TV, Internet Causing Kids Harm: Report

TUESDAY, Dec. 2 (HealthDay News) -- There's a strong link between media exposure and childhood obesity, smoking and sexual activity, according to U.S. researchers who reviewed 173 studies on media and health conducted over the past three decades.

According to the review, 80 percent of the studies concluded that higher amounts of television and other media exposure were associated with negative health effects in children and adolescents. The strongest association was between media and obesity. Of the 73 studies that examined media/childhood weight, 86 percent showed a significant association between increased media exposure and obesity.

The findings, by researchers from Yale University School of Medicine, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the California Pacific Medical Center, were released Tuesday by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve the impact of media and entertainment on children and families.

"This review is the first-ever comprehensive evaluation of the many ways that media impacts children's physical health," lead researcher Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, of the NIH, said in a news release.

"The results clearly show that there is a strong correlation between media exposure and long-term negative health effects to children. This study provides an important jumping-off point for future research that should explore both the effects of traditional media content and that of digital media -- such as video games, the Internet, and cell phones -- which kids are using today with more frequency," Emanuel said.

He and his colleagues recommend that parents limit their children's exposure to media and make wise, age-appropriate decisions for their children. There should be media literacy programs in schools, the researchers said, and policy makers need to make media education programs a national priority.

"Media is increasingly pervasive in the lives of children and adolescents," James P. Steyer, Common Sense Media founder and CEO, said in a group news release. "Parents and educators must consider the effects of media when they're trying to address issues with their child's health. This report makes is clear that we need a bold new agenda on media and technology use. We hope this report will create a new sense of urgency in that regard."

Oily fish may boost prostate cancer survival

Monday, November 2008 (foodconsumer.org) - According to a new study published in the current issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, taking omega-3 fatty acids such as DHA and EPA or eating oily fish full of omega 3 may boost the odds of survival for patients diagnosed with prostate cancer.

The study led by Jorge Chavarro from Harvard School of Public Health found an increased intake of fish and omega-3 rich seafood was associated with a 38 percent increased rate of prostate cancer survival.

The prospective cohort study of 20,000 men also found that those who ate five servings of fish per week were at a 48 percent reduced risk of death from prostate cancer compared to men who only ate one serving per week.

The same team of researchers last year published a study in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention saying higher intake of DHA and EPA reduced risk of prostate cancer by 40 percent, but the benefit was not seen with eating fish.

Prostate cancer is diagnosed in about 186,000 men and kills 28,700 men each year in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Eat Healthy Food with a Budget

Here's an article from MSNBC contributors Bonnie Taub-Dix, a registered dietitian in New York City and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and Lisa Young, a registered dietitian, adjunct professor at New York University and author of "The Portion Teller Plan," weigh in.

Q. How does someone eat a healthy diet on a tight budget and still focus on convenience?

A. Bonnie Taub-Dix: You have to shop smart and be creative in your cooking. For example, a lot of people still think protein is such an important thing to have in large quantities and that’s not the case. If you want to save money, protein is an expensive part of the meal. But you can make dishes with a little less protein. Buy frozen, canned or fresh vegetables and add some protein to the vegetable dish, such as a cooked whole grain pasta. Or chunks of chicken. You'll have a combination dish that’s not only low in fat, full of vitamins and minerals, but it's really quite inexpensive and convenient to make.

Another inexpensive item people tend to under use is eggs. You could make a frittata for your family with lots of veggies and some low-fat cheese and two whole eggs. It’s low in calories, high in protein and really low in carbohydrates.

Researchers is Prescribing 100pc Fruit Juice as Part of Healthy School Lunches

Researchers have already tried to suppress parental fears about the amount of 100 PCT juice that is healthy for children. They say that these juices still makes for healthier school lunches because they combine several essential nutrients and are clearly not related to obesity in children.

One hundred percent fruit juice has long been involved in the school foodservice nutrition or lunches, and still be regarded as a healthy beverage that can serve as a daily serving of fruit.

Parents were having fears that juice can be harmful for children because the sweet taste of fruit juice.

After considering all the scientific literature, the study with the title review of the relationship between 100 percent juice consumption and weight in children and adolescents concluded:"There is no systematic relationship between the consumption of 100 percent fruit juice and overweight among children and adolescents . "

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, appropriate amounts of 100 percent juice per day for children of 1 / 6 4 / 6 ounces, and the same figure for older children aged 7-18 is 8.12 grams per day.

In fact, USDA food guide pyramid guidelines for the inclusion of 100 percent fruit juices as a service.

Even fruit juices substantial contributions of various nutrients to larger quantities of food, compared with all fruits, including vitamin C, folate and potassium.

Chocolate Diet

I was reading some diet blog when I got interested in an article about chocolate diet. We all know that everyone loves to eat chocolate but we think that chocolate would only make us fat.

Here's an excerpt on Benefits of Chocolate Diet

New studies have shown that anti-oxidants in chocolate may reduce the risk of heart disease, so there are some health benefits to eating chocolate. The powder shakes are not meant to replace meals, but are designed to be healthy snacks. The actual pills are supposed to provide various nutritional benefits such as a boost in metabolism. These, along with a healthy diet, are supposed to stimulate the fat burning process and pave the way towards weight loss.