A healthy diet on a slim food budget - tips from rush university medical center
In lean economic times, we may need to tighten our food budgets, but it is important to do so wisely. Processed foods are definitely cheap. A dollar buys 1,200 calories of cookies or potato chips, but only 250 calories of carrots; or 875 calories of soda, but only 170 calories of orange juice. Filling up on cookies and soda, however, is a prescription for weight gain, cardiac disease, and other health problems. (Source: Nutrition/Agriculture News From Medical News Today)

Reduced availability of sugar-sweetened beverages and diet soda has a limited impact on beverage consumption patterns in maine high school youth.
CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Reducing availability of SSB in schools did not result in a greater decrease in SSB consumption by intervention as compared to control subjects. The impact of reducing availability of SSB at school may be limited. A better understanding of beverage consumption patterns may be needed to determine the efficacy of school food policies on those youth susceptible to obesity. PMID: 18984489 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior)

Dietary patterns, food groups, and telomere length in the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis (mesa).
CONCLUSIONS: Processed meat intake showed an expected inverse association with telomere length, but other diet features did not show their expected associations. PMID: 18996878 [PubMed - in process] (Source: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)

Spring clean your diet
Ever thought of improving your eating habits as a spring cleaning job? Just as you give your house and garage a thorough once-over every year, you can do the same with your diet. Here's how.Clean it up. Drink more water and less soda drinks. "Drinks shouldn't be sticky," says Pam Davis, R.D., LD., dietitian and diabetes educator, Baylor Medical Center at Garland.Clean your plate. Ms. (Source: Nutrition/Agriculture News From Medical News Today)

Healthy soda with vitamins: an oxymoron
Crisp, refreshing, effervescent soda has long been an American favorite - but not for its nutritional value. Now, according to professor Ara DerMarderosian at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, leading soft drink companies are trying to change the public's perception of soda by adding vitamins to their soft drinks. Click title to read more. (Source: HealthCastle.com Nutrition Tips - written by Registered Dietitians)

Are vitamins in soda just a gimmick?
Crisp, refreshing, effervescent soda has long been an American favorite but not for its nutritional value. According to University of the Sciences in Philadelphia's Ara DerMarderosian, PhD, professor of pharmacognosy, a few leading soft drink companies are trying to change the public's perception of soda by adding vitamins to their soft drinks. (Source: Nutrition/Agriculture News From Medical News Today)

Vital signs: symptoms: metabolic syndrome is tied to diet soda
Researchers have found a correlation between drinking diet soda and metabolic syndrome and elevated blood pressure. (Source: NYT)

Really?: the claim: too much cola can cause kidney problems
When it comes to kidney problems, is there a difference between colas and other kinds of soda? (Source: NYT)

Caffeine raises risk of miscarriage, study
US researchers found that pregnant women who have large doses of caffeine every day, for example from coffee, tea, hot chocolate or caffeinated soda or fizzy drinks, have an increased risk of losing their baby through miscarriage. The researchers suggest women stop drinking caffeine while pregnant. (Source: Nutrition/Agriculture News From Medical News Today)

Appetite effect of hfcs may be overstated
HFCS, the high-fructose corn syrup used as a sweetener in many kinds of soda, has been blamed by some as a main culprit in the ongoing obesity epidemic, because they have claimed in can increase appetite. But a new study casts some doubt on the link between HFCS and appetite boost. Click Title to read more. (Source: HealthCastle.com Nutrition Tips - written by Registered Dietitians)

Effort to limit junk food in schools faces hurdles
Federal lawmakers are considering a measure that would impose a national ban on the sale of candy, sugary soda and salty, fatty foods in schools. (Source: NYT)

Dietary glycemic load, added sugars, and carbohydrates as risk factors for pancreatic cancer: the multiethnic cohort study.
CONCLUSIONS: High fructose and sucrose intakes may play a role in pancreatic cancer etiology. Conditions such as overweight or obesity in which a degree of insulin resistance may be present may also be important. PMID: 17991664 [PubMed - in process] (Source: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)

How much caffeine is really in your soda?
You can easily find out the calories and sugar content of your can of soda. But what about caffeine? You know caffeine is in your soda, but how much? Click to read more. (Source: HealthCastle.com Nutrition Tips - written by Registered Dietitians)

Soda warning? new study supports link between diabetes, high-fructose corn syrup
Researchers have found new evidence that soft drinks sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may contribute to the development of diabetes, particularly in children. [click link for full article] (Source: Nutrition/Agriculture News From Medical News Today)

Acute effects of various fast-food meals on vascular function and cardiovascular disease risk markers: the hamburg burger trial.
CONCLUSIONS: Against common expectations, a conventional beef burger meal and presumably healthier alternatives with or without vitamin-rich side orders did not differ significantly in their acute effects on vascular reactivity. The frequently reported postprandial decline in FMD may be attributed in part to a postprandial increase in baseline arterial diameter. PMID: 17684202 [PubMed - in process] (Source: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)