Latest Nutrition and Obesity-Related News
Most news is now being added to our newsletters - click here to be re-
directed to our newsletter archive.
1/4/07 Over the counter Diet pill makers fined millions by FTC for
making false claims and misleading consumers.
1/4/07 Juice Plus: A Critical Look. At CNC, we are seeing many
patients using the Juice Plus line of supplements. I found this article
interesting. After reading the article, ask yourself, "this really
something you want to be on?"
7/12/06 Adult Weight Loss decreases risk of Postmenopausal Breast
Cancer. Weight gain during adult life, specifically since menopause,
increases the risk of breast cancer, whereas weight loss after
menopause is associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer
(JAMA, July 12, 2006 - Vol 296, No. 2 page 193)
2/15/06 Rimonabant Shows Modest Benefit in Reducing Weight,
Improving HDL, Triglyceride Levels
1/23/06 Glaxo Smith Kline files for OTC status for Xenical, the
pancreatic lipase inhibitor (fat-uptake blocker). Note that Prescription
strength Xenical is 120 mg, the OTC version will contain 60 mg.
Further news will follow when available.
6/23/05 Rimonabant accepted for filing by the FDA
5/25/05 Revamped Food Pyramid now available: Instead of one
pyramid, there are now 12 different versions containing 23 general
recommendations and 18 specific suggestions for the elderly, children,
and other special populations. Consumers can obtain personalized
dietary and exercise recommendations - see the "My Pyramid Plan" or
"My Pyramid Tracker" features on the web site.
3/8/05: Sanofi Obesity Drug Works for 2 Years, Some Snags
2/10/05: Obesity Drug Obstacles
1/12/05: New Dietary Guidelines Will Help Americans Make Better
Food Choices and Live Healthier Lives. HHS Secretary Tommy G.
Thompson and Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today
announced the release of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans
2005, the federal government's science-based advice to promote
health and reduce risk of chronic diseases through nutrition and
physical activity. Eat less, exercise more!
Click here to download the executive summary
Click here to download the complete document
Click here to link to the Dietary Guidelines Web Site
12/04: High Doses of Vitamin E may cause more harm than good.
Daily vitamin E doses of 400 International Units (IU) or more can
increase the risk of death and should be avoided, researchers
reported at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in
2004. According to their analysis, there is no increased risk with a
dose 200 IU or less, and there may even be some benefit; however, an
increased risk was found above 200 IU per day. Those who take 400
IU per day are about 10 percent more likely to die than those who do
not. (Please note that the Multiple Vitamin we currently use for our
patients on low calorie eating plans at CNC has only 30 IU of Vitamin
E).
11/15/04: Problems with knee osteoarthritis? A new study from Berlin
shows rapid weight loss to be the treatment of choice. In a group of 80
patients, those who lost 11.1% of their weight in 8 weeks experienced
a 35% improvement in their knee osteoarthritis symptoms, compared
with only a 14% improvement in the control group (who had only a 4%
weight loss).
11/9/04: FTC Launches “Big Fat Lie” Initiative Targeting Bogus
Weight-loss Claims Today, the Federal Trade Commission is
launching “Operation Big Fat Lie,” a nation-wide law enforcement
sweep against six companies making false weight-loss claims in
national advertisements. Operation Big Fat Lie is the latest in the
Commission’s efforts to: stop deceptive advertising and provide
refunds to consumers harmed by unscrupulous weight-loss
advertisers; encourage media outlets not to carry advertisements
containing bogus weight-loss claims; and educate consumers to be on
their guard against companies promising miraculous weight loss
without diet or exercise. Click above for the full story.
They have also launched a "teaser" web site illustrating a sample
bogus product. Click here to view.
8/25/04 Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, Weight Gain, and
Incidence of Type 2 Diabertes in Young and Middle-Aged
Women: JAMA reports that a higher consumption of sugar-sweetened
beverages in 116,671 female patients between 1989 and 1999 is
associated with a greater magnitude of weight gain and an increased
risk for development of type 2 diabetes.
4/20/04 CDC: Fewer doctors urge weight loss
4/12/04 FDA Ban of Ephedra Takes Effect
4/1/04 FDA Warns Web Sites Over Weight Loss Claims:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - "Eat all you want!" "Watch the fat
disappear!" "Block the starch and lose weight!"
These and other similar weight loss claims for some dietary
supplements can cause "unfounded hope" and must be removed from
Web sites that use them, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (news
- web sites) warned on Thursday.
The agency said it sent warning letters to 16 Web sites that promoted
certain products as blocking carbohydrates, starch and calories from
fat without noting the need to make lifestyle changes, like exercising or
eating a healthy diet.
"These products give unfounded hope to people who are attempting to
lose weight," Acting FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford said in a
statement.
"False and misleading claims have significant health consequences to
individuals that may be overweight because these products do not
produce the desired results," he said.
The letters are part of ongoing FDA efforts to fight obesity as well as
prevent companies from making untrue claims about dietary
supplements, the agency said. The Web sites have 15 days to
respond to the agency and outline their plans to remove the claims. If
they do not, the FDA can seize the firms' supplies, impose fines and
take other enforcement actions.
eVitamins.com, weightlossguide.com and VitaMaker.com are among
the sites cited by the FDA. Several sites could not immediately be
reached for comment.
4/04 Children Need Greater Amounts of Physical Activity: Five
years after releasing the first physical activity guidelines for children 5
to 12 years of age, the National Association for Sport and Physical
Education (NASPE) is increasing the recommended amount. The first
of four new guidelines recommends at least 60 minutes, and up to
several hours of physical activity every day. This is not surprising
given the fact that inactivity has contributed to the recent obesity
epidemic and sedentary living is a known threat to health.
For a summary of the new guidelines, click here.
3/10/04 Medical Society Renews Call for Medical Treatment of
Overweight, Obesity
2/04 Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Linked with Marked
Obesity: The growing prevalence of obesity among women of
reproductive age prompted an investigator to compare pregnancy-
related outcomes in markedly obese and normal-weight mothers.
Among more than 800,000 deliveries in Sweden, compared with
normal-weight women, mothers with BMIs > 40 had significantly higher
risk of complecations including: preeclampsia, stillbirth, c-section,
forceps, shoulder dystocia, meconium aspiration, fetal distress, early
neonatal death, and high birthweight.
These data confirm findings from smaller studies that document
increased pregnancy-related risks among markedly obese women.
Such women should be counseled about these risks if they are
considering pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol 2004 Feb; 103:219-24.
4/2/02 IRS put out a new policy in Revenue Ruling (2002-19)
classifying Obesity as a disease, allowing uncompensated amounts
paid by individuals in a weight-loss program as treatment for a specific
disease to be classified as a medical expense. In some instances, this
amount could therefore be taken as a tax deduction. Click here for a
summary of the new tax code.
Please also click here to visit the ASBP news page - an excellent
collection of obesity-related news.
directed to our newsletter archive.
1/4/07 Over the counter Diet pill makers fined millions by FTC for
making false claims and misleading consumers.
1/4/07 Juice Plus: A Critical Look. At CNC, we are seeing many
patients using the Juice Plus line of supplements. I found this article
interesting. After reading the article, ask yourself, "this really
something you want to be on?"
7/12/06 Adult Weight Loss decreases risk of Postmenopausal Breast
Cancer. Weight gain during adult life, specifically since menopause,
increases the risk of breast cancer, whereas weight loss after
menopause is associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer
(JAMA, July 12, 2006 - Vol 296, No. 2 page 193)
2/15/06 Rimonabant Shows Modest Benefit in Reducing Weight,
Improving HDL, Triglyceride Levels
1/23/06 Glaxo Smith Kline files for OTC status for Xenical, the
pancreatic lipase inhibitor (fat-uptake blocker). Note that Prescription
strength Xenical is 120 mg, the OTC version will contain 60 mg.
Further news will follow when available.
6/23/05 Rimonabant accepted for filing by the FDA
5/25/05 Revamped Food Pyramid now available: Instead of one
pyramid, there are now 12 different versions containing 23 general
recommendations and 18 specific suggestions for the elderly, children,
and other special populations. Consumers can obtain personalized
dietary and exercise recommendations - see the "My Pyramid Plan" or
"My Pyramid Tracker" features on the web site.
3/8/05: Sanofi Obesity Drug Works for 2 Years, Some Snags
2/10/05: Obesity Drug Obstacles
1/12/05: New Dietary Guidelines Will Help Americans Make Better
Food Choices and Live Healthier Lives. HHS Secretary Tommy G.
Thompson and Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today
announced the release of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans
2005, the federal government's science-based advice to promote
health and reduce risk of chronic diseases through nutrition and
physical activity. Eat less, exercise more!
Click here to download the executive summary
Click here to download the complete document
Click here to link to the Dietary Guidelines Web Site
12/04: High Doses of Vitamin E may cause more harm than good.
Daily vitamin E doses of 400 International Units (IU) or more can
increase the risk of death and should be avoided, researchers
reported at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in
2004. According to their analysis, there is no increased risk with a
dose 200 IU or less, and there may even be some benefit; however, an
increased risk was found above 200 IU per day. Those who take 400
IU per day are about 10 percent more likely to die than those who do
not. (Please note that the Multiple Vitamin we currently use for our
patients on low calorie eating plans at CNC has only 30 IU of Vitamin
E).
11/15/04: Problems with knee osteoarthritis? A new study from Berlin
shows rapid weight loss to be the treatment of choice. In a group of 80
patients, those who lost 11.1% of their weight in 8 weeks experienced
a 35% improvement in their knee osteoarthritis symptoms, compared
with only a 14% improvement in the control group (who had only a 4%
weight loss).
11/9/04: FTC Launches “Big Fat Lie” Initiative Targeting Bogus
Weight-loss Claims Today, the Federal Trade Commission is
launching “Operation Big Fat Lie,” a nation-wide law enforcement
sweep against six companies making false weight-loss claims in
national advertisements. Operation Big Fat Lie is the latest in the
Commission’s efforts to: stop deceptive advertising and provide
refunds to consumers harmed by unscrupulous weight-loss
advertisers; encourage media outlets not to carry advertisements
containing bogus weight-loss claims; and educate consumers to be on
their guard against companies promising miraculous weight loss
without diet or exercise. Click above for the full story.
They have also launched a "teaser" web site illustrating a sample
bogus product. Click here to view.
8/25/04 Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, Weight Gain, and
Incidence of Type 2 Diabertes in Young and Middle-Aged
Women: JAMA reports that a higher consumption of sugar-sweetened
beverages in 116,671 female patients between 1989 and 1999 is
associated with a greater magnitude of weight gain and an increased
risk for development of type 2 diabetes.
4/20/04 CDC: Fewer doctors urge weight loss
4/12/04 FDA Ban of Ephedra Takes Effect
4/1/04 FDA Warns Web Sites Over Weight Loss Claims:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - "Eat all you want!" "Watch the fat
disappear!" "Block the starch and lose weight!"
These and other similar weight loss claims for some dietary
supplements can cause "unfounded hope" and must be removed from
Web sites that use them, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (news
- web sites) warned on Thursday.
The agency said it sent warning letters to 16 Web sites that promoted
certain products as blocking carbohydrates, starch and calories from
fat without noting the need to make lifestyle changes, like exercising or
eating a healthy diet.
"These products give unfounded hope to people who are attempting to
lose weight," Acting FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford said in a
statement.
"False and misleading claims have significant health consequences to
individuals that may be overweight because these products do not
produce the desired results," he said.
The letters are part of ongoing FDA efforts to fight obesity as well as
prevent companies from making untrue claims about dietary
supplements, the agency said. The Web sites have 15 days to
respond to the agency and outline their plans to remove the claims. If
they do not, the FDA can seize the firms' supplies, impose fines and
take other enforcement actions.
eVitamins.com, weightlossguide.com and VitaMaker.com are among
the sites cited by the FDA. Several sites could not immediately be
reached for comment.
4/04 Children Need Greater Amounts of Physical Activity: Five
years after releasing the first physical activity guidelines for children 5
to 12 years of age, the National Association for Sport and Physical
Education (NASPE) is increasing the recommended amount. The first
of four new guidelines recommends at least 60 minutes, and up to
several hours of physical activity every day. This is not surprising
given the fact that inactivity has contributed to the recent obesity
epidemic and sedentary living is a known threat to health.
For a summary of the new guidelines, click here.
3/10/04 Medical Society Renews Call for Medical Treatment of
Overweight, Obesity
2/04 Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Linked with Marked
Obesity: The growing prevalence of obesity among women of
reproductive age prompted an investigator to compare pregnancy-
related outcomes in markedly obese and normal-weight mothers.
Among more than 800,000 deliveries in Sweden, compared with
normal-weight women, mothers with BMIs > 40 had significantly higher
risk of complecations including: preeclampsia, stillbirth, c-section,
forceps, shoulder dystocia, meconium aspiration, fetal distress, early
neonatal death, and high birthweight.
These data confirm findings from smaller studies that document
increased pregnancy-related risks among markedly obese women.
Such women should be counseled about these risks if they are
considering pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol 2004 Feb; 103:219-24.
4/2/02 IRS put out a new policy in Revenue Ruling (2002-19)
classifying Obesity as a disease, allowing uncompensated amounts
paid by individuals in a weight-loss program as treatment for a specific
disease to be classified as a medical expense. In some instances, this
amount could therefore be taken as a tax deduction. Click here for a
summary of the new tax code.
Please also click here to visit the ASBP news page - an excellent
collection of obesity-related news.
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