Red Dye 3, New Nutrition Labels, and More
Public Health Without Politics offers health tips, policy insights, and strategies to combat America's chronic disease crisis.
In this issue:
FDA bans Red Dye 3
New nutrition labels coming
Tips on how you can exercise, eat, and feel better this week
Spotlight on Health Policy: A Big Week for FDA
FDA Bans Red Dye 3
On January 15, the FDA banned Red Dye No. 3 from foods due to concerns about its potential cancer risk.
How will this impact me? Red Dye No. 3 is in many different foods, including candy, frosting, baked goods, and certain brands of drinks. When the regulation takes effect, food manufactures will have to find alternative food colorings to use, and some of your staple foods will have alternative ingredients.
My thoughts: While the FDA acknowledges that the mechanism causing cancer in rats doesn’t apply to humans and that human exposure levels are minimal compared to what was given the rats, the decision to ban Red Dye No. 3 is mandated by the 1958 Delaney Clause—which mandates that any substance shown to cause cancer in humans or animals cannot be permitted in food, regardless of dose or differences in biology.
This outdated law makes no distinction between laboratory findings in rodents and real-world human exposure, leaving the FDA with little flexibility.
Bottom line: Red Dye No. 3 likely doesn’t cause cancer in humans, and this regulation is just an added cost pushed on food manufactures to find alternatives—like Beetlejuice (carmine).
FDA Proposes New Front-of-Package Nutrition Labeling
This week the FDA also proposed a new rule that would require a front-of-package (FOP) nutrition label on most packaged foods.
How will this impact me? If enacted, you will see “at a glance” nutrition info on the front of food packages. The label will have stats on the product’s saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars content.
My thoughts: FDA’s food labels have failed for over thirty years at their stated goal of educating and informing consumers on how to eat healthier. This is another failed attempt, and will likely do very little to encourage consumers to make better choices. For one, getting diets right also involves more vitamins A, C, D, K and E and potassium, iron, zinc, folate and fiber and fewer calories.
Bottom line: These new food labeles will increase food costs for consumers, as food suppliers must spend money updating their nutrition labels.
Practical Tips to Combat Chronic Disease
Move
A new study from the University of Iowa finds that exercise can reduce your risk of chronic disease. In fact, researchers found people with the highest levels of physical activity were at a lower risk of developing 19 chronic conditions, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Exercise truly is a magic pill—get moving.
Eat
Here’s a list of the world’s most nutritious foods.
Innovation Spotlight: Neurofeedback Training
Pretty Neat: Mendi is a device that uses brain training to help improve focus, reduce stress, and boost performance by providing real-time feedback on your brain activity. Apparently, it’s like a gym session for your mind, without the sweat.
Some Links You Might Like
Navigating Gym Crowds in January: The Wall Street Journal notes that regulars often can't wait for the "resolutionaries" to give up on their New Year's resolutions. If you've committed to more exercise, ignore the gym rats—stick with it.
35 Health Tips: The New York Times asked health experts for their best health tips. A few of my favorites:
Stay connected with people.
Drink coffee.
Shut your phone down.
Inspirational Quote
"You do not need to be the best, you just need to get 1% better every day."—James Clear.
Have a great week,
—Richard