Requiring certain ingredients to be listed on food labels can often drive larger changes in what we consume. The U.S. required trans fats to appear on food labels in 2006, but countries such as Brazil and Argentina have gone much further in setting limits on the unhealthy fats.
Why have policies limiting the prevalence of trans fats been so slow to arrive? A brief history explains how policy actions aimed at curbing such fats, now known for their role in chronic diseases, ultimately gained traction in tip-of-the-spear countries such as Denmark.
Unhealthy trans fats have long remained a staple in our food supply, but that’s slowly starting to change. Denmark provides a useful case study for what happens when countries move to limit the amount of trans fats in food.
Children consume a bigger proportion of their daily calories from added sugars than adults, and the concerns go beyond nutrition. New research suggests that fructose can activate the brain's reward regions and generate hunger and cravings for other high-calorie foods.
The rate of childhood obesity has tripled over the past 30 years. While there are no easy solutions, programs that focus on the whole family have shown positive results in changing both behaviors and health measures.
The sweetened-beverage industry frequently pushes the idea that you should be free to consume whatever you want as long as you exercise afterward. Maybe beverage warning labels should point out how long you'd need to exercise to burn off the calories.
The Bay Area News Group published an op-ed on beverage warning labels in March, but the outlet failed to point out the author's ties to the beverage industry. It's part of larger pattern of industry allies pushing back in the press.
Valentine's Day is over, but questions over lead and other heavy metals in chocolate and candy are still around. And while "cocoa puff stories" are the norm around this time of year, some excellent reporting is keeping the spotlight on this bittersweet issue.
Akron, Ohio's Accountable Care Community has brought together a coalition of partners to reduce the number of residents suffering from chronic disease and treatment costs. Similarly, nonprofit hospitals elsewhere can do much more to improve the health of entire communities.
For the 47 million Americans dependent on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the bad news keeps on coming. Cuts in November might be followed by billions more as Congress considers legislation.
