Researchers from Tufts University are concerned that some nutritional labels may be underestimating the caloric content of their respective products. After evaluating 29 commercially-prepared restaurant foods and 10 frozen meals which are found throughout US, researchers discovered that the sit-down restaurant foods averaged 18% more calories than stated and the frozen meals averaged 8% more calories than advertised. The authors note that the US Food and Drug Administration allows up to 20% excess energy content but weight must be no less than 99% of the stated value. This might lead manufacturers to add more food to insure compliance with the weight standards and thereby exceed the stated energy content. However, it’s the allowable 20% caloric excess that is appalling. As the researchers note – a positive energy balance of just 5% per day for an individual requiring 2,000 kcal/day could lead to a 10-lb weight gain in a single year. [via Science Daily]
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Tags: calories, diet, FDA, food, food labels, nutrition, Tufts


Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.
January 8th, 2010 at 5:15 am
Dear Sir,
What’s the symptoms when a child has a hole in the heart. please give me the answer on urgent basis.
January 11th, 2010 at 10:03 pm
There are various causes of “holes in the heart” in a child. They are classified as Atrial Septal Defects (ASDs) or Ventricular Septal Defects (VSDs) depending on where the hole is.
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