Dana Jacobi revives a Lemon Drops cookie from a 1952 blender cookbook for Labor Day, cutting the fat and substituting whole wheat pastry flour. She advises unsalted butter, dough dropped in 3/4-inch buttons, and rotating the pans partway through.
Food Consumer
Cooking
Healthy Recipes:Crunchy Zucchini and Potato Cakes
AICR's recipe pairs zucchini with russet potatoes, garlic, onion, rosemary, bread crumbs, egg and Parmesan, and adds notes on choosing and storing potatoes: keep them dry and dark, and never wash or refrigerate them before use.
Lifestyle
The Key to Affordable Health Care: Healthier Lifestyles
Dr. Mercola points to an Archives of Internal Medicine report that not smoking, exercising regularly, eating well and keeping a healthy weight cut the risk of the most common chronic diseases by about 80%, and argues prevention, not treatment, is the key to affordable care.
Vitamins
Canada Looks at Vitamin D for Swine Flu Protection
The Public Health Agency of Canada confirmed it will adapt an existing study of vitamin D and severe seasonal influenza to the H1N1 virus, partly to learn whether vitamin D levels explain why most flu cases stay mild. Dr. Mercola urges readers not to wait for the results.
Politics
How sweet it was: AHA says limit sugar intake
The American Heart Association advises women to hold added sugars to about 100 calories, roughly six teaspoons, a day and men to 150 calories, or nine teaspoons. It names sweetened soft drinks the top source of added sugar in American diets, at 22.2 teaspoons a day on average.
Disease
Flight the flu with the natural immunity boosters
Food Consumer gathers findings on fortifying the immune system before flu season. Nutrition experts suggest 500 to 1,000 mg of vitamin C daily, and studies in Epidemiology and Infection and Pediatric Research tie vitamin D deficiency in children to more viral and respiratory illness.
Politics
AHA recommends 25 g of added sugars for women, 37.5 g for men
The American Heart Association's August 25 statement caps added sugars at 100 calories, or 25 grams, a day for most women and 150 calories, or 37.5 grams, for most men, against an average American intake of 22.2 teaspoons. Lead author Rachel Johnson says discretionary budgets vary with activity.
Food
Sugar-free drinks help in battle of obesity
A study of more than 300 people in the International Journal of Obesity suggests artificially sweetened beverages may help people maintain weight loss, alongside eating less fat and cutting caloric drinks. Adam Drewnowski cautions that low-calorie sweeteners are not magic bullets.
Drug
Weight loss drug Alli linked to liver injuries
The FDA is reviewing orlistat, sold as prescription Xenical and over-the-counter Alli, after 32 reports of serious liver injury between 1999 and 2008, including 27 hospitalizations and six liver failures. No definite link is established, and the agency says to keep taking it as directed.
Obesity
Obesity may cause "severe brain degeneration" study says
A Human Brain Mapping study of 94 people in their 70s found obese participants had 8 percent less brain tissue than those of normal weight, with losses in the frontal and temporal lobes. Senior author Paul Thompson says obese brains looked 16 years older than lean ones.
Miscellaneous
Recommendations for Keeping the Swine Flu at Bay
Ahead of the 2009 flu season, the piece gathers prevention advice from the CDC and other sources: wash hands often, disinfect kitchen surfaces, door knobs, keyboards, phones and remotes daily, dry damp areas, wash towels and rugs, and replace toothbrushes.
Nutrition
CDC Considers Routine Circumcision
CDC is weighing whether to endorse routine newborn circumcision and the procedure for high-risk heterosexual men, after African studies found circumcised men less likely to catch HIV from female partners. Critics note no benefit among gay men and surgery on healthy infants.
Dining
Lyme/Autism Group Blasts Genetically Modified Foods as Dangerous
The Lyme Induced Autism Foundation's new position paper urges doctors to prescribe non-GMO diets and asks people with autism, Lyme disease and related conditions to avoid genetically modified foods. It also calls for a moratorium on GM foods and research into their role in disease.
Cooking
Healthy Recipes:Baked Summer Fruit
A baked dessert of mixed stone fruit and halved cherries under an oat, almond and brown sugar topping seasoned with nutmeg and cinnamon. Makes 8 servings at 180 calories each; frozen pitted fruit can stand in to cut prep time.
Alerts
White bread recalled by Kroger
Kroger recalled its Super Kids Enriched White Sandwich Bread in 20-ounce packages because it may contain milk not listed on the label, which could cause a serious reaction in people allergic to milk. The recall covers stores in 12 states plus Jay C and Food 4 Less locations.
Dining
Fewer Calories Promise Greater Benefits
Following up on the rhesus monkey calorie restriction study, this piece argues most diets work simply by cutting calories, and reports Salk Institute findings in Nature that roundworms lacking one of two key enzymes gained no lifespan benefit from a restricted diet.
Drug
ADHD drug-related abuse calls rise 140%
A Pediatrics study found calls to poison centers about teens abusing ADHD stimulants rose 76 percent from 1998 to 2005, and 140 percent per million adolescent prescriptions. Amphetamine prescriptions rose 133 percent over the same period, and case severity increased.
Comments
How sweet it was: AHA says limit sugar intake
The American Heart Association recommends women hold added sugars to about 100 calories, roughly 6 teaspoons a day, and men to 150 calories, about 9 teaspoons, less than one 12-ounce soda. Survey data put average US intake at 22.2 teaspoons a day, with sweetened drinks the leading source.
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