The EDGE: Study: 81% of families buy organics at least sometimes

RD: Probiotics may help treat inflammatory bowel disease | FDA budget proposal seeks higher industry fees | Regular fish intake during childhood may ward off allergies

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April 12, 2013

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Healthy Start

Study: 81% of families buy organics at least sometimes
A study by the Organic Trade Association says 81% of U.S. families purchase organic food at least sometimes, while 48% of those who buy organic food do so because it is "healthier for me and my children." Consumers also choose organic food to avoid pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics, growth hormones and genetically modified organisms, according to the study. Progressive Grocer (4/8)

Dietary Health

RD: Probiotics may help treat inflammatory bowel disease
Patients with inflammatory bowel disease are treated with medication and diet, but probiotics also may provide a benefit, registered dietitian Sherry Coleman Collins writes. However, the limited research in this area so far does not support using probiotics for Crohn's disease. Many types of probiotics are available, and they can be specific to IBD type, which can guide dietitians in counseling patients. Today's Dietitian (4/2013)

FDA budget proposal seeks higher industry fees
The FDA's budget request calls for higher fees to fund food-safety programs. According to the request, the cost "is modest compared to the economic value it can deliver: reduced costs to industry, government, and the health care system due to less foodborne illness." The Hill/RegWatch blog (4/10), MedCityNews.com/Reuters (4/10)

Science & Research

Regular fish intake during childhood may ward off allergies
Eating fish regularly between ages 1 and 12 was associated with a 74% lower risk of developing allergy symptoms, according to a Swedish study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. MedicalDaily.com (4/11)

Study links diet to higher NAFLD risk in teens
Data on 995 teens showed those whose diets were highest in fat and sugar at age 14 were more likely to develop nonalcoholic fatty liver disease at age 17, compared with those whose diets included more whole grains and produce. The findings appear in The American Journal of Gastroenterology. Healio (4/10)

Resveratrol may not provide extra benefits in obese patients
Obese but otherwise healthy men who took resveratrol supplements did not show better insulin sensitivity, glucose production and oxidation rates, visceral fat content or metabolic markers compared with those in the placebo group, according to a small study in the journal Diabetes. PhysiciansBriefing.com/HealthDay News (4/8)

Beneforte broccoli contains higher level of nutrient
Beneforte broccoli, created through a U.K.-funded breeding program, yields more glucoraphanin, a phytonutrient with potential health benefits, research shows. The so-called superbroccoli was developed by crossing standard broccoli with a wild version from Sicily. NutraIngredients (4/10)

Fitness

Getting fit on the flying trapeze
Fitness classes are popping up that can help participants get in shape by practicing trapeze acts and engaging in other activities commonly associated with the circus. "Circus is the majority of what I do to stay in shape, and I'm definitely in better shape than I've been in my entire life," said Shanti Sethi, a surface warfare officer in the Navy. The Washington Post (4/9)

Institutional Foodservice

USDA official says Farm to Tray project is model for other schools
The Farm to Tray program at Liberty Technology Magnet High School in Jackson, Tenn., provides greenhouse-grown fruits and vegetables to five Jackson-Madison County schools. Janey Thornton, a deputy undersecretary in the U.S. Agriculture Department, calls it a model for the country, and since demand for the produce is greater than the supply, agriculture and marketing students are lobbying to add an additional greenhouse. The Jackson Sun (Tenn.) (4/11)