Aren’t Reporters Supposed to Check Their Facts?
Aarrrgh… when “health” columnists apparently run out of topics, they can always turn to the usual handwringing about student athletes taking – gasp! – creatine, and other supplements. But this “Julie’s Health Club” column in the Chicago Tribune takes fearmongering to a whole new level. Mikey Santini (left) was in junior high when he started taking creatine and protein supplements to...
FTC Nails Infomercial Scumbags
This time, it’s the “Health Man” and associates, who were peddling the “7 Day Miracle Cleanse Program.” The marketers of the 7 Day Miracle Cleanse Program, a purported herbal colon-cleansing program, have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they falsely claimed that their program would cure cancer and other serious diseases. Among other things, the settlements broadly ban them from...
Do I Love or Hate the CSPI? It’s a Little of Both, Actually
As the title implies, I have some pretty mixed feelings about the Center for Science in the Public Interest. I love the organization for the way it exposes corporate bad behavior. The CSPI’s recent press release about Nickelodeon is a case in point: WASHINGTON—Despite its public statements and pledges to help combat childhood obesity, the overwhelming majority of foods marketed by the children’s media giant Nickelodeon...
“MisFits” Misfires
I usually enjoy the “MisFits” column in the Washington Post. Authors Vickie Hallett and Lenny Bernstein have an obvious enthusiasm for health/fitness. But I found this short notice annoying: Get Fit in 2010 Monday, November 23, 2009; 7:03 PM New Year’s resolutions: It’s not too early to think about next year’s fitness goals! Send your New Year’s resolutions, including how and why you intend to...
TIME: How Sugary Cereal Makers Target Kids
The Nov. 2 issue of TIME magazine has a great article on the latest report from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity: “Sweet Spot: How Sugary Cereal Makers Target Kids.” Rudd researchers just finished crunching Nielsen and comScore data — which track television and Internet marketing — to figure out exactly how much cereal advertising kids see. The result: obesity researchers for the first time have hard data...
I’m Not Raising My Hand for Chocolate Milk
This LA Times article describes what happens when your kids are raised to prefer sweetened foods. Reporting from Chicago – The dairy industry recently rolled out an expensive media campaign in praise of chocolate milk, a classic school lunch drink that’s under assault for its sugar content. As trade groups spend upward of $1 million to defend the drink, three fifth-graders have come to its rescue. A year after the school...
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