Growing interest: School-grown vegetables increase salad selection

If kids grow vegetables, they're more likely to eat them. A new Cornell study published in Acta Paediatrica shows that when garden grown vegetables were slipped into school salads, kids were over four times as likely to take a salad.

"This is a small study, but it suggests gardens can help children's diets -- even in the snow belt," said lead author Brian Wansink PhD, Director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab and author of Slim by Design.

This pilot study, conducted in upstate New York, measured the change in vegetable selection and plate waste when school grown salad greens were incorporated in the cafeteria school lunch. The researchers measured the selections and plate waste of a total of 370 enrolled high school students over three separate days.

When the salad bar contained produce grown by students, the percentage of those who selected salads with their meals increased from 2% to 10% and on average, students ate two-thirds of their salads. Unfortunately, in addition to increased salad selection, the amount of plate waste also increased. Overall salad consumption for the entire student body increased from approximately 5 to 12 servings per day.

This study implies the larger potential benefits of the school garden programs. "We see great promise with this research. The first hurdle in increasing vegetable consumption is simply getting kids to put them on their plate," concluded co-author Drew Hanks of Ohio State University.

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Cornell Food & Brand Lab. The original article was written by Brian Wansink. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Brian Wansink, Andrew S. Hanks, David R. Just. A plant to plate pilot: a cold-climate high school garden increased vegetable selection but also waste. Acta Paediatrica, 2015; DOI: 10.1111/apa.13028

Staying Fit May Delay Onset of High Cholesterol, Study Finds

Men who keep fit may find they delay normal age-related increases in blood cholesterol levels by up to 15 years, a new study suggests.

It is common for cholesterol levels to rise with age and then decrease later in life, the study authors explained in background notes. Previous studies have shown that high cholesterol levels can be a risk factor for heart disease. Regular physical activity can lower this risk, the researchers said.

"Exercise and being fit helps keep arteries clear by lowering 'bad' [LDL] cholesterol and boosting 'good' [HDL] cholesterol," explained study author Dr. Xuemei Sui, an assistant professor at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C.

"It also reduces other risk factors for atherosclerosis [narrowed arteries] and blood clots, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and stress," Sui said.

The study was published online May 11 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

For the study, Sui and colleagues used data from health examinations performed during the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas. The long-term study ran from 1970 to 2006, and included just over 11,400 men, aged 20 to 90. Each took an exercise test on a treadmill to determine their baseline aerobic fitness level.

Researchers measured total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides (another type of blood fat), HDL cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol (the total cholesterol level minus the good HDL cholesterol) in study participants.

Men with lower-than-optimal aerobic fitness had a greater risk of developing high cholesterol in their early 30s, the investigators found, while men with higher levels of fitness did not see high cholesterol develop until their mid-40s.

Men with what would be considered low aerobic fitness reached abnormal HDL and non-HDL cholesterol levels around their early 20s and mid-30s, respectively, while those with higher fitness experienced normal levels for the entire duration of the study, the researchers said.

Aerobic exercise uses the large muscles of the body and brings oxygen to those muscles for use during exercise. Some examples of aerobic exercise include brisk walking, running, biking, swimming, hiking and playing team sports, such as basketball and soccer.

"Exercise is a vital component of achieving lifelong cardiovascular health," said Dr. Gregg Fonarow, professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles. "Regular physical activity and maintaining physical fitness has been shown to be associated with a lower risk of [heart attack], stroke, and premature cardiovascular death," he added.

The men in this study were considered "highly fit." Is this achievable for the general population? Yes, said Sui.

"Highly fit in this study refers to an individual who meets the current physical activity guideline levels of 150 minutes a week of moderate activity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous activity," Sui explained.

Sui said this amount of exercise can be achieved by engaging in aerobic activity for 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

In other words, the men in this study were not professional athletes or marathon runners.

For those not currently exercising, the recommendation is to start slowly and progressively work up to the current physical activity guidelines, experts suggest.

While this study included just men, Sui feels the results would also apply to women.

"I don't believe the results would be much different for women," said Sui. "Examining the age-related cardiovascular factors and identifying the modifiable factors in women are future projects."

Because this study emphasizes the importance of exercise in prolonging health, Sui and colleagues concluded that health care providers should counsel patients on exercise for disease prevention.

"This study, along with our previous studies on glucose [blood sugar] and blood pressure, provide an important message for health care providers that improving cardiorespiratory fitness may delay the onset of high cholesterol, diabetes or high blood pressure," Sui said. "Clinicians should consider counseling their patients to increase physical activity levels in order to improve fitness."

Fonarow gives this idea a nod. "I fully agree with the statement that greater emphasis needs to be made on educating individuals of all ages on the importance of exercise. Clinicians should educate their patients on the benefits of fitness along with providing advice on fitness regimens and individualized goals."  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_152470.html

Study Links Celiac Disease to Nerve Damage

 People with the digestive disorder celiac disease are at increased risk for nerve damage, a new study suggests.

Swedish researchers looked at more than 28,000 people with celiac disease and a "control" group of more than 139,000 without the disorder. The researchers found that those with celiac disease were 2.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with nerve damage, medically known as neuropathy.

However, the risk of nerve damage among the study patients was still low and the association seen in the study did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

The study was published online May 11 in the journal JAMA Neurology.

"We found an increased risk of neuropathy in patients with celiac disease that persists after celiac disease diagnosis," Dr. Jonas Ludvigsson, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and colleagues wrote.

"Although absolute risks for neuropathy are low, celiac disease is a potentially treatable condition with a young age of onset. Our findings suggest that screening could be beneficial in patients with neuropathy," the researchers concluded.

Rates of neuropathy were 0.7 percent among people with celiac disease and 0.3 percent in the control group, the authors said in a journal news release.

Among people with celiac disease, the risk of nerve damage was the same for women and men, the findings showed.

When people with celiac disease eat gluten, which is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, they develop problems in their small intestine. Celiac disease affects an estimated 1 percent of people in the general population, according to the study authors. A link between celiac disease and nerve damage was first reported about 50 years ago, they said.  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_152480.html

'Thrifty' Metabolism Might Sabotage Weight Loss Efforts

 A new study confirms what many frustrated dieters already suspect: Your metabolism might make it tougher for you to lose weight than others.

"The results corroborate the idea that some people who are obese may have to work harder to lose weight due to metabolic differences," said lead author Dr. Martin Reinhardt, a postdoctoral fellow at the Phoenix Epidemiology and Clinical Research Branch of the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

"But biology is not destiny. Balanced diet and regular physical activity over a long period can be very effective for weight loss," he added in an institute news release.

The small laboratory study included 12 obese men and women who underwent tests to assess their body's energy use in response to a day of fasting. This was followed by six weeks of reduced calorie intake.

After accounting for factors such as age, sex and race, the researchers found that participants who lost the least amount of weight during the six weeks of reducing calorie intake were those whose metabolism decreased the most during fasting.

These people have what the researchers called a "thrifty" metabolism, as opposed to the "spendthrift" metabolism in participants who lost the most weight and whose metabolism decreased the least during fasting.

"When people who are obese decrease the amount of food they eat, metabolic responses vary greatly, with a 'thrifty' metabolism possibly contributing to less weight lost," study co-author Susanne Votruba, an investigator at the Phoenix research branch, said in the news release.

"While behavioral factors such as adherence to diet affect weight loss to an extent, our study suggests we should consider a larger picture that includes individual physiology -- and that weight loss is one situation where being thrifty doesn't pay," she said.

The study was published May 11 in the journal Diabetes.

It's not known if people are born with different metabolic responses to lower calorie intake, or if they develop over time. Further research is needed to determine if these individual responses can be used to prevent weight gain, the study authors said.

"What we've learned from this study may one day enable a more personalized approach to help people who are obese achieve a healthy weight," Dr. Griffin Rodgers, director of the Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, said in the news release.

More than one-third of American adults are obese, which puts them at increased risk for heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer.  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_152473.html

Mediterranean Diet Plus Olive Oil or Nuts May Boost Thinking and Memory

 Adding more olive oil or nuts to a Mediterranean diet -- one rich in fruits, vegetables, fish and whole grains and low in red meat -- may help keep your mind sharper as you age, a new study suggests.

The Spanish researchers found that seniors following such diets had greater improvements in thinking and memory than people who were simply advised to eat a lower-fat diet.

"You can delay the onset of age-related mental decline with a healthy diet rich in foods with a high antioxidant power, such as virgin olive oil and nuts," said lead researcher Dr. Emilio Ros, director of the lipid clinic at the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona.

"Because the average age of participants was 67 when the trial began, one can say that it is never too late to change your diet to maintain or even improve brain function," he said.

The report was published online May 11 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

Dr. Sam Gandy, director of the Center for Cognitive Health at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, said, "The general heart-healthy and brain-healthy effects of eating less beef and more chicken, fish, fruits and vegetables has been validated to the point that I now recommend this general Mediterranean diet to all my patients."

Both olive oil and nuts have been associated with mental benefit in other studies, he added. "So, these findings are not so much a surprise as a reminder that there is more to the Mediterranean diet than meat, fruits and vegetables, and that calling out specific recommendations to include olive oil and nuts is probably worthwhile," Gandy said.

For the study, Ros and colleagues collected data on nearly 450 older adults between 2003 and 2009. Their average age was 67. All of the participants were at high risk for heart disease, but had no reported problems with memory or thinking.

Participants were randomly assigned to add a liter (about 33 ounces) of extra virgin olive oil per week to their Mediterranean diet, or to supplement their Mediterranean diet with 30 grams (roughly 1 ounce) per day of a mixture of walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds. Others followed a low-fat diet.

Mental changes over time were assessed with a battery of memory, attention and thinking tests. Complete data on almost 350 patients was available for analysis, the researchers said. The participants followed the diets for four years, on average, according to the study.

In both groups following a Mediterranean diet, the researchers saw improvements in tests of memory and thinking compared to the group on the low-fat diet, the study showed.

Samantha Heller, a senior clinical nutritionist at New York University Medical Center in New York City, explained that "healthy fats from foods like nuts and olive oil play crucial roles in brain function and health."

How might a Mediterranean diet that includes extra olive oil or nuts help? One way might be by protecting the nerve cells in the brain, suggested Heller, who was not involved with the study.

Every one of the nerve cells in the human brain is surrounded by an ultra-thin layer of fat and protein called the myelin sheath, she explained. The myelin sheath protects the nerve structure and helps nerve cell interaction. The brain gets its fats to make and maintain the myelin sheath from the foods people eat. The healthier the foods and fats, the healthier the brain, Heller said.

Oleic acid is one of the most prevalent fats in the myelin sheath, Heller said. "Olive oil, almonds, pecans, macadamias, peanuts and avocados are all good sources of this fat. Omega-3 fatty acids are also important for brain health and are found in fish, walnuts and soy foods. These healthy fats have been shown to improve mental function and brain health and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease," she said.

Heller suggested cooking with olive oil instead of butter, snacking on a handful of almonds instead of a bag of chips, and adding vegetables to pasta in place of meatballs.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_152471.html

Many Parents Blind to Their Child's Weight

Many parents of overweight preschoolers believe their children are appropriately sized, a new study finds.

"The results are consistent with past studies in which a considerably high number of parents incorrectly perceived their overweight/obese preschool child as being 'just about the right weight,' " study author Dustin Duncan, an assistant professor of population health at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, said in an NYU news release.

Researchers analyzed data from American parents who took part in nationwide surveys from 1988 to 1994 and 2007 to 2012. The first survey group included parents of over 3,800 children and the second survey group included parents of nearly 3,200 children.

The parents were asked if they considered their children -- aged 2 to 5 -- to be underweight, the right weight, or overweight.  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_152476.html

Peanut Allergy Exposure Occurs Most Often at Home, Study Says

For children with peanut allergies, home is more dangerous than school, researchers say.

The Canadian study also found schools that ban peanut products are not less likely to have an accidental exposure occur than schools that don't have these policies in place.

"Our study looked at 1,941 children who had been diagnosed as being allergic to peanuts to determine how exposure occurs, how serious the outcomes of the exposure are, and what treatment is given," said the study's first author, Sabrine Cherkaoui, of the University of Montreal.  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_152475.html

Got diabetes? There's an app for that

U.S. health researchers said on Monday they are targeting millions of smartphone users with Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) new software tool, hoping to collect an unprecedented amount of data on major diseases by tracking their behaviours via iPhone.

The ResearchKit software tool, an open source platform, allows researchers to design applications that use built-in sensors on the iPhone along with data from other wearable devices to gather real-time health data. Scientists from Stanford University School of Medicine and Weill Cornell Medical College are among the first to offer apps for diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/s/got-diabetes-theres-app-223702267.html

The Sugar Industry Shaped Government Advice On Cavities, Report Finds

A new report reveals that the sugar industry heavily influenced federal research—as well as the guidelines that resulted from that research.

Tooth decay remains a problem in the U.S. despite being preventable. One simple fix is cutting back on overall sugar intake. But a new report published in the journal PLOS Medicine reveals that the sugar industry greatly influenced the U.S. National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR) 1971 research by shifting the group’s focus away from dietary changes.

http://time.com/3738706/the-sugar-industry-shaped-government-advice-on-cavities-report-finds/

Study: Parents wrongly think sugary drinks healthy

Bamboozled by misleading product marketing and labeling, parents have failed to get the message that sugary drinks — beyond soda — are not healthy for kids.

That's the conclusion of a new study from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at University of Connecticut, published today in Public Health Nutrition.

Many parents believe that drinks with high amounts of added sugar — particularly fruit drinks, sports drinks and flavored water — are "healthy" options for kids, according to the report, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which focuses on improving health and health care. Never mind that the most recent federal dietary guidelines recommended limiting added sugar to 10% of total calories.

"Although many parents know that soda is not good for children, many still believe that sugary drinks are healthy options," says Jennifer Harris, who wrote the study and is director of marketing initiatives at Rudd Center. "The labeling and marketing for these products imply that they are nutritious, and these misperceptions may explain why so many parents buy them."

The findings come at a particularly difficult time for the beverage industry, which has seen sales of regular and diet carbonated soft drinks steadily decline in recent years. As those sales decline, beverage makers are increasingly turning to waters, flavored waters, juices, sports drinks and even milk products as options.

Officials at the American Beverage Association trade group slammed the study. "This is just the latest report coming out of an institution with a long history of bashing beverages, and it undermines parents' ability to make decisions themselves," says Christopher Gindlesperger, senior director of public affairs, in an e-mailed statement.

As an industry, Gindlesperger says, "We provide clear, factual information on our all of our packaging — and even go beyond government requirements — to make sure parents have the information they need to make the choices that are right for them and their families. There's nothing wrong with having a sports drink or a soda or a juice drink — it's about moderation and balance. And parents get that."

The vast majority of parents give kids sugary drinks regularly. Some 96% of parents say they gave sugary drinks to their kids in the month prior to the survey. The most common sugary drinks that parents give kids are fruit drinks — given by 77% of parents in the past month, the survey found. Some 80% of parents of children age 2 to 5 provided fruit drinks, such as Capri Sun or Sunny D.

Equally significant, nearly half of parents surveyed rated flavored waters as healthy, and more than one-quarter considered fruit drinks and sports drinks to be healthy. African-American and Hispanic parents were more likely than white parents to rate some sugary drinks as healthy, the study found.

Parents said they were particularly influenced by nutritional claims appearing on the packages — such as claims that the items are "real" or "natural" or contained vitamin C or antioxidants, or were low in sodium or calories.

That, says Marlene Schwartz, a study author, is why there's a need for increased attention to ingredient claims on product packaging, "and other marketing tools that may mislead parents to believe that some sugary drinks are healthful options for children."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/03/11/beverages-fruit-drinks-sports-drinks-juices-flavored-water/24713883/

Salt May Be Bad for More Than Your Blood Pressure

 Even if you don't develop high blood pressure from eating too much salt, you may still be damaging your blood vessels, heart, kidneys and brain, a new study warns.

Researchers reviewed available evidence and found that high levels of salt consumption have harmful effects on a number of organs and tissues, even in people who are "salt-resistant," which means their salt intake does not affect their blood pressure.

High salt consumption levels can lead to reduced function of the endothelium, which is the inner lining of blood vessels. Endothelial cells are involved in a number of processes, including blood clotting and immune function. High salt levels can also increase artery stiffness, the researchers said.

"High dietary sodium can also lead to left ventricular hypertrophy, or enlargement of the muscle tissue that makes up the wall of the heart's main pumping chamber," said study co-author David Edwards. He is an associate professor in kinesiology and applied physiology at the University of Delaware.

"As the walls of the chamber grow thicker, they become less compliant and eventually are unable to pump as forcefully as a healthy heart," he explained in a university news release.

High salt intake can also harm kidney function and may also affect the sympathetic nervous system, which triggers what is commonly known as the fight-or-flight response, according to the study published March 17 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Study co-author William Farquhar is professor and chair of the department of kinesiology and applied physiology at the university. He said, "Chronically elevated dietary sodium may 'sensitize' sympathetic neurons in the brain, causing a greater response to a variety of stimuli, including skeletal muscle contraction.

"Again, even if blood pressure isn't increased, chronically increased sympathetic outflow may have harmful effects on target organs," he said in the release.

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3003974673401522042#editor/src=sidebar

Coke a good snack? Health experts who work with Coke say so

Coca-Cola is working with fitness and nutrition experts who suggest its soda as a treat at a time when the world's biggest beverage maker is being blamed for helping to fuel obesity rates.

In February, several of the experts wrote online posts for American Heart Month, with each including a mini-can of Coke or soda as a snack idea. The pieces — which appeared on nutrition blogs and other sites including those of major newspapers — offer a window into the many ways food companies work behind the scenes to cast their products in a positive light, often with the help of third parties who are seen as trusted authorities.

http://news.yahoo.com/coke-healthy-snack-company-gets-message-104133830.html

Food industry waging a bitter battle over proposal on added-sugar labels

 Of all the issues the Obama administration is grappling with, a modest redesign of what food labels say about sweeteners might not have seemed among the more controversial. But ever since First Lady Michelle Obama unveiled the plan last year, a lobbying frenzy has ensued.

The objections have come not only from candy makers and bottlers of soft drinks.

The governor of Massachusetts implored the administration to rethink its proposal. The governor of Wisconsin protested too. So did the government of Australia, which warned the move could violate international trade agreements.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-sugar-limits-20150317-story.html

The Health Concerns in Wearable Tech

In 1946, a new advertising campaign appeared in magazines with a picture of a doctor in a lab coat holding a cigarette and the slogan, “More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette.” No, this wasn’t a spoof. Back then, doctors were not aware that smoking could cause cancer, heart disease and lung disease.

In a similar vein, some researchers and consumers are now asking whether wearable computers will be considered harmful in several decades’ time.

We have long suspected that cellphones, which give off low levels of radiation, could lead to brain tumors, cancer, disturbed blood rhythms and other health problems if held too close to the body for extended periods.

Yet here we are in 2015, with companies like Apple and Samsung encouraging us to buy gadgets that we should attach to our bodies all day long.

Disruptions

A weekly column by Nick Bilton exploring how technology is shaping our lives.

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While there is no definitive research on the health effects of wearable computers (the Apple Watch isn’t even on store shelves yet), we can hypothesize a bit from existing research on cellphone radiation.

The most definitive and arguably unbiased results in this area come from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a panel within the World Health Organization that consisted of 31 scientists from 14 countries.

After dissecting dozens of peer-reviewed studies on cellphone safety, the panel concluded in 2011 that cellphones were “possibly carcinogenic” and that the devices could be as harmful as certain dry-cleaning chemicals and pesticides. (Note that the group hedged its findings with the word “possibly.”)

The W.H.O. panel concluded that the farther away a device is from one’s head, the less harmful — so texting or surfing the Web will not be as dangerous as making calls, with a cellphone inches from the brain. (This is why there were serious concerns about Google Glass when it was first announced and why we’ve been told to use hands-free devices when talking on cellphones.)

Analysis conducted by a group of European researchers and led by Dr. Lennart Hardell, a professor of oncology and cancer epidemiology at Orebro University Hospital in Sweden, concluded that talking on a mobile or cordless phone for extended periods could triple the risk of a certain kind ofbrain cancer.

There is, of course, antithetical research. But some of this was partly funded by cellphone companies or trade groups.

One example is the international Interphone study, which was published in 2010 and did not find strong links between mobile phones and an increased risk of brain tumors. The Centers for Disease Control and Preventionconcluded in 2014 that “more research is needed before we know if using cell phones causes health effects.”

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Another study, in The BMJ, which measured cellphone subscription data rather than actual use, said there was no proof of increased cancer. Yet even here, the Danish team behind the report acknowledged that a “small to moderate increase” in cancer risk among heavy cellphone users could not be ruled out.

But what does all this research tell the Apple faithful who want to rush out and buy an Apple Watch, or the Google and Windows fanatics who are eager to own an alternative smartwatch?

Dr. Joseph Mercola, a physician who focuses on alternative medicine and has written extensively about the potential harmful effects of cellphones on the human body, said that as long as a wearable does not have a 3G connection built into it, the harmful effects are minimal, if any.

“The radiation really comes from the 3G connection on a cellphone, so devices like the Jawbone Up and Apple Watch should be O.K.,” Dr. Mercola said in a phone interview. “But if you’re buying a watch with a cellular chip built in, then you’ve got a cellphone attached to your wrist.” And that, he said, is a bad idea.

(The Apple Watch uses Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to receive data, and researchers say there is no proven harm from those frequencies on the human body. Wearables with 3G or 4G connections built in, including the Samsung Gear S, could be more harmful, though that has not been proved. Apple declined to comment for this article, and Samsung could not be reached for comment.)

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RECENT COMMENTS

Beau Vrolyk

 20 March 2015

This is an IDIOTIC article. First, there aren't any watches or "wearables" that have cell phone transmitters in them. ZERO, none, nada. ...

Tyson

 20 March 2015

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi both operate on the 2.4ghz wavelength. So do your cordless phones. There is another device in the house that operates on...

duncan

 20 March 2015

I read this tendentious and informal article about about one of the serious and complex issues I can imagine. Bilton first tells us that as...

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Researchers have also raised concerns about having powerful batteries so close to the body for extended periods of time. Some reports over the last several decades have questioned whether being too close to power lines could cause leukemia (though other research has also negated this).

So what should consumers do? Perhaps we can look at how researchers themselves handle their smartphones.

While Dr. Mercola is a vocal proponent of cellphone safety, he told me to call him on his cell when I emailed about an interview. When I asked him whether he was being hypocritical, he replied that technology is a fact of life, and that he uses it with caution. As an example, he said he was using a Bluetooth headset during our call.

In the same respect, people who are concerned about the possible side effects of a smartwatch should avoid placing it close to their brain (besides, it looks a little strange). But there are some people who may be more vulnerable to the dangers of these devices: children.

While researchers debate about how harmful cellphones and wearable computers actually are, most agree that children should exercise caution.

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In an email, Dr. Hardell sent me research illustrating that a child’s skull is thinner and smaller than an adult’s, which means that children’s brain tissues are more exposed to certain types of radiation, specifically the kind that emanates from a cellphone.

Children should limit how much time they spend talking on a cellphone, doctors say. And if they have a wearable device, they should take it off at night so it does not end up under their pillow, near their brain. Doctors also warn that women who are pregnant should be extra careful with all of these technologies.

But what about adults? After researching this column, talking to experts and poring over dozens of scientific papers, I have realized the dangers of cellphones when used for extended periods, and as a result I have stopped holding my phone next to my head and instead use a headset.

That being said, when it comes to wearable computers, I’ll still buy the Apple Watch, but I won’t let it go anywhere near my head. And I definitely won’t let any children I know play with it for extended periods of time.

Editors’ Note: March 21, 2015 

The Disruptions column in the Styles section on Thursday, discussing possible health concerns related to wearable technology, gave an inadequate account of the status of research about cellphone radiation and cancer risk. Neither epidemiological nor laboratory studies have found reliable evidence of such risks, and there is no widely accepted theory as to how they might arise. According to the World Health Organization, “To date, no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by mobile phone use.” The American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have all said there is no convincing evidence for a causal relationship. While researchers are continuing to study possible risks, the column should have included more of this background for balance. In addition, one source quoted in the article, Dr. Joseph Mercola, has been widely criticized by experts for his claims about disease risks and treatments. More of that background should have been included, or he should not have been cited as a source. An early version of the headline for the article online — “Could Wearable Computers Be as Harmful as Cigarettes?” — also went too far in suggesting any such comparison.

Correction: April 2, 2015 
The Disruptions column on March 18, about health concerns stemming from wearable technology, referred incorrectly to research conducted by Dr. Lennart Hardell, a professor of oncology and cancer epidemiology at Orebro University Hospital in Sweden, that concluded that talking on a mobile or cordless phone for extended periods could triple the risk of a certain kind of brain cancer. The study was an analysis of two earlier studies that asked people with and without brain tumors to answer questions about cellphone and cordless phone use; it was not a longitudinal study in which patients were followed over time.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/19/style/could-wearable-computers-be-as-harmful-as-cigarettes.html?_r=0

South LA fast food ban has not improved health, study says

Six years after the Los Angeles City Council placed a ban on new fast food restaurants in South L.A. in an effort to lower obesity and fast food consumption there, a study by the RAND Corporation finds the policy has done neither.

In fact, both fast food consumption and obesity rates have continued to rise as fast as or faster than in the rest of the city, the study found.

"Unfortunately, obesity rates keep going up. Body mass index keeps going up. Fast food consumption keeps going up," said Roland Sturm, the study's lead author. "All the problems still exist. So this did not address it, and to believe that it did is a mistake."

The study used county permitting records to track the kinds of food establishments that have opened in the areas of South L.A. covered by the ban since it took effect in 2008. It also used data from UCLA’s California Health Interview Survey to compare how obesity rates, people's food choices and other health indicators changed in those areas from 2007 to 2012.

It found that the rate of new fast food restaurants in South L.A. actually kept pace with the rate of new fast food joints citywide, mainly because the new restaurants opened in shopping centers and strip malls, and were therefore not subject to the ban, which only prohibits free-standing restaurants with drive-thrus and parking. Sturm said South L.A.'s food landscape looks much the same today as it did before the fast food ban took effect.

As fast food consumption continued to rise, so did obesity rates, the study found. In fact, it found that the obesity gap between South L.A. and the rest of the city has widened dramatically.

In 2007, 63 percent of South L.A. residents were overweight or obese. By 2012, 75 percent were. By comparison, during that same period the portion of people who were overweight or obese in the rest of the city ticked up only slightly, from 55 to 56 percent.

Sturm said part of the problem appears to be that the ban on new fast food restaurants does nothing to increase options for healthier food. Nor does it address another major source of unhealthy food in South L.A.: small convenience stores.

Since 2008, nearly half of the licenses issued for new retail food outlets in South L.A. have been for very small food stores like convenience marts, the study found.

Gwendolyn Flynn of the Community Health Councils, a South L.A. nonprofit that supported the fast food ban, said the findings do not surprise her. But she said she still thinks the fast food ban is worthwhile.

"We’ve always said that it has to be done in the context of other strategies in order for there to be the movement that we’re looking for," she said.

For example, her group and others are working to encourage grocery stores to move into South L.A., she said. They’re also promoting urban agriculture and community gardens, and recently succeeded in getting the L.A. City Council to allow people to grow food in their parkways, the strip of city-owned land that abuts the curb in front of people's homes.

There are also initiatives underway to encourage owners of small markets to carry healthier options, Flynn added.

"Were supporting each other in terms of finding these solutions," she said. "The fast food ban is not the silver bullet."

http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/03/19/50457/south-la-fast-food-ban-has-not-improved-health-stu/