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‘Invisible pandemic’: Alberta receives failing grade for nutrition

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CTV News Edmonton

The province of Alberta has been given a failing grade on its nutrition report card on food environments for children and youth. Kim Raine, a distinguished professor in the University of Alberta’s School of Public Health explained to CTV News the general trend of nutrition-focused public health policies are worsening rather than improving and a D is the lowest grade recorded in the last seven years. “Diet is only the second to tobacco for the number one premature cause of death in Canada,” she said. “Without using some of those strategies that we used in tobacco control… some of those strategies used in COVID-19, then we’re not taking nutrition seriously and it’s time for us to wake up to the fact that we have an invisible pandemic of diet-related chronic diseases.” Read more

Ultra-processed foods and type-2 diabetes risk in the sun project: A prospective cohort study

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Science Direct

The study assessed 20,060 participants (61.5% women) from the SUN project (Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra) followed-up every two years. Food and drink consumption were evaluated through a validated 136-item food frequency questionnaire and grouped according to their degree of processing by the NOVA classification. The study found that a higher intake of ultra-processed food was independently associated with a higher risk for type 2 diabetes. Read more

FDA Urged to Stop Formula Companies from Selling Sugary Drinks as “Formula” to Toddlers 

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Center for Science in the Public Interest
Advocates and researchers from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, UConn Rudd Center, and New York University write that Nestlé, Walmart, and Mead Johnson & Company (makers of the brands Gerber, Parent’s Choice, and Enfamil) violate FDA regulations for infant formula. Such beverages are also not recommended by health experts for toddlers. Read more

Why you need to eat fewer ultra-processed foods like frozen pizza and granola bars

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The Globe and Mail 
A steady intake of ultra-processed foods has been linked to an increased risk of chronic health problems such as obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease. Now, findings from a large Italian study add to mounting evidence that ultra-processed foods should be limited. Added sugars in these foods, as well as the processing methods used to make them, may contribute to their harmful effects. Read the Globe and Mail article 

Study to look at impact of Covid-19 on nutrition in Atlantic Canada

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The Chronicle Herald
The study is being led by Catherine Mah of the Dalhousie University school of health administration, the Canada Research Chair in healthy population. “I think the most important thing that we’re approaching in this research is that nutrition is already a concern in the Atlantic provinces. (They) have one of the highest levels of diet-related risk in Canada,” Mah said. She said poor diet and nutrition have short- and long-term effects on health, and by looking in-depth at nutrition researchers hope to be able to see how social policy can be tweaked or altered to reduce the risks for Atlantic Canadians. Read the article

Consumption of ultra-processed foods in Canada

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Statistics Canada 
A new Statistics Canada study found that the overall dietary share of ultra-processed foods remains high among Canadians, accounting for more than half of the daily energy intake among children and teenagers in 2015 (the most recent year for which data was available). However, dietary energy contributions of soft drinks, fruit juices and fruit drinks declined between 2004 and 2015, particularly among children and adolescents. Read the study

Efficacy of “High in” Nutrient Specific Front of Package Labels—A Retail Experiment with Canadians of Varying Health Literacy Levels

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Nutrients

Health Canada put forward a regulatory proposal in 2018 to introduce regulations requiring a “High in” front-of-package label (FOPL) on foods that exceed predetermined thresholds for sodium, sugars, or saturated fat. This study evaluated the efficacy of the proposed FOPL as a quick and easy tool for making food choices that support reduction in the intakes of these nutrients. Overall, FOPL was significantly more effective than current labeling at helping consumers of varying HL levels to identify foods high in nutrients of concern and make healthier food choices. All FOPL were equally effective. Read the article

Viewpoint: Nutrient warnings on Unhealthy Foods

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JAMA Network 
Unhealthy diets, characterized by overconsumption of ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks, increase the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. A nutrient warning policy is a common-sense response to rising rates of diet-related disease. Nutrient warnings could help inform consumers, encourage the food industry to make healthier products, benefit public health, counteract certain industry marketing practices, and potentially improve health equity. Read the article

Why nutrition advice keeps changing

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Psychology Today 

Over time, scientists are developing a better understanding of how food affects us. Nutrition is a fairly young science; the first studies tracking what people ate came in the late 1800s. We’re watching it grow up.  Read the article here

Fast food makes an unhealthy comeback among kids

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Web MD 

After a period of improvement, U.S. kids are eating as much fast food as they were in the early 2000s, new government figures show. Researchers found that between 2003 and 2010, there was a decline in U.S. kids’ intake of fast-food calories — dipping from an average of 14% of daily calories, to just under 11%. By 2018, that figure was back up to 14%.  Read the article here