Health News:Diet guidelines take account of cancer risk ♦ Another scandal rocks confidence in Chinese dairy products ♦ Bacterial infection suspected in deaths of four at Pennsylvania hospital

Diet guidelines take account of cancer risk The Chief Specialist in Public Health Nutrition with the Food Safety Authority has said a report from the World Health Organisation, which found links between processed and red meats and cancer, is about risk assessment rather than risk management. Dr Mary Flynn said the risk would come from consuming high quantities of red meat and processed meat. She said dietary guidelines in

Another scandal rocks confidence in Chinese dairy products Yet another scandal, this one involving elevated levels of sodium sulfocyanate in dairy products, has further eroded Chinese consumer confidence in their government’s ability to ensure a safe food supply. Food safety officials ordered the recall of dairy products from Huishan Dairy in September after the elevated levels were...

Bacterial infection suspected in deaths of  four at  Pennsylvania hospital WellSpan York Hospital in York, Pennsylvania, announced October 27 that it is informing about 1,300 patients who underwent open-heart surgery from October 2011 to July 2015 that they may have been exposed to nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) after the hospital identified 8 patients who contracted the bacterial infection, 4 of which died. The hospital replaced its heater-cooler devices in July and implemented new safety procedures when the devices are in use

New hope for the treatment of multiple sclerosis A new study gets closer to identifying the mechanisms responsible for multiple sclerosis and makes headway in the search for better treatments.

Study of inner ear development hints at way to restore hearing and balance These genes, or others in the same pathway, could be promising targets for efforts to treat hearing loss or balance problems by regenerating hair cells.

Health News: U.S. government sues Wholesome Soy after listeria outbreak ♦ Senators ask FDA to Scrutinize Pet Food Makers ♦ Canada Bans U.S. Poultry-Based Pet Food

U.S. government sues Wholesome Soy after listeria outbreak The U.S. government has filed a lawsuit against Wholesome Soy Products attempting to enjoin the company from distributing food products after an outbreak of Listeria was linked to the Wholesome Soy’s mung bean and soybean sprouts.

Senators ask FDA to Scrutinize Pet Food Makers  Senators Dianne Feinstein and Dick Durbin sent a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asking the agency to investigate claims from a pending class-action lawsuit against Nestlé Purina that claim the pet food manufacturer put an ingredient used in antifreeze into its Beneful brand of dry dog food

Canada Bans U.S. Poultry-Based Pet Food  The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in an effort to safeguard the Canadian poultry industry is stopping at the border pet food containing raw poultry or not fully cooked poultry or poultry byproducts due to a highly contagious avian flu reported in several U.S. states. …

Doctors ring alarm bells over rise in food allergy cases  With little awareness on food allergy, doctors are now seeing more patients suffering from it. Poor lifestyle, especially reliance on outside food among youngsters is the primary reason behind the increasing number of food allergy cases. There has been at least 15-20 per cent increase in food allergy cases over the last two years,

High-fat dairy products linked to reduced type 2 diabetes risk  Consumption of high-fat yoghurt and cheese are linked to a reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes by as much as a fifth, according to new research. High meat consumption, on the other hand, is linked to a higher risk.