FDA Wants Easier-To-See Nutrition Labels On Most Packaged Foods, Drinks

NPR: The FDA Calls For At-A-Glance Nutrition Labels On The Front Of Packaged Foods

The Food and Drug Administration wants to change how packaged food is sold in the U.S. In the waning days of the Biden administration, the agency has proposed requiring a new label on the front of most packaged food and drinks aimed at helping Americans make healthier food choices.

The proposed labels would flag whether a packaged food or drink contains low, medium or high levels of sodium, added sugar and saturated fat, while also detailing the percent of the daily value of these nutrients the product contains. (Godoy, 1/14)

CNN: Both Healthy And Enjoyable Eating Are On The Decline, Data Shows

Fewer people are eating in a way they consider healthy – and they don’t even like it, according to new data. “In some instances, we’re still seeing strong majorities of people saying that they enjoy their food,” said Andrew Dugan, consulting principal researcher at Gallup. “But the decline has been pretty stark.” (Holcombe, 1/14)

MedPage Today: Experts Pitch Major Overhaul To How Obesity Is Diagnosed

Medical experts from around the globe proposed a more nuanced approach to diagnosing obesity that does not rely exclusively on body mass index (BMI) alone.

Writing in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, the global commission argued that to reduce misclassification, other measures of body fat — such as waist circumference or direct fat measurement — should also be used, along with signs and symptoms of ill health at the individual level. (Monaco, 1/14)

MedPage Today: USPSTF Unveils Final Recs For Osteoporosis Screening To Prevent Fractures

All women ages 65 and older and at-risk postmenopausal women under 65 should be screened for osteoporosis to prevent fractures, according to a final recommendation statement from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).

USPSTF said with “moderate certainty” that screening for osteoporosis to prevent osteoporotic fractures has a moderate net benefit in all women 65 and older and in postmenopausal women ages 40 to 64 who have at least one risk factor for osteoporosis (both grade B recommendations). (Monaco, 1/14)

KFF Health News: I’m Moving Forward And Facing The Uncertainty Of Aging

It takes a lot of courage to grow old. I’ve come to appreciate this after conversations with hundreds of older adults over the past eight years for nearly 200 “Navigating Aging” columns.

Time and again, people have described what it’s like to let go of certainties they once lived with and adjust to new circumstances. These older adults’ lives are filled with change. They don’t know what the future holds except that the end is nearer than it’s ever been. (Graham, 1/15)