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If you smoke, watch out for low back pain

If you smoke, watch out for low back pain

If you needed another reason to cut the cigarette habit: Smokers, especially younger smokers, are more likely to report low back pain than people who have never smoked, according to a new analysis.

After examining existing research, Finnish researchers concluded smoking is “modestly” associated with the risk of low back pain and the effects may be “at least partly reversible.” Their findings are published in the January issue of the American Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Rahman Shiri of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and colleagues wanted to know if smoking increases the risk of low back pain, a problem that affects an estimated 8 in 10 adults during some point in their lives.

Previous analysis of the existing research came to different conclusions, with one study suggesting an association between smoking and low back pain and the other reporting “unclear findings.”

The Finnish researchers identified and reviewed 81 studies from around the world involving smokers, former smokers, or never-smokers and low back pain conducted between 1966 and 2009. Of those, 40 studies involving more than 300,000 adults and adolescents met the standards for the analysis.

The Finnish team subjected the data of the individual studies to further statistical analysis to tease out the strength of relationships even as the studies reported various outcomes.

They determined that even though the data did not prove smoking leads to low back pain, the analysis of previous the literature suggested a “fairly modest” association between smoking and low back pain.

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FDA probing nutrition claims on food packages

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FDA probing nutrition claims on food packages

U.S. regulators are examining the growing number of nutrition claims found on the front of food packages after complaints that they give a misleading picture of their health benefits, officials said in a warning to food companies on Tuesday.

The Food and Drug Administration is trying to determine if any claims violate federal food labeling rules and “will take enforcement action against any egregious examples,” FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg told reporters.

FDA officials also are developing a proposed regulation to define nutritional criteria for claims made on the front of food packages, Hamburg said.

The FDA is acting as companies increasingly add nutrition claims to the front of packages to catch the attention of hurried shoppers who might not read the detailed facts about a food’s content on the back, she added.

“Some nutritionists have questioned whether this information is more marketing-oriented than health-oriented, and judging from some of the labels that we have seen, we think this is a valid concern,” Hamburg said.

In a letter to food companies, the agency said it was “currently analyzing (front-of-package) labels that appear to be misleading.”

Asked to give examples of questionable claims, Hamburg said some foods with almost 50 percent sugar were displaying a “Smart Choices” checkmark. Other package fronts boast a high percentage of the recommended daily vegetable intake but fail to mention that the products contain 80 percent of the suggested fat allowance, she said. She did not name specific products.

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Healthier U.S. school meals boost costs: study

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Healthier U.S. school meals boost costs: study

Improving nutritional value of U.S. school food programs by increasing servings of fruits, vegetables and whole grains could increase the cost of breakfast by as much as 25 percent and lunch by 9 percent, according to a report released on Tuesday.

A report from the Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academies, proposed updating school meal programs to meet nutritional needs and foster better eating habits, but recognized healthier, fresher ingredients would boost costs, especially at breakfast where fruit servings would increase.

“It will cost a little more,” Virginia Stallings, a professor at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and chair of the group that conducted the study, said in an interview.

“But this will be a very wise investment in children’s health,” she added.

Most school food providers would need more government money to help pay for food, training and equipment, the report said.

The Institute of Medicine conducted the review of the country’s school breakfast and lunch programs at the request of the U.S. Agriculture Department, which oversees them. School meal programs provide 40 million meals daily and more than half of students’ food and nutrient intake during the school day.

Child nutrition programs, which cost about $21 billion a year, are due for reauthorization this year but Congress is not expected to approve an overhaul for some time.

Officials at the USDA are updating the nutrition and meal requirements used for school breakfast and lunch programs, and looked for recommendations from the Institute of Medicine. The framework, last updated in 1995, sets food and nutrient standards that must be met by school programs to qualify for cash reimbursements and food from the government.

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