News

26 May 2013 - BBC Radio 4's The Food Programme - Sugar: Pure, White and Deadly?

Sheila Dillon finds out why the debate about the role of sugar in our lives is hotting up. Recent books and news stories have re-awoken a forty year debate about what makes us fat.

26 May 2013 - The Sunday Times - Heads plead for lessons on serving pupils better lunches

NINE out of 10 head teachers believe that giving children healthy meals boosts their academic performance — but many admit needing help to improve dinners in their own schools.

BBC News - Iodine deficiency may lower UK children's IQ

Mild iodine deficiency during pregnancy could be dimming the intellect of some babies born in the UK, say researchers.

Large UK study finds that iodine deficiency during pregnancy adversely affects children's mental development

A study of around 1000 UK mothers and their children, published in The Lancet, has revealed that iodine deficiency in pregnancy may have an adverse effect on children's mental development. The research raises concerns that the iodine status of pregnant women is an important public-health issue that needs to be addressed.

21 May 2013 - Food Navigator - Obesity during pregnancy poses lifetime health risk for babies

A woman's diet and lifestyle before and during pregnancy, and her baby's diet in early life, can affect the infant's risk of succumbing to disease later on and this will have important implications for the food industry, a new scientific report has concluded.

21 May 2013 - Food Navigator - UK children's foods often higher in fat and sugar, study finds

A significant number of foods marketed to children in the UK are higher in fat and sugar than foods marketed to adults, suggests new research published in Public Health Nutrition

High dose B vitamins help prevent Alzheimer's say researchers

A new study is suggesting that a high dose of B vitamins could stop the onset of Alzheimer's by preventing shrinkage of the medial temporal lobe, the area of the brain that defines the disease.

19 May 2013 - Cancer and diet: Why is nutrition overlooked?

Thousands of scientific papers have been published on the link between diet and the treatment and prevention of cancer. But in practice food is still considered a marginal aspect of cancer care.

Omega-3 may minimise damaging effects of junk food on brain: Research review

Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids could help to minimise the debilitating effects that high junk food consumption has on the brain, according to a new review of more than 180 research papers

30 Apr 2013 - BBC Radio 4 - Constant Cravings: Does Food Addiction Exist?

Could obesity, in some cases, result from an addiction, and if so, do we need to change the way we treat it?

25 March 2013 - FoodNavigator - 'Mindless eating' in Britain spells opportunity for industry, says National Obesity Forum

Research that suggests Britons consume 43% more than they should each year spells opportunity for dietetic products, the National Obesity Forum Chair says

20 March 2013 - The Guardian - Sugar, not fat, exposed as deadly villain in obesity epidemic

It's addictive and toxic, like a drug, and we need to wean ourselves off it, says US doctor

18 March 2013 - The Guardian - Students: just say no to sugar

Forget illegal drugs, students are overdosing on sugar. Little do they know that binging on sweet food is a serious form of substance abuse

16 March 2013 - NY Times - How to Force Ethics On the Food Industry

A COURT has struck down, at least for now, New York City’s attempt to slow the growth of obesity by limiting the portion size of sweetened beverages.

Sugar is the new tobacco

Sugar is the new tobacco. It is dangerous, addictive, and toxic, and it cannot be controlled by education or legislation alone. This is a war, between public health and private industry, and one that is best waged through the courts.

Still Believe 'A Calorie Is a Calorie'?

28 Feb 2013 - UCSF - Sugar Directly Linked to Diabetes Worldwide

Does eating too much sugar cause diabetes? For years, scientists have said “not exactly.” The prevailing theory suggests that eating too much of any food, including sugar, can cause you to gain weight; and it’s the resulting obesity that predisposes people to diabetes. But now the results of a large new epidemiological study suggest sugar may also have a direct, independent link to diabetes.

18 Feb 2013 - The Guardian - Obesity crisis: doctors demand soft drink tax and healthier hospital food

Academy of Medical Royal Colleges puts forward 10-point action plan to help end UK's status as 'fat man of Europe'

BBC News - Tax fizzy drinks and ban junk food ads, say doctors

Fizzy drinks should be heavily taxed and junk food adverts banished until after the watershed, doctors have said, in a call for action over obesity.

12 Feb 2013 - WebMD - Folic Acid in Pregnancy May Lower Autism Risk