The Society of Biological Psychiatry has dedicated the May 1, 2013, edition of its flagship journal, Biological Psychiatry, to the debate over whether “food is, or can be addictive.” According to its introduction, the special issue explores (i) whether food and drugs of abuse share common neurobiological mechanisms; (ii) whether the addiction model can “reasonably” be adopted for binge eating; (iii) the possibility of shared vulnerabilities, such as stress, that can affect “the likelihood of a relapse for drug addiction and obesity”; and (iv) the key differences between food and drug addiction models. To this end, it includes articles that address the theories, concepts and evidence behind food addiction models; addiction risk factors and susceptibility; neural adaptations and reward circuits; and the prevalence of binge eating disorder, among other topics. Additional details about commentary authored by Ashley Gearhardt and Kelly Brownell for this special edition appear in Issue 450 of…
Category Archives Issue 481
British-based researchers who closely examined alcohol industry submissions to a 2008 Scottish government consultation on “Changing Scotland’s relationship with alcohol” have distilled the arguments presented and contend that they misrepresent the scientific evidence and should not be considered persuasive. Jim McCambridge, et al., “Industry Use of Evidence to Influence Alcohol Policy: A Case Study of Submissions to the 2008 Scottish Government Consultation,” PLOS Medicine, April 2013. Observing that industry actors “consistently oppose[] whole-population approaches, . . . favouring instead targeted interventions that focus on a supposedly problematic minority of drinkers and emphasising the role of individual responsibility,” and faulting their use of relevant research literature, the authors “suggest that the public interest is not served by industry actors’ involvement in the interpretation of research evidence” and that “[c]ommercial conflicts of interest should be made explicit.” They further warn policy makers to “treat industry actors’ interpretation of research evidence with extreme…
A recent study investigating the link between dietary phosphatidylcholine (lecithin) and the production of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), “a proatherosclerotic metabolite,” has concluded that “the production of TMAO from dietary phosphatidylcholine is dependent on metabolism by the intestinal microbiota.” W.H. Wilson Tang, et al., “Intestinal Microbial Metabolism of Phosphatidylcholine and Cardiovascular Risk,” The New England Journal of Medicine, April 2013. During the first phase of the study, researchers administered a dietary phosphatidylcholine challenge (two hard-boiled eggs and 250 mg of deuterium [d9]-labeled phosphatidylcholine) to 40 healthy adults, then analyzed participants’ plasma and urinary TMAO levels as well as their plasma choline and betaine levels. The study’s authors also performed the same analyses after six participants took a week-long course of antibiotics to suppress their gut microbiota and after the effects of the antibiotics had worn off. According to the study, the researchers not only observed “time-dependent increases in levels of both TMAO…
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has issued its 2013 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, which “ranks pesticide contamination on 48 popular fruits and vegetables, based on an analysis of more than 28,000 samples tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA] and federal [Food and Drug Administration].” This year’s “Clean Fifteen™” list—fruits and vegetables with the least pesticide load—includes corn, onions, pineapples, avocados, cabbage, frozen sweet peas, papayas, mangoes, asparagus, eggplant, kiwi, grapefruit, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms. Topping the “Dirty Dozen™” list of the “most pesticide-contaminated produce” are apples, followed by strawberries, grapes and celery. According to EWG, this is the second year in a row that the group “has expanded the Dirty Dozen™ with a Plus category to highlight two crops— domestically-grown summer squash and leafy greens, specifically kale and collards.” Evidently, these crops “did not meet traditional Dirty Dozen™ criteria but were commonly contaminated with pesticides…
The Hispanic Institute has published a report advocating regulation of sugary drinks and processed foods to “help reduce alarmingly high rates of obesity among Hispanics.” Titled “Obesity: Hispanic America’s Big Challenge,” the report claims that 40.4 percent of Mexican Americans and 39.1 percent of Hispanics overall are obese, raising concerns about the rising health care costs associated with diabetes, heart and kidney disease, stroke, and other obesity-related conditions. In particular, The Hispanic Institute blames rising obesity rates on the “intentional actions” of food and beverage manufacturers, citing Michael Moss’s Salt Sugar Fat (2013) to support its argument that industry seeks “to ‘optimize’ the flavors and textures of foods and beverages in order to make them irresistible to consumers.” Comparing the current opposition to food and beverage regulation to that which initially stymied anti-smoking efforts, the report also faults marketing efforts that allegedly target “young people, Hispanics and African Americans especially,” as…
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released the results of its preliminary investigation into a new strain of avian influenza A (H7N9), which WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Security Keiji Fukuda reportedly described as “one of the most lethal influenza viruses we have seen so far.” First identified in China and linked to live poultry markets, the disease has sickened more than 100 people to date and caused at least 20 deaths, according to the latest WHO reports. Additional details about the global response to H7N9 appear in Issue 479 of this Update. Speaking on behalf of the research team assessing the outbreak, Fukuda told reporters that WHO experts will continue to work closely with Chinese health officials to monitor the virus’s spread and to determine whether human-to-human transmission has occurred. To this end, the assistant director-general has urged continued surveillance in both human and animal populations throughout China as…
A recent Pediatrics “Perspectives” article warns physicians and parents about the increasing number of children and adolescents who have attempted the “Cinnamon Challenge,” an impossible prank made popular on the Internet that apparently entails “swallowing a tablespoon of ground cinnamon in 60 seconds without drinking fluids.” Amelia Grant-Alfieri, et al., “Ingesting and Aspirating Dry Cinnamon by Children and Adolescents: The ‘Cinnamon Challenge,’” Pediatrics, April 2013. According to the authors, the challenge has already led “to dozens of calls to poison centers, emergency department visits, and even hospitalizations for adolescents requiring ventilator support for collapsed lungs.” In particular, the article reports that the American Association of Poison Control Centers fielded 178 calls related to the “Cinnamon Challenge” during the first six months of 2012 and that “[a]t least 30 participants nationwide have required medical attention.” Based on these incidents as well as animal studies involving pulmonary exposure to cinnamon, the authors caution…
Arguing that bisphenol A (BPA) exposure is particularly harmful for young children, infants and fetuses “because they lack mature systems of bodily detoxification,” a public health law and policy fellow at the Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law has called for governmental entities at every level to prohibit the chemical in any product “meant to be consumed or used by a young child, infant, or pregnant woman.” Leila Barraza, “A New Approach for Regulating Bisphenol A for the Protection of the Public’s Health,” Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Spring 2013. Part of a public health law conference symposium, this article discusses the mixed results of litigation against companies that use BPA in food and beverage contact materials and the failure of legislative initiatives that would restrict its use to take hold at the federal and state levels. The author calls on the Food and Drug Administration…
In a recently published article, psychology and law professors discuss research tending to show that the low-cost, highly refined, widely available sugars consumed by Americans may fit the developing definition of an addictive substance and consider whether such a finding would justify a range of legal and regulatory responses. Ashley Gearhardt, et al., “If Sugar Is Addictive … What Does It Mean for the Law?,” Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Spring 2013. Noting that the understanding of addiction and public perceptions shifted when nicotine was declared an addictive substance despite its lack of mind-altering properties and relatively weak withdrawal symptoms, the authors report that the new addiction criteria include an inability to successfully cut down or abstain from a substance, “continued use despite negative consequences,” and diminished control over consumption. The authors compare the concentration of the coca leaf, with minimal addictive potential, into crack cocaine, which “‘hijacks’ the reward…
According to news sources, several U.S. beekeeping companies have filed lawsuits under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), alleging that the defendant companies illegally imported honey from China thus evading millions of dollars in anti-dumping duties and depressing the price for domestic honey. Moore v. Groeb, No. 13-2905 (N.D. Ill., filed April 17, 2013); Adee Honey Farms v. Groeb Farms, Inc., No. 13-2922 (N.D. Ill., filed April 18, 2013). Among other things, the complaint alleges that some of the imported honey contained adulterated antibiotics, was not actually honey and was falsely represented to government authorities as honey from countries other than China. The plaintiffs reportedly cite a February 2013 agreement between defendant Groeb Farms and the federal government indicating that the company’s “unlawful actions ‘caused losses to the United States of no less than $78,866,216’ in the form of unpaid antidumping duties” during a four-year period. As part…
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