Longer life linked to specific foods in Mediterranean diet

Moral of the story: More evidence that certains foods in the mediterranean diet are really good for you. Note the information on fish, meat, cereals and dairy.

An article summary from the British Medical Journal:

(2) Longer life linked to specific foods in Mediterranean diet(Research: Anatomy of the health effects of the Mediterranean diet, The Greek EPIC prospective cohort study)
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/doi/10.1136/bmj.b2175
Some food groups in the Mediterranean diet are more important than others in promoting health and longer life according to new research published on bmj.com today.
Eating more vegetables, fruits, nuts, pulses and olive oil, and drinking moderate amounts of alcohol, while not consuming a lot of meat or excessive amounts of alcohol is linked to people living longer.
However, the study also claims, that following a Mediterranean diet high in fish, seafood and cereals and low in dairy products were not indicators of longevity.
While several studies have concluded that the Mediterranean diet improves chances of living longer, this is the first to investigate the importance of individual components of the diet.
Professor Dimitrios Trichopoulos at the Harvard School of Public Health explains that they have surveyed over 23,000 men and women who were participants in the Greek segment of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).
Participants were given dietary and lifestyle questionnaires when they enrolled onto the study and they were subsequently followed up for around 8.5 years with interviews. Their diets were rated from 0 to 10 based on the level of conformity to a traditional Mediterranean diet.
As part of the interview process, participants were also asked about their smoking status, levels of physical activity and whether they had ever been diagnosed with cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

The authors maintain that when high intake of vegetables, low intake of meat or moderate alcohol intake were excluded from the rating system, the benefits of following a Mediterranean diet were substantially reduced. They also note that there are clear benefits in combining several of the key components, for example high consumption of vegetables and olive oil.
Professor Trichopoulou, lead author of the study, concludes that the main reasons why the Mediterranean diet can lead to living longer are moderate consumption of ethanol (mostly in the form of wine during meals, as traditionally done in the Mediterranean countries), low consumption of meat and meat products, and high consumption of vegetables, fruits and nuts, olive oil and legumes.
Contacts: Professor Dimitrios Trichopoulos, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USAEmail: dtrichop@hsph.harvard.edu OrProfessor Antonia Trichopoulou, University of Athens Medical School, Athens, GreeceEmail: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/doi/10.1136/bmj.b2337

FDA reprimands Coca Cola

Moral of the Story: Soda is never good for you, ever.

Department of Health and Human Services
Public Health Service
Food and Drug Administration

College Park, MD 20740

DEC 10 2008

WARNING LETTER

CERTIFIED MAIL
RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED

Mr. Muhtar Kent
President and Chief Executive Officer
The Coca-Cola Company
1 Coca Cola Place, NW
Atlanta, GA 30313-2424

Re: CFSAN-OC-09-01

Dear Mr. Kent:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reviewed the label for your Diet Coke Plus 20 FL OZ (1.25 PT) 591ml. Based on our review, we have concluded that this product is in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act). Your Diet Coke Plus product is misbranded within the meaning of section 403(r)(1)(A) of the Act [21 USC 343(r)(1)(A)] because the product makes a nutrient content claim but does not meet the criteria to make the claim.

Your product bears the term "Plus" as part of its name, and the principal display panel of the product label also includes the language, "Diet Coke with Vitamins & Minerals." The ingredient list includes the following added vitamins and minerals: magnesium sulfate (declared at 10% of the Daily Value (DV) for magnesium in the Nutrition Facts panel), zinc gluconate (declared at 10% of the DV for zinc), niacinamide (declared at 15% of the DV for niacin), pyridoxine hydrochloride (declared at 15% of the DV for vitamin B6), and cyanocobalamine (declared at 15% of the DV for vitamin B12).

Your product is misbranded within the meaning of section 403(r)(1)(A) of the Act because it bears the nutrient content claim "plus" but does not comply with the regulations governing the use of this claim. The term "plus" in "Diet Coke Plus," read in conjunction with the language "Diet Coke with Vitamins & Minerals," meets the definition of a nutrient content claim because it characterizes the product's level of vitamins and minerals, which are nutrients of the type required to be in nutrition labeling (21 CFR 101.13(b)). The term "plus" is defined in 21 CFR 101.54(e). This term may be used on the label or in labeling of foods to describe the level of nutrients (such as vitamins and minerals) in the food, provided that (1) the food contains at least 10 percent more of the Reference Daily Intake or Daily Reference Value for the nutrient per reference amount customarily consumed than an appropriate reference food, (2) where the claim is based on nutrients that are added to the food, that the fortification is in accordance with the policy on fortification of foods in 21 CFR 104.20, and (3) the claim bears the required information for relative claims as described in 21 CFR 101.13(j)(2) and 101.54(e)(1)(iii).

Your product Diet Coke Plus is a carbonated beverage. The policy on fortification in 21 CFR 104.20(a) states that the FDA does not consider it appropriate to fortify snack foods such as carbonated beverages. Additionally, the label of your product does not state the identity of a reference food and the percentage (or fraction) of the amount of the nutrient in the reference food by which the nutrient in the labeled food differs, as is required for relative claims such as "plus" under 101.13(j)(2). Therefore, the "plus" claim on the label of this product does not meet the requirements of 21 CFR 101.54(e)(1).

The above violations are not meant to be an all-inclusive list of deficiencies in your products or their labeling. It is your responsibility to ensure that all of your products are in compliance with the laws and regulations enforced by FDA. You should take prompt action to correct the violations. Failure to promptly correct these violations may result in regulatory actions without further notice, such as seizure and/or injunction.

You should take prompt action to correct these violations. Please respond to this letter within 15 days from receipt with the actions you plan to take in response to this letter, including an explanation of each step being taken to correct the current violations and prevent similar violations. Include any documentation necessary to show that correction has been achieved. If you cannot complete corrective action within fifteen working days, state the reason for the delay and the time within which you will complete the correction.

You should direct your written reply to Felicia B. Williams, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, Office of Compliance (HFS-608), Division of Enforcement, College Park, Maryland 20740-3835.

Sincerely,

/S/

Roberta F. Wagner
Director
Office of Compliance
Center for Food Safety
And Applied Nutrition