more likely to use marijuana.
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