What's in a name? Apparently, quite a bit, when it comes to getting kids to eat their vegetables. A new study suggests names like "X-Ray Vision Carrots" or "Silly Dilly Green Beans" significantly up the percentage of veggies eaten by school-aged children. (Huff Post)
Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report that young children - and especially obese children - are consuming as much salt as adults, putting them at risk for developing hypertension, which can lead to heart disease and early death. (TIME Healthland)
A controversial French study claims that rats fed a diet of Monsanto�s genetically modified corn over 2 years developed tumors, organ damage, and were more likely to die prematurely than their non-GMO-eating counterparts. The study is one of the first to address the long-term effects of GMOs, but some are skeptical of the researchers� methods. (Washington Post/Grist)
In other GMO news, Washington State follows in California�s footsteps, proposing a "People�s Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act".
It�s been said that food addiction is not unlike struggles with harder drugs, but teeth chattering and shakes? Such are the withdrawal symptoms of sugar-binging rats, with worrisome implications for their human counterparts. (NY Times) In related news, University of Michigan scientists have discovered a section of the brain - the neostriatum - connected with our desire to overeat. (Smithsonian)
67% of the residents of Mississippi - the fattest state in the US - are predicted to be obese in 2030. What's more, the majority of the country is not far behind. (TIME Healthland) Fortunately, a billionaire couple is throwing their financial weight behind the Nutrition Science Initiative (NuSI), an organization seeking solid scientific investigation of the obesity epidemic. (NPR Salt)
Even more obesity news: Children exposed to high levels of BPA - a chemical found in many plastics - are five times more likely to become obese, reports the Journal of the American Medical Association. (Scientific American)
Debatably harmless levels of carcinogenic arsenic found in rice - a staple in much of the world's diet - are raising concern among some consumer groups. The FDA has currently set a federal standard for arsenic levels in drinking water, but not in food. (NPR)
The increasing collapse of bee colonies poses a major threat to our current food system, but scientists have discovered industrial agriculture itself may be causing the insects' decline. (Huff Post)
Man wins $7 million lawsuit, claiming microwave popcorn caused his lung disease. The culprit? Diacetyl, a chemical that provides buttery flavor without using actual dairy products. (NPR Salt)