Lab Notes: Garden Fresh Recalls 7 Tons of Packaged Foods; Allergies Signal Reduced Risk of Brain Tumor

On our Lab Notes page CalorieLab’s editors select and rank the day’s essential health news items in real time. Readers can suggest, vote and comment on items. Below are brief summaries of this past week’s (July 28, 2012 through August 4, 2012) Lab Notes items. To see today’s items, visit Lab Notes.

1. Garden Fresh Recalls 7 Tons of Packaged Foods

Garden Fresh Foods issues recall of 7 tons of packaged salads due to possible Listeria contamination.

2. Allergies Signal Reduced Risk of Brain Tumor

Having allergies may be linked to a reduced risk of a serious cancer that begins growing in the brain.

3. 2012 Worst Since 2004 for West Nile Virus

The CDC says that cases of West Nile virus, which is transmitted through mosquito bites, are up this year and urges precautions.

4. Behavioral Scientists Tackle Obesity

Psychologists convene to compare data on how behavioral treatments can be used to combat the obesity epidemic.

5. Global Attempt to Up Breastfeeding Awareness

This weekend, women worldwide will participate in The Big Latch On to raise awareness of the importance of breastfeeding to growing infants.

6. Low Bike Handles May Impair Genital Sensation

Bike handles placed lower than the bike seat may impair genital sensation in women, say Yale U researchers.

7. USDA: Produce Items Vary in Pesticide Traces

The Environmental Working Group has issued lists of the most and least contaminated fruits and vegetables based on USDA tests for pesticide residue, and urges consumers to buy organically grown versions of the “Dirty Dozen,” such as apples and celery.

8. Dukal Recalls Chinese-Made Antiseptic Wipes

US-based Dukal Corp. has issued a voluntary recall of Chinese-made swabs and antiseptic wipes due to possible bacterial contamination.

9. Stop People from Sitting Next to You on a Bus

A Yale sociologist rode the bus for three years to study the rules passengers follow to avoid sitting next to or otherwise coming into contact with their fellow passengers.

10. Make a Chick-fil-A Sandwich at Home

Serious Eats’s Kenji López-Alt, says he doesn’t mix his food with his politics, but to decrease his consumption of Chick-fil-A’s “awesome, crispety-crunchety, spicy-sweet and salty, juicy” chicken sandwiches, he’s developed a clone recipe.

11. Childhood Obesity May Affect Puberty

Childhood obesity may affect the onset of puberty and lead to reproductive problems as well as behavioral problems that may persist into adulthood, says a new study.

12. Caffeine May Ease Symptoms of Parkinson’s

Caffeine may ease symptoms including tiredness and muscle stiffness of Parkinson’s, says study.

13. Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day

Chick-fil-A may want the gay marriage controversary surrounding their chain of chicken restaurants to go away, but former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is keeping it alive with what he called “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.”

14. Hookah Smoking on Rise for College 1st-Years

Hookah smoking, which is becoming more popular among first year female college students, could result in a public health issue, says new research.

15. Pertussis Outbreaks Caused by New Vaccine?

Researchers hypothesize that a change in how the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine was designed that was meant to make it safer may have reduced is ability to protect kids from infection.

16. High Foodborne Illness Rates Persist

Attempts to reduce the rate of illness due to food contaminated by pathogens such as salmonella and listeria have failed in the case of 4 of the 5 major pathogens studied, and critics urge the government to implement a food safety act passed in 2011.

17. Man Attempts Smuggling Snickers Bars of Meth

Rogelio Harris, 34, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) after attempting to smuggle 45 “Snickers bars” containing several pounds of methamphetamine (meth) into Japan.

18. Women to Get New Benefits under Obamacare

New health insurance plans will provide eight preventive health benefits to women for free starting tomorrow.

19. Feel Awe, Become Nicer

Having regular “awesome” experiences, such as visiting the Grand Canyon or a viewing a beautiful starry sky, may make you a nicer person and improve your mental health, suggests new research.

20. Smokers Have Higher Risk for Crohn’s

Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis risk is significantly higher for smokers and recent quitters than for those who never lit up.

21. US Blood Supply at Lowest Levels in Years

Severe weather across the country, combined with traditionally slow summer donations, have caused US blood supplies to drop to their lowest levels in 15 years.

22. Caregivers #1 Seekers of Online Health Info

Caregiving friends and family members are among the heaviest and savviest internet users in America, with more than one in five U.S. adults now going online in pursuit of health information, from calorie counts to symptom diagnoses, for others.

23. Smiling During Stress May Help Your Heart

Smile during times of stress, and your heart may say thanks! Researchers found that participants who were asked to smile during a stressful activity had lower heart rate levels after the activity compared to those with neutral expressions.

24. Group Yoga Found Helpful for Stroke Survivors

Group yoga may help improve balance among stroke survivors, even when it’s not started until six months or longer after the stoke, say researchers.

25. Tick-Borne Babesiosis Cases on the Rise

Don’t let the cutesy name fool you – Babesiosis may rival Lyme’s to become the most common US tick-born disease.

26. US Gov’t to Crack Down on Health Care Fraud

Obama admin to crack down on health care fraud in collaborative effort with insurers and local governments.

27. Kidney Cancer Vaccine Successful in Studies

A breakthrough kidney cancer vaccine is successful in clinical studies and holds promise for treating other cancers, say researchers.

28. Beef Industry Has a Cow over Meatless Monday

An internal memo at the USDA recommended that staffers forego eating meat on Mondays, but after criticism by meat industry spokesmen the memo was disavowed by the department.

29. Beyond Meat: Latest Fake Chicken Offering

Beyond Meat’s fake chicken strips are getting rave reviews from people like cookbook author Mark Bittman and Slate’s columnist Farhad Manjoo. Manjoo calls the chicken 90 to 95 percent convincing. Beyond Meat plans to roll it out to more stores.

30. Home Cooking Best for Seniors’ GI Health

Because older people who live in their own homes have better diets, they have more beneficial bacteria in their guts than those whose meals are provided in nursing homes or other facilities, and also score higher on physical and cognitive fitness tests.

(By CalorieLab editors)

Lab Notes: Garden Fresh Recalls 7 Tons of Packaged Foods; Allergies Signal Reduced Risk of Brain Tumor is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

Source: http://calorielab.com/news/2012/08/04/this-past-week-health-news-from-labnotes/

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