Obesity & Junk Food Babies

Junk food diet during pregnancy leads to obese babies: study

Mothers who use the excuse "I'm eating for two" and indulge in junk food during their pregnancy and while breastfeeding may put their children at risk of obesity, according to a British study.

The study, published Wednesday in the British Journal of Nutrition, involved feeding pregnant and lactating rats a diet of processed junk foods such as doughnuts, muffins, biscuits and sugary snacks, while another group of rats were fed a nutritious, balanced diet.

It found that babies of rats fed nutritious food ate a normal amount of calories, but rats fed junk food gave birth to offspring that overate and opted for sugary, salty and fatty foods.

The baby rats fed junk food consequently developed an above-average body weight and body mass index.

"Our study has shown that eating large quantities of junk food when pregnant and breastfeeding could impair the normal control of appetite and promote an exacerbated taste for junk food in offspring," said the study's lead author Dr. Stephanie Bayol.

"This could send offspring on the road to obesity and make the task of teaching healthy eating habits in children even more challenging."

Bayol said that exposure to a maternal junk food diet while in the womb and during breastfeeding might help explain why some people find it harder than others to control their junk food intake — even when given access to healthier foods later in life.

Professor Neil Stickland, a co-author on the study who heads the research group at the Royal Veterinary College, believes that mothers should be aware of the risks associated with a poor diet.

"Future mothers should be aware that pregnancy and lactation are not the time to overindulge on fatty-sugary treats on the misguided assumption that they are eating for two."

According to the recent estimates from Health Canada's Canadian Community Health Survey, 59 per cent of the adult population in Canada is overweight. And one in four Canadian children and adolescents aged two to 17 years are overweight.

Caffeine's Transparent Coke

Coca-Cola to add caffeine content to nutrition labels

Coca-Cola has announced plans to begin disclosing caffeine content on their nutrition labels as part of an industry-wide initiative.

The Atlanta-based company says it will add caffeine content to its Coca-Cola Classic nutrition labels in May, with other products to follow. Some of the company's product labels, including Full Throttle and Enviga, already carry information on caffeine levels.

The rollout is currently limited to the U.S. Stephanie Baxter, a Coca-Cola Canada spokeswoman, says the company is reviewing the decision in the U.S. She notes that the company's energy drinks in Canada are already labelled with caffeine content information.

Pepsi launches 'invigorating' diet drink

Meanwhile, PepsiCo has announced plans to release a new version of Diet Pepsi, containing more caffeine. The soda, which will contain about one-third more caffeine than Diet Mountain Dew, will be released in June.

Beverage	Amount of caffeine (mg)
Cola (355 ml)	36-46
Diet cola (355 ml)	39-50
Cup brewed tea (237 ml)	43
Cup green tea (237 ml)	30
Cup brewed coffee (237 ml)	135
Chocolate milk (237 ml)	8

The company says its "invigorating" beverage is targeted to adults who need extra energy to get through their busy days.

The announcements come as New York City councilman, Simcha Felder, prepares to introduce a non-binding council resolution asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to require product labels to include caffeine content information.

Felder, a Brooklyn Democrat, suggests pregnant women and parents in particular would benefit from the proposed resolution, saying many consumers are currently unaware of how much they consume daily. Felder plans on introducing the resolution on Feb. 28.

Caffeine side effects include alertness, irritability

Health Canada says minor side effects of caffeine range from alertness and improved concentration to insomnia, headaches, irritability and nervousness. The federal agency recommends that healthy adults should consume a maximum of 450 mg of caffeine daily, the equivalent of three 237 ml cups of brewed coffee.

Pregnant women can drink slightly more than two 237 ml cups of coffee daily if they avoid other caffeinated products.

Guidelines for children are as follows:

• Ages 4-6, 45 mg.
• Ages 7-9, 62.5 mg.
• Ages 10-12, 85 mg.

For women of childbearing age, the new recommendation is a maximum daily caffeine intake of no more than 300 mg, or a little more than two 237 ml cups of coffee.

Source: CBC.ca