miércoles, 11 de febrero de 2015
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UPDATE: Sweetened Beverages: The Marketing of Sugar
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SUMMARY: With childhood obesity on the rise, ads for highly sweetened beverages are targeting youth in an increasingly aggressive manner, contributing to an already serious health issue.
UPDATE: Coca-Cola spokesperson, Diana Garza Ciarlante, responded to this article with the following statement: The Coca-Cola Company has a worldwide policy that we do not market any of our products directly to children under the age of 12. This means that we do not buy advertising directly targeted at audiences that are made up of more than 35 percent children under 12. This policy applies to all of our beverage brands and to a wide range of media outlets including television, radio and print, as well as cinema, the Internet, product placement and mobile phones.
The Rudd Center’s findings contradict peer-reviewed research published in the August 2011 (Powell, et al., Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, published online August 1, 2011), which found that between 2003 and 2009, the largest reductions in advertising to children (ages 2-5 and 6-11) were seen in the beverage category. It also found that among all beverages, regular soft drinks represented the largest advertising reductions. Clearly, our Company and our industry are committed to responsible advertising and the numbers prove it.
A new study examines the exposure of children and teens to sweetened beverage ads and finds that in a two-year span, such exposure has doubled. The same study also found that fruit juices and energy drinks, targeted at the same demographic, pack as much sugar into bottles as do sodas and other similarly sweetened beverages.
Given the increase in obesity among the youth of America, these statistics are alarming. One-fifth of our children are considered obese, and a significant portion are defined as overweight. Much of this has to do with diet, be it sugared cereals, fast food, or the increased intake in sugared beverages.
The new report, by Yale University Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, held insight into the targeting of these ads, much of which was aimed at black and Hispanic youth. Black children and teens saw 80 to 90 percent more ads than white children, including twice as many for 5-Hour Energy drink and Coca-Cola's Vitamin Water and Sprite. Hispanic children saw 49 percent more that white children, due to targeted ads on Spanish language channels.
The ads are being broadcast on both television and radio, and some online channels such as YouTube and Facebook, which are popular with this demographic.
"Our children are being assaulted by these drinks that are high in sugar and low in nutrition," said Yale's Kelly Brownell, co-author of the report. "The companies are marketing them in highly aggressive ways."
To highlight the report, the Center developed SugaryDrinkFacts.org, a website that contains information parents need to know, as well as the full report. Their home page opens to the harsh statement: Sugary drink companies speak to children early, often, and when parents are not looking. Sugary drinks are the most unhealthy food product marketed to children and are relentlessly and aggressively targeted toward them. Food marketing to children negatively influences the dietary choices and the health of society's most vulnerable citizens.
Last year, the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity released a study that showed that cereals marketed to our children have 85 percent more sugar, 65 percent less fiber, and 60 percent more sodium, not to mention the additional unnecessary calories that they add to the breakfast bowl.
It is incumbent on every parent to monitor access to the venues where the ads appear, as well as provide a healthy diet for their children. The alarming rise in childhood obesity is leading to a generation of children who will likely have a shorter lifespan that their parents, a reverse in a trend over past century.
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Be Warned: Internet Use Can Be Addictive
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You see them in line at the movies, in their cars at stoplights, seated at the local coffee shop: Internet junkies that can’t put down the computer, iPad, or smartphone. Checking their Facebook status, tweeting their location, cruising Slate for the latest news tidbit. Many label it obsessive, compulsive, an addiction, and new research supports that there are clear signs that it fits the bill of one of those medical diagnoses.
A study conducted by Intersperience, an international consumer research organization, queried 1,000 participants in the U.K., aged 18-65. The participants answered a lengthy questionnaire and were requested to refrain from any internet use for 24 hours.
Probably the biggest stumbling block for the respondents was actually stepping away from the internet. For some, the thought was inconceivable. Others labeled it one of the hardest things they had done, likening it to a nightmare. Some even had symptoms of withdrawal, similar to drugs or alcohol addictions.
"Online and digital technology is increasingly pervasive," said Paul Hudson, chief executive of Intersperience. "Ourr esearch shows how just dominant a role it now assumes, influencing our friendships, the way we communicate, the fabric of our family life, our work lives, our purchasing habits and our dealings with organizations."
Younger people had a more difficult time unplugging, that did their over-40 counterparts, and very few people embraced wholeheartedly the concept of an internet-free life, even for a mere 24 hours. Fifty-three percent acknowledged being upset when denied access ot the internet, while 40 percent indicated they were lonely when unable to communicate with friends on the internet.
“The way we engage with technology has occurred faster than many of us had anticipated,” said Hudson. “This has profound implications for society both from a personal and commercial perspective.”
Do you find unplugging hard? Are vacations fraught with worry over missed emails? When your internet connection goes down, do you run to your smartphone for backup? We’d like to hear how the internet impacts your life, and if you could make it through 24 hours without the internet….
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martes, 10 de febrero de 2015
America's Love of Soda Revealed
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Consumption of sugar-laden beverages has seen an increase in the last three decades, and is decidedly one factor in ever-increasing waistlines and the increasing obesity epidemic.
According to a new study, released today by the National Center for Health Statistics, 50 percent of the American population downs soda each day, with the majority drinking them at home. This trend contributes to poor diet quality, weight gain, obesity, increased blood pressure, and Type 2 diabetes.
The American Heart Association, among others, recommends a limited amount of sweetened beverages, no more than three 12-ounce cans of soda, per week. However, men average three times that much per week, while women consume 70 percent more than the recommended allotment.
Children, aged 12-19, consume the highest amount of empty calorie-laden sodas, with black children drinking more than their Hispanic or white counterparts. With adolescent children consuming more than any other age group, you might think that the majority of sugar-based beverages come from schools and restaurants, but such is not the case. The study found that most of the sugar drinks consumed away from home are purchased from stores, not your local high school cafeteria. In fact, only 1.4 percent of soda is purchased in schools or daycare settings.
The report also disclosed that the higher the income, the lower the sugar drink/soda consumption. Low-income persons consume more sugar drinks in relation to their overall diet than those with higher income and black and Mexican- American adults consume more than non-Hispanic white adults.
Sugar-laden drinks were defined as fruit drinks, sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks, and sweetened bottled waters. The category does not include diet drinks, 100% fruit juice, sweetened teas, and flavored milks.
Diet Soda Is Not the Answer – Page 2
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Magnetic Brain Stimulation May Aid Recovery for Stroke Survivors
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SUMMARY: New hope for better recovery for patients who survive a debilitating stroke comes in the form of magnets that stimulate the brain.
There is new hope for better recovery for patients who survive a debilitating stroke. Italian researchers have discovered that the use of magnets to stimulate the nerve cells of the brain can help to correct the condition known as hemispatial neglect, which prevents stroke patients from seeing or recognizing anything on one side of their body. The details of the research appear in the journal Neurology.
Previous studies have estimated that between 20 and 50 percent of patients suffer hemispatial neglect following a stroke. The condition most often occurs when stroke damaged is suffered in the right half of the brain.
In a news release, study author Giacomo Koch, MD, Ph.D., of the Santa Lucia Foundation in Rome, Italy stated, “The treatment is based on the theory that hemispatial neglect results when a stroke disrupts the balance between the two hemispheres of the brain. He went on to explaind, “A stroke on one side of the brain causes the other side to become overactive, and the circuits become overloaded.”
Currently, treatment for hemispatial neglect combines physical therapy with brain retraining, which involves performance of mental tasks via a computer or pen and paper. However, the treatment is often not effective enough to provide significant improvement.
A new treatment, known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), uses a sizable magnetic coil placed against the patient’s scalp to create mild electric currents that stimulate nerve cells, which may have the ability to restore balance between both sides of the brain.
For their study, Koch and colleagues provided daily TMS treatment for 10 of 20 stroke patients who suffered from hemispatial neglect for a period of two weeks. The other 10 participants received a faux treatment, while all of the study subjects took part in brain retraining treatment.
The study participants underwent testing at the end of the study, and then again after an additional two weeks, to measure their abilities to perform daily tasks such as dialing numbers on a phone, reading a menu, and sorting coins, as well as their abilities of line crossing and figure-and-shape-copying.
The findings of the analysis showed that overall, those participants who received TMS had improved by 16.3 percent by the end of treatment, and improvement increased to 22.6 percent after another two weeks. In addition, improvement was seen in the overactive brain circuits of patients who received magnetic treatment. No improvements were noted in test scores of those who received the sham treatment.
While it is possible for patients to recover without treatment after a few weeks following a stroke, their progress can be greatly hampered during the initial weeks of suffering a stroke that are vital to their overall recovery. Use of TMS can help to prevent such hindrance to healing, and may help patients to recover better cognitive abilities and movement.
The researchers noted that the positive results of the study may be due to the combination of the use of both TMS and brain retraining treatments. In addition, because the study was small, more research will be necessary to determine whether TMS is a more effective treatment than brain retraining.
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U.S. Newborn Death Rate Ranked Behind 40 Other Nations
Although newborn death rates have decreased over the last 20 years, a new study shows that the U.S. neonatal mortality rankings have plummeted by 26 percent. The U.S. is now tied for having the 41st lowest risk of newborn death, down from a ranking of 28th two decades ago, with a current neonatal death rate of 4.3 per 1,000 live births.
Neonatal deaths have decreased by a good margin—28 percent—but work to improve newborn health care in the U.S. has not progressed at the rate of other industrialized nations, sending its rankings into the middle of the pack. No longer a healthcare leader in this arena, the U.S. ranks in the same spot as Qatar, Croatia and the United Arab Emirates.
The study shows that babies born in countries including South Korea, Cuba, Malaysia, Lithuania, Poland and Israel are now more likely to survive than those born in the United States.
According to Joy Lawn of Save the Children who was involved in the research, “It’s not that things are worse in the United States than before, it’s that the U.S. isn't making progress like other countries.” She noted that one of the major challenges faced by the United States is complications from preterm birth since the U.S. rate of preterm birth is double that of Northern Africa and European countries. Although little can be done to prevent preterm birth, premature babies born to disadvantaged people in the U.S. may be less likely to receive the costly extra care they need.
While The U.N. releases annual reports on the deaths of children under the ages of 5 and 1, newborn death estimates are only released periodically. This prompted researchers from the non-governmental organization Save The Children, The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the World Health Organization (WHO) to focus on global newborn mortality rates.
Their findings revealed that overall, newborn deaths decreased from 4.6 million in 1990 to 3.3 million in 2009. But they also found that the deaths of infants less than 4 weeks of age account for 41 percent of all child deaths occurring before the age of five worldwide, an increase of 4 percent since 1990.
Causes of Newborn Deaths – Page 2
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American Diabetes Month
SUMMARY: Every 17 seconds, one American is diagnosed with diabetes, which is why it is important to raise awareness and put a stop to what amounts to a runaway train.
Every 17 seconds, one American is diagnosed with diabetes. With almost 26 million currently living with diabetes in this country, it is time to bring awareness to this often life-changing disease. And change is what it will take to put a stop to what amounts to a runaway train.
With obesity and poor eating habits, comes an increase in diabetes, which kills more people each year that breast cancer and AIDS combine. It is at its most dangerous when it is undiagnosed or untreated, and with an estimated 79 million at risk for diabetes, the need to educate about this “silent killer” is stronger than ever.
Diabetes is defines as a lack of production or improper use of the hormone insulin within the body. Insulin is the body’s natural sugar, starch and other foods converter because it breaks down the food you eat into energy so you can burn it off. Even though there are large risk factors that can lead to diabetes: obesity, low thyroid levels, low activity rate, pregnancy, etc, doctors have yet to pinpoint an actual cause.
Both children and adults can suffer from this disease and about 18 million people have already been diagnosed. Even if you haven’t been diagnosed, you could have a high-risk lifestyle that puts your blood sugar levels at a dangerous possibility of getting the disease in the future. If you or someone you know thinks they might be at risk for diabetes or pre-diabetes, you can take the American Diabetes Association’s online test.
There are a few subsets of diabetes that people should be aware of. Pre-diabetes is when a person’s glucose—simple sugar carbohydrates in your body—levels are higher than normal but have yet to signify Type II of the disease. Pre-diabetes can be identified by your health care provider by using one of two tests.
Type 1 diabetes means that the body is failing to produce insulin within your body or has already stopped producing it. Five to ten percent of diabetes patients have this type and it is usually diagnosed during childhood.
Type 2 diabetes is more common and occurs when insulin is being produced but the body isn’t using it naturally or when there isn’t enough insulin being made. Gestational diabetes is contracted during pregnancy and in some cases after birth some women are diagnosed with Type 2.
Living with diabetes can be tough and may contribute to the onset of other health problems. It also requires a special diet and an exercise regimen to help keep it in check. As you age with diabetes, if it isn’t controlled properly or you respond carelessly, there is a greater risk for certain complications, such as kidney damage, amputation of one or both legs, heart disease, and blindness.
November is not only American Diabetes Month but it is also Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month and anyone who has been diagnosed with diabetes or thinks they may be at risk should be aware that it is recommended to make regular ophthalmology appointments.
Most people equate November with Thanksgiving and that usually means spending time with loved ones over huge amounts of food. If you or a loved one has diabetes or is at a high risk for the disease this should be a reminder to take it slow, don’t eat too much pumpkin pie, and be sure to get in some exercise because we want diabetes statistics to be going down not up.
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