Kraft Foods to cut salt in its North American foods

PORTLAND, Ore. – Kraft Foods Inc. said Wednesday that it will cut the salt in its products that are sold in North America by an average of 10 percent over the next two years to appeal to health-conscious consumers.

The changes at Kraft, the largest U.S. food maker, will affect more than 1,000 products and eliminate more than 10 million pounds of salt over the two-year period, the company said.

Kraft and other food makers have cut their use of sodium in recent years. Among other cuts, the company said this latest move will cut the salt in Oscar Mayer Bologna by 17 percent, Easy Mac Cups by 20 percent and Velveeta by 10 percent.

"We are reducing sodium because it's good for consumers and, if done properly, it's good for business," Rhonda Jordan, president of health & wellness at Kraft Foods, said in a statement. "A growing number of consumers are concerned about their sodium intake, and we want to help them translate their intentions into actions."

Health experts generally agree Americans eat too much salt and the vast majority of it comes from processed food. The excess is dangerous because salt contributes to high blood pressure, which can lead to stroke, kidney disease, heart disease or heart failure.

Many health leaders have urged food makers to reformulate their products to reduce salt.

Dietary guidelines generally limit healthy adults to about a teaspoon, or 2,300 milligrams of sodium, a day. People who are most sensitive to salt — African Americans, people with high blood pressure and others — should limit their daily intake to 1500 milligrams, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Kraft, which is based in Northfield, Ill., offers more than 100 products with no sodium or what it calls low or reduced levels. But a 2.05-ounce, single-serving Easy Mac Cup, for example, has 700 milligrams of sodium — about 30 percent of the recommended average daily intake.

Kraft said it also is reformulating some items for international markets, including cheese products in the UK. But the bulk of the company's business is in North America.

Among other companies aiming to cut sodium is ConAgra Foods Inc., the maker of Chef Boyardee and Hebrew National. ConAgra announced in October that it would will cut sodium 20 percent in the next five years.

Campbell Soup Co. has cut the sodium in more than 100 of its products — including V8 juices, Prego sauces, Pepperidge Farm breads and some of its namesake soups — by 25 percent to 50 percent over the past four years. Campbell announced in December that it would cut the sodium in its SpaghettiOs canned pasta by up to 35 percent.

Source:AP

How to Keep your Eyes Healthy

Eyes are literally our windows to the world, but few people take the time to care for the body part that imparts the precious gift of sight. There are many easy ways to treat your eyes with the respect they deserve. Dr. Scott Greenstein, an ophthalmologist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, offers these suggestions to keep your eyes healthy:
1) Get an Eye Exam, No Matter Your Age
Seeing an ophthalmologist is not just for people who already have glasses. Greenstein recommends all children get a full eye exam before beginning kindergarten and every few years after.
Adults also should get their eyes checked, even if there is not an obvious problem.
"There are many people that think if they can see reasonably well, that’s the end of the story," he says. "They may have some ophthalmic condition that’s undiagnosed." Other conditions, such as headaches, may be due to a vision impairment that is forcing the eye to strain.
And while eye damage has many causes, Greenstein says, computer screens are not one of them. "There is no evidence that you can over use your eyes," he says. Eyestrain from staring at a screen is not a disorder that causes any anatomical or structural damage; however, eyestrain may be due to other problems, so if there is any change in vision or change to the eye, he recommends seeing an ophthalmologist.

2) Wear Sunglasses
It may seem obvious, but "if you spend any time outdoors, you should wear a hat and sunglasses," Greenstein says. This is not just an issue of comfort.
Studies have shown that repeated sun exposure could increase incidence of cataracts, which cause cloudy vision as well as macular degeneration, a condition that reduces vision in the central part of the retina.
Obviously, the bigger the lens, the more of the eye is protected, but any style with ultra violet protection is sufficient. For those looking for maximum protection, Greenstein noted yellow and orange tinted lenses have been shown in some studies to absorb the wavelength of light that increases the risk for cataracts and macular degeneration.
But if the idea of a lemon-tinted world turns you green, that’s fine, he says. The best protection from sunglasses comes from having a pair you will want to wear for any and all sun exposure.
3) Manage Your Diabetes
Diabetic retinopathy is a condition where high blood sugar damages blood vessels behind the retina. That blood then can leak out into the retina, causing vision problems. Anyone with type 1 or type 2 diabetes should receive an annual eye exam. "Poor [blood sugar] control increases your risk, and better control lowers your risk," Greenstein explained. Even so, diabetics who are controlling their blood sugar still can develop eye problems.
4) Eye Protection: Not Just for Welders
Many high-risk occupations, such as welding, require eye protection because the cornea can be severely burned from a stray spark. Greenstein says he also has seen that same degree of damage from skiers who were not wearing goggles.
Besides skiing, the backyard can be a potential danger zone for eyes. Weed whackers and lawnmowers can send debris flying, and even raking or pruning can shoot a stray branch into the cornea. Not only should goggles be worn for a range of gardening activities, Greenstein says, but also for racquetball, squash and even basketball, which can produce many fingers straight into the eye.
5) Carrots Are Not Enough
Despite dinner time advice dished out by parents, eating fruits and vegetables will not save or enhance your vision, according to Greenstein. For some people with unhealthy optic nerves or a very dry cornea, diet can make a difference, but those cases are rare.
That does not mean that a balanced and varied diet of fruits and vegetables will not contribute to eye and overall health. A balanced diet, for instance, is key to controlling diabetes, which can cause eye damage.
For certain macular degeneration patients, vitamins A, C, E and zinc have been shown to reduce the risk and severity of this condition. But for the majority of macular degeneration patients, Greenstein cautioned, a supplement of these vitamins will not cause any harm — but will also not improve vision.
More important than diet, he says, is to stop smoking, which increases the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.
6) Take Your Contacts Out
Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves some contacts for "extended wear," that is not a free pass to leave them in as long as you want, Greenstein says. Leaving contacts in too long, especially overnight, can lead to infection. "Even if it is approved for extended wear," he says, "I do not recommend it."
7) Check Your Medication
Flomax, a medication for male urinary symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia, can complicate cataract surgery, Greenstein noted, and men should consider whether they are going to need cataract surgery before beginning this medication.
Prednisone, a synthetic corticosteroid drug used to treat a range of autoimmune diseases, also has been shown to increase the risk for glaucoma and cataracts when taken for long periods of time. It is best to tell your ophthalmologist about any medications you are taking at each visit.
8) Do Not Wait to Get Cataract Surgery
Greenstein says many patients who have a cataract wait years after an initial diagnosis to get surgery because they are waiting for the cataract to be "ripe," but "The longer you wait, the higher the risk to get it out," he says. "The eye is not a piece of fruit."
Cataract surgery has a very low complication rate, and anyone with this condition should discuss whether surgery is an appropriate option with his or her ophthalmologist.

Comprehensive health bill may be no go

WASHINGTON – Democratic congressional leaders confronted the reality Tuesday that they may not be able to pass the comprehensive health care overhaul sought by President Barack Obama. Republican leaders prepared to do everything in their power to make sure they can't.
Democrats saw the sweeping health bill that Obama unveiled ahead of a bipartisan health care summit Thursday as their last, best chance at a top-to-bottom remake of the nation's health care system that would usher in near-universal health coverage. But some were clear-eyed about the difficulties after a year of corrosive debate and the loss of their filibuster-proof supermajority in the Senate.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said comprehensive reform would be best but it's not all or nothing.
"We may not be able to do all. I hope we can do all, a comprehensive piece of legislation that will provide affordable, accessible, quality health care to all Americans," Hoyer said at his weekly media briefing. "But having said that, if we can't, then you know me — if you can't do a whole, doing part is also good. I mean there are a number of things I think we can agree on."
The areas of disagreement have been more obvious. Senate Republicans on Tuesday rejected the White House plea for a simple up-or-down vote on Obama's health care plan, indicating they would offer hundreds of amendments to stop the legislation.
"Our constituents don't want the Senate to just wave the same thing through just because it has a new name and even more spending," said Don Stewart, a spokesman for Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Insurance market reforms like barring insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions would be difficult or impossible to pull off without a large risk pool achieved by a requiring nearly everyone to be insured. Smaller measures could be done individually, such as money for insurance pools to provide coverage to people with health problems.
Two days before Obama's televised health summit with Republicans and Democrats, the prospects for any bipartisan deal dimmed as the administration set the stage for pushing ahead with only Democratic support, a risky move that would require the president's political capital and elusive unity from a fractious party.
Obama's new plan used legislation already passed by the Senate as its starting point, making changes designed to appeal to House Democrats. He unveiled it Monday almost exactly a year after calling on Congress to act to reform the nation's costly an inefficient health care system. Majority Democrats were on the verge of meeting the challenge before Republican Scott Brown's upset win in a Massachusetts Senate seat last month.
Brown's win underscored the perilous political environment for Democrats in an election year, but Obama didn't scale back his ambitions, opting for one last attempt at full-scale legislation. It costs around $1 trillion over a decade, requires nearly everyone to be insured or pay a fine, and puts new requirements on insurance companies, including — in a new twist responding to recent rate hikes — giving the federal government authority to block big premium increases.
If Obama fails on a comprehensive health care overhaul where Bill Clinton and other presidents failed before him, the chance won't come around again anytime soon.
The whole endeavor will now rise or fall on Obama's ability to sell his plan at the summit Thursday, and the reaction from lawmakers and the public in the days ahead.
Some rank-and-file Democrats were openly skeptical that the White House and congressional leaders could pull it off. Rep. Jason Altmire, D-Pa., a moderate who opposed the health legislation when it passed the House, questioned whether Speaker Nancy Pelosi could hang on to the votes that allowed her to get the bill through 220-215 in November. Since then a couple of Democrats have left the House, and Pelosi may also lose votes from anti-abortion Democrats who oppose the less restrictive abortion language in the Senate bill, which Obama kept in his plan.
"Is she going to be able to hold everybody that was for it before?" Altmire asked. "What about the marginal members in the middle who got hammered over this vote and would love a second chance to perhaps go against it?"
Only 32 percent of Americans say Congress should move soon to pass a comprehensive bill, embodied in the House and Senate Democratic legislation and Obama's new plan. That was the finding of a poll released Tuesday by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. Americans were evenly divided on the legislation, in a 43-43 percent split.
Most still want Congress to pass something this year, and 58 percent say they'll be disappointed or angry if that doesn't happen. But 20 percent say lawmakers should pass a scaled-back bill, and 22 percent say it would be a good idea to call a time-out on health care and come back later in the year.
Obama's plan does not include the government insurance option sought by liberals and it dramatically scales back a tax on high-value insurance plans from the Senate bill that was opposed in the House. It eliminates a controversial Medicaid deal for Nebraska, offers all states more help with Medicaid funding, and beefs up subsidies to help lower-income people buy care, all changes that won praise from House Democrats. It also closes the so-called "doughnut hole" in Medicare's prescription drug coverage.
Individuals and small businesses would shop for insurance in regulated state-based marketplaces called exchanges.

Source: whitehouse.gov

Breast Cancer in Women

Many women are fearful of breast cancer. One reason is that breast cancer is personal. Breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women during their lives, and many of us know someone — a mother, sister, friend — who has had it. Another reason is that breast cancer is a real threat to women. It is the second leading cancer killer of women in the United States, next to lung cancer. It also can affect our sexual health, overall health, and emotional health. The good news is that most women who get breast cancer survive it. Thanks to screening, breast cancer often can be found early, when it’s easiest to treat. In fact, many women are even cured of the disease.

Cancer is a disease in which cells become abnormal and form more cells in an uncontrolled way. With breast cancer, the cancer begins in the tissues that make up the breasts. The cancer cells may form a mass called a tumor. (Note: Not all tumors are cancer.) Cancer that invades nearby tissue is called invasive. The most common types of breast cancer are:
• Invasive (or infiltrating) lobular carcinoma (LAH-byuh-luhr KAR-sih-NOH-muh) – Cancer that begins in lobules and grows into surrounding tissues. About 1 in 10 invasive breast cancers are this type.
• Invasive (or infiltrating) ductal carcinoma – Cancer that begins in the ducts and grows into surrounding tissues. About 8 in 10 invasive breast cancers are this type.
Cancer cells also can enter the lymph vessels in the breast and spread to the lymph nodes. Breast cancer can spread to other parts of the body. With routine screening, breast cancer often can be found at an early stage, before the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body.
Symptoms
Thanks to screening, breast cancer often is found before a woman has any physical symptoms. Yet a woman should know how her breasts normally look and feel so that she can report any unusual changes to her doctor. Reasons to call your doctor include:
• A lump in or near your breast or under your arm
• Thick or firm tissue in or near your breast or under your arm
• A change in the size or shape of your breast
• Nipple discharge (fluid that is not breast milk)
• Nipple changes, such as a nipple that points or faces inward (inverted) into the breast
• Changes to your breast skin, areola, or nipple, such as itching, redness, scaling, dimples, or puckers
Keep in mind that most breast changes are not cancer. For instance, nipple discharge can be caused by birth control pills, some medicines, and infections. Or, a breast lump could be a cyst, which is a fluid-filled lump that is not cancer. Early breast cancer usually does not cause pain. Still, any breast changes or pain should be checked out by a doctor. If you notice a change in your breast, call your doctor and schedule a visit. Don’t wait until your "next checkup."
Source: womanshealth.gov

Energy Drinks and Your Health

Have you ever asked yourself what is in those pretty little cans? You‘ve seem them in just about every store you go into these days. They can be found everywhere from health food stores to your supermarket. The claims associated with these energy drinks range from the sublime to the preposterous yet millions of you are buying these high powered drinks on a regular basis without giving even a single thought to how good or bad these energy drinks really are for your health. The truth is not all energy drinks are the same while many of the ingredients are common among them each drink has its own little twist to it. For the average consumer reading the labels of these drinks isn’t going to help if you don’t know what to look for.
While most of the common ingredients in energy drinks is caffeine, this is only the tip of the iceberg as far as problems go. Yes caffeine in large quantities is dangerous as it will raise your blood pressure not to mention other problems associated with the use of caffeine.

Other ingredients such as guarana, is very popular in these drinks and is a central nervous system stimulant. If you consume these drinks and then mix them with drinks containing ephedrine or diet pills they can become very dangerous. Another popular ingredient is taurine, which is actually something that we naturally get from foods that contain vitamin B6. We normally get more than enough taurine in our diet and the extra amount from these energy drinks can become toxic in our systems. But even worse than that what we know about the ingredients in these drinks that can be harmful, especially if mixed with other items is what we don’t know. The FDA has all but admitted that many of the ingredients in most popular energy drinks have not been fully tested as to their degree of safeness. This is not to say that these ingredients are good or bad just simply do not know enough about them.

Drink in Moderation...

Maalox Total Relief Health Alert

FDA has a health alert and notified consumers and healthcare professionals about reports of serious medication errors involving consumers who used Maalox Total Relief when they intended to use a Maalox liquid antacid product. This health alert is regarding the product Maalox Total Relief and the traditional Maalox products are both liquid medications available without a prescription, but are not interchangeable and are intended to treat different medical conditions. Maalox Total Relief is an upset stomach reliever and anti-diarrhea medication while traditional Maalox liquid products Maalox Advanced Regular Strength and Maalox Advanced Maximum Strength are antacids.

The Drug Safety Communication contains additional information for consumers and healthcare professionals, as well as product label photos.