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Diet Soda May Raise Risk of Premature Birth
Diet soda has a long history in the United States. In 1952, Kirsch Bottling in Brooklyn, New York debuted a sugar-free ginger ale called No-Cal, targeting it to diabetics.
It wasn’t until 1963 that Coca-Cola entered the diet soda market with Tab.
To keep calories down, diet sodas are sweetened with various sugar substitutes, cyclamates, saccharin, and aspartame. But fears of cancer have spooked many customers away from artificially sweetened drinks.
In 1970, the Food and Drug Administration banned cyclamates in the U.S. on evidence that they caused cancer in lab rats.
And premature birth may be another concern. W
Obese Kids Have “Flatter” Feet
“Flat feet” occur when the arches in a person’s feet are flat; while typically painless, occasionally a collapsed arch can cause ankle and knee discomfort, or worsen natural wear-and-tear in the feet.
All babies have flat feet, but as the child grows up the arches naturally develop.
But new research in the International Journal of Obesity says obese children tend to have flatter feet than kids with healthier weights.
Scientists used ultrasound to analyze the feet of 150 children, ages 6 to 10; half the kids were obese and the other half were thinner.
The researchers found obese children had lower arches and more padding on the soles of their feet. But t
Too Much Meat Leads to Weight-Gain Over Time
Meat, whether it is beef, pork, chicken, or fish, is a high-energy food, meaning every bite has a lot of calories; unlike vegetables which have fiber, making them low-calorie foods. Meat does not contain fiber.
And new research claims all those calories from meat may turn into extra bodyweight over time.
Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists analyzed more than 370,000 individuals, 100,000 men and 270,000 women, from 10 different European countries participating in a cancer study.
Over a 5-year period, both men and women gained an average of about one pound a year, and the more meat a person consumed, the more they gained.
Eating Fish May Lower Risk of Eye Disease
Consuming fish has been linked to a myriad of health benefits, mostly due to omega-3 fatty acids, which have been associated with decreased risk of cancer and heart disease.
And according to a new study in the journal Ophthalmology, older adults eating fatty fish – such as salmon, mackerel, and albacore tuna – at least once a week may have a lower risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) leading to vision loss.
For the study, experts analyzed data from over 2,500 adults, ages 65 to 84, who completed dietary questionnaires and underwent eye exams; 15% were found to have early or intermediate-stage AMD and less than 3% had advanced AMD.
Researchers found participants with higher intake of fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, consuming one or more servings a week, were 60% less likely to develop advanced AMD, than those consuming less than one serving per week.
However, the scientists insist this does not prove eating fish is directly linked to reduced risk of AMD.
But a major concern among fish eaters and non-fish eaters is mercury. Man