Health News

• Regular readers of our Food Business Newsletter know that bisphenol-A (BPA) has been under fire over concern about the chemical leaching into foods in the containers lined with films or made from the plastic hardener. Now Minnesota has become the first US state to ban the use of the controversial substance in baby bottles. Look for action from Connecticut and California to follow. Now Consumers Union (the publishers of Consumer Reports) has found BPA in a cross-section of canned goods in levels that are disturbing for small children.

• A new study from Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina of 5,888 men and women older than 65 has found that women are more-likely to suffer from obesity and arthritis than men. The gap between the two genders in these areas can be as much as 45%. Not surprisingly given the problems of osteoporosis, women are much more likely to have bone fractures. Additionally they are more prone to vision problems and bronchitis, while men have more emphysema, heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, diabetes and hearing loss. Most surprisingly, they were more likely have problems walking because of constrictions in the arteries of their legs.

• A study of over 452K adults from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) has shown those who ate the highest amounts of fruits and vegetables had a 14% reduction in rates of colorectal cancer, along with a 24% reduction in the risk of colon cancer.

• While there is some skepticism about the value of probiotics, a Finnish study has uncovered some cosmetic advantage for pregnant moms: women who were given probiotics and dietary counseling during their pregnancies were less likely to be obese afterward than those who were given counseling alone.

• The craze for antioxidants may be turning out to be another wild goose chase: new research is showing they undermine the healing process in muscles after exercise, reducing the benefits.

• With most women believing they already dash through life, there’s new evidence they need to DASH as well: “The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension” (DASH) diet is known to lower blood pressure may also help prevent heart attacks in women by reducing blood pressure and lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol levels. A research team from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston analyzed data from 36,019 Swedish women aged 48-83, and found during a seven-year monitoring program that the 25% with the highest DASH diet scores had a 37% lower rate of heart failure than the 25% with the lowest DASH diet scores. Those within the top 10% of DASH scores had a heart failure rate half that of the women with lowest DASH scores. The diet includes a high intake of fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products and whole grains with only moderately high protein consumption, with low total fat and saturated fat. Scientists speculate the lower levels of LDL cholesterol, the estrogen-like benefits of some of the nutrients, and less oxygen-related cell damage are behind the diet’s benefits.

• India is a market getting more attention than just for its call centers. Retail chain Reliance Retail’s Fresh stores are lowering prices to strengthen their “value” positioning to compete better with the local mom & pop grocers. The company may be cutting back on some perks associated with big stores, though the chain denies it will be retracting services. Reliance Retail tried the club store format under the brand name Ranger Farms without noticeable success. Value positioning requires a sophisticated supply chain, something Reliance has over its smaller competition. Food is one of India’s fastest-growing retail segments (more than 25% growth annually), so the chain’s 900 stores (in 80 cities and 14 States) is looking to try different footprints and to stress its private label business.

• While still just a possible link, the notion that childhood obesity may be contributing to the rise in food allergies has been advanced by a recent study. Scientists call the evidence “tantalizing,” and theorize that inflammation from the stress of obesity may be the contributing factor. If this line of study yields more evidence to support this theory, pressure on the QSR and food manufacturing sectors will likely grow more intense.

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