Health Haven

To***co companies were big in promoting junk food in America
The impact of such companies is proving to be even greater than we thought.
Many of us know the allure of junk food all too well. Junk food typically refers to foods that are high in calories but low in nutritional value. These foods often contain high amounts of sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats. Junk foods offer a quick burst of energy and pleasure and they can also trigger our brain’s reward system in ways similar to addictive substances. This, combined with their convenience and our personal associations, can make them hard to resist. To make matters even worse, junk food is often aggressively marketed.

Now, a new study has found a surprising origin to junk food’s popularity in the US. As it turns out, to***co companies invested heavily in the U.S. food industry in the 1980s and “selectively disseminated” these foods to American consumers.

From burgers to sugary drinks and a million processed snacks in between, there’s no shortage of junk food. Researchers employ a more refined term for this type of food: they call them ‘hyperpalatable foods’. Tera Fazzino, assistant professor of psychology at Kansas University, previously showed that 68% of the American food supply is hyperpalatable.

“Hyperpalatable foods can be irresistible and difficult to stop eating. They have combinations of palatability-related nutrients, specifically fat, sugar, sodium or other carbohydrates that occur in combinations together.”

“These combinations of nutrients provide a really enhanced eating experience and make them difficult to stop eating,” she said. “These effects are different than if you just had something high in fat but had no sugar, salt or other type of refined carbohydrate.”

Now, Fazzino and colleagues wanted to see what role to***co companies played in bringing hyperpalatable foods to the forefront of the American food industry.

Big to***co does food
Many people may not be aware that for a time in the 1980s and 1990s, to***co companies had a big stake in the food industry. For instance, Altria (formerly Philips Morris) bought Kraft, General Foods, and several other high-profile food companies. RJ Reynolds (a major to***co company) merged with Nabisco (a leading food company known for products like Oreo cookies and Ritz crackers). This merger formed RJR Nabisco, one of the largest consumer product companies in the world.

In addition, multiple colors and flavors designed for ci******es were used to build major beverage products, including Capri Sun, Kool-Aid, and Tang — which is pretty concerning in itself. In fact, previous research showed that Philip Morris was involved in the direct transfer of to***co marketing strategies targeting racial and ethnic minority communities in the U.S. to sell their food products.

Even after the to***co companies sold these brands to food and beverage corporations, many of the product lines and marketing techniques are still in use.

Fazzino and her co-authors wanted to see whether to***co companies also pushed hyperpalatable foods. They found that between 1988 and 2001, to***co-owned foods were 29% more likely to be classified as fat-and-sodium hyperpalatable and 80% more likely to be classified as carbohydrate-and-sodium hyperpalatable than foods that were not to***co-owned.

“We used multiple sources of data to examine the question, ‘In what ways were U.S. to***co companies involved in the promotion and spread of hyperpalatable food into our food system?’” said Fazzino.

The to***co playbook
The authors stopped short of drawing any conclusions about the intention of to***co companies. But the end result is all the same.

“The question about their intent — we can’t really say from this data,” Fazzino said. “But what we can say is there’s evidence to indicate to***co companies were consistently involved with owning and developing hyperpalatable foods during the time that they were leading our food system. Their involvement was selective in nature and different from the companies that didn’t have a parent to***co-company ownership.”

To***co companies have a long history of manipulating the public. Big to***co ‘played dirty’ and this claimed millions of lives. Now, it looks like the inglorious legacy may run even deeper than we thought. In fact, previous studies had drawn attention to the similarities between the to***co industry and the food industry. A study from 2009 concluded:

“The to***co industry had a playbook, a script, that emphasized personal responsibility, paying scientists who delivered research that instilled doubt, criticizing the “junk” science that found harms associated with smoking, making self-regulatory pledges, lobbying with massive resources to stifle government action, introducing “safer” products, and simultaneously manipulating and denying both the addictive nature of their products and their marketing to children. The script of the food industry is both similar to and different from the to***co industry script.”
Stopping hyperpalatable food
It’s not just that these foods are themselves unhealthy. Hyperpalatable foods are designed to make you eat more and more. They trick your body into thinking you haven’t had enough. This type of food has become pervasive in today’s world and are directly linked to the obesity crisis in places like the US.

“The majority of what’s out there in our food supply falls under the hyperpalatable category,” Fazzino said. “It’s actually a bit difficult to track down food that’s not hyperpalatable. In our day-to-day lives, the foods we’re surrounded by and can easily grab are mostly the hyperpalatable ones. And foods that are not hyperpalatable, such as fresh fruits and vegetables — they’re not just hard to find, they’re also more expensive. We don’t really have many choices when it comes to picking between foods that are fresh and enjoyable to eat (e.g., a crisp apple) and foods that you just can’t stop eating.”

So what can we do to address this? There’s no simple answer, but one approach could be to regulate formulations of food that are designed to make you eat more than you need (and than you want).

“These foods have combinations of ingredients that create effects you don’t get when you eat those ingredients separately,” the KU researcher said. “And guess what? These combinations don’t really exist in nature, so our bodies aren’t ready to handle them. They can excessively trigger our brain’s reward system and disrupt our fullness signals, which is why they’re difficult to resist.”

However, any solution is bound to be challenging. Studies show that the claimed self-regulation by the food industry is weak and ineffective. In addition, the food industry strongly lobbies in an attempt to cancel regulation and advertising bans, while at the same time continuing aggressive marketing policies.

Unraveling the intricate web of influence that to***co companies had over the American food industry is both fascinating and alarming. The impact of these hyperpalatable foods on our health, behavior, and choices cannot be overstated. Knowledge, however, is power. Being aware of the origins and manipulative designs of these foods is the first step in regaining control over our diets. As consumers, we have the power to influence the market by choosing healthier, whole foods and supporting regulations that prioritize public health over corporate profits. After all, in a world that’s increasingly influenced by profit-driven agendas, it’s crucial to remember that our well-being and health are invaluable.

One in five American children are obese. Here’s what parents can do for their kids
Child obesity is rising across the globe, but parents do something about it. The key is acting early.
We’re used to talking about obesity in adults, but we often neglect to notice that the same epidemic has reached our children. In this context, a new study may be a silver lining. Scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden found that early treatment of child obesity is effective, and can safeguard children from the potential long-term health risks. They have some important tips for parents to share.

The childhood obesity epidemic has reached alarming heights
A shocking report from the WHO reveals that the number of obese children worldwide has increased by ten times in the last 40 years. There are over 14 million obese kids in the US alone, translating to nearly 20 percent of all children.

A study published in 2016 suggests that obese children are likely to develop heart, bladder, and liver-related health problems when they grow up. Moreover, pediatric obesity may also make them more susceptible to depression at a young age.

“Childhood obesity is connected with an increased risk of various diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular, stroke, certain types of cancer later in life, social problems and depression among youth,” the study authors note.

Basically, obesity has the power to turn kids into patients. However, since parents are not aware of its long-term consequences, they often tend to ignore it.

“It’s a multifaceted problem. There’s a distinct lifestyle component that is dictated largely by the parents’ choices. Children aren’t the ones making food choices or deciding to go out for fast food two or three times a week,” said Dr. Ashley Wells, a physician at Children’s Medical Center in Pennsylvania.

The new study tested three easy-to-implement treatment strategies for child obesity. These methods involve both kids and their parents and show that with some little effort a healthy lifestyle can be promoted among kids.

Testing three ways that deal with child obesity
The researchers performed a randomized controlled study on 170 medically diagnosed obese children. The study began when the children were four years old and lasted till they turned six. The kids and their parents were divided into three groups based on the treatment they received.

The first group underwent standard treatment during which they met with doctors and attended sessions aimed at improving diets. The second and third groups only involved the parents, who received guidance on how to promote healthy lifestyles in their families. The third group received follow-up telephone support over the course of the study length.

When asked what topics these conversations exactly touched upon, Paulina Nowicka, who is the principal study investigator and a professor in Pediatric Science at Karolinska Institutet, said:

“Such conversations can center on how to set boundaries, how to teach children new behaviors and how to communicate with preschools, grandmothers, neighbors and other adults in the children’s world.”

For instance, “You need to do things together to strengthen family bonds, like getting the child involved in the cooking, giving the child vegetables if they’re hungry, and not rewarding them with food. It’s also important to make sure that food isn’t associated with emotions and achievement,” she added.

For instance, the Swedish researchers advise parents to make lifestyle choices that not only help prevent obesity but also strengthen family bonds, such as :

getting the child involved in the cooking
giving the child vegetables if they’re hungry
not rewarding them with food.
make sure that food isn’t associated with emotions and achievement
According to the researchers, most parents usually know this stuff, but they fail to apply them on a regular basis. The treatments — and especially the follow-up — served as reminders of the things parents need to do to prevent obesity in their children.

After two years, the researchers evaluated the obesity and overall health of all the children. They found that the weight of kids in all three groups improved.

“The children whose parents received parental support had the best results, especially so those who also received follow-up phone calls. We also found that more children in this third group showed a clinically relevant improvement of their weight status associated with better metabolic health, by which I mean better levels of blood lipids and glucose,” Nowicka said.

China is facing an alarming mpox outbreak. Could this be next global health crisis?
The government is handling the surge in cases under the same protocols as Covid-19.
China is currently experiencing the world’s fastest increase in cases of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Over 500 new cases were reported in August, as the country grapples with increased community transmission. The virus was first detected as an imported case last year.
Mpox has gained global attention since patients were identified with the virus in May 2022, in various countries without a history of sustained community transmission. Last May, the outbreak was no longer regarded as a public health emergency of international concern. However, in China, the number of cases is still increasing.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported for the first time in July that the disease was spreading domestically. While the virus has been mainly found among men who have s*x with men, five women also tested positive in August, the Guardian reported, which has raised concern that mpox is spreading widely.

The government is already treating the virus under the same protocols as Covid-19. Under this category, authorities can take emergency measures such as suspending work and school, sealing off areas when there’s an outbreak and restricting gatherings.

China ranks infectious diseases into three classes, from A to C, with class A being the most potentially dangerous (e.g. bubonic plague). Mpox is now B.

As well as China, other Asian countries have also seen an increase in cases, such as Japan, South Korea and Thailand. However, the scale doesn’t match the figures in China, with reported cases in 20 provinces so far. The Americas and Europe have mostly contained the outbreak, which began in the UK in the spring of 2022.

“We only see the tip of the iceberg and we’re not really sure what the true enormity of the issue is,” Peter-Chin Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, told ABC News. “Of course, mpox hasn’t gone away and we’ve seen that here. But I think it’s exemplified in places that hadn’t seen a lot of mpox before.”

Mpox risks
Mpox, a viral zoonotic disease, is caused by the mpox virus, a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus, which includes the variola virus. It causes a rash or skin lesions that are usually concentrated on the face, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet. It can spread to people when they come into physical contact with an infected animal.
Traditionally, mpox is transmitted from person to person mainly through direct or indirect contact with the rash, bodily fluids and scabs. Clothing, bedding, towels and objects like dishes and utensils that have been contaminated with the virus can infect others. The virus can also be transmitted from the placenta to a fetus during pregnancy.

There’s no specific treatment for the viral infection and most symptoms often resolve on their own without the need for treatment. BioNTech announced this week a partnership with a global coalition to support the development of mpox vaccine candidates. BioNTech would start a trial for the vaccine, based on mRNA technology. This is the same company that worked with Pfizer to produce an mRNA vaccine for the virus that causes COVID.

Tianming Zhao and Zunyou Wu, two researchers in China, published a letter in The Lancet asking for China to “learn lessons from other countries and its own” to deal with the mpox outbreak. They said the country should take further prevention measures, suggesting targeted vaccination programs for people at risk of infection.