College's too-fat-to-graduate rule under fire

By Elizabeth Landau, CNN
cnnAuthor = "By Elizabeth Landau, CNN";

Obesity increases a person's risk of heart disease, type II diabetes, stroke, some cancers and other ailments.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Students must pass BMI test in order to place out of fitness class at Lincoln University
Lincoln is a historically black college in Oxford, Pennsylvania
Department head defends the policy; legal expert says the requirement is excessive
African-Americans were 1.4 times as likely to be obese as non-Hispanic whites in 2007
(CNN) -- Most college students expect to receive their diplomas on the basis of grades, but at a Pennsylvania school, physical fitness matters too.
Students at Lincoln University with a body mass index of 30 or above, reflective of obesity, must take a fitness course that meets three hours per week. Those who are assigned to the class but do not complete it cannot graduate.

Child fitness levels 'overestimated' by parents

Parents have big misconceptions about the amount of exercise their children do, the British Heart Foundation says.
It says 71% of nearly 1,000 parents polled think their children are "active enough" but only 10% of their children say they do the recommended amount.
The charity says parents need to take the "blinkers off" about how active their children are to prevent obesity.
The National Obesity Forum urged local councils to improve the quality and range of affordable sports facilities.

Food blamed for teen obesity

Added On November 17, 2009
With all the talk about lowering health care costs, prescription prices are skyrocketing. CNN's Alina Cho reports.

How Posted Calories Affect Food Orders

Just a few weeks ago, independent researchers reported that New York City’s ground-breaking calorie labeling law had had absolutely no effect on the caloric content of meals bought at chain restaurants in poor neighborhoods. Last week, city health officials delivered a more upbeat assessment, saying New Yorkers ordered fewer calories at four chains — Au Bon Pain, KFC, McDonald’s and Starbucks — after the law went into effect last year.
The changes reported by the city health department’s preliminary data were modest, indicating little change either way in the number of calories bought at 8 of 13 chains surveyed, and a significant increase in calories ordered at Subway, which researchers attributed to a continuing $5 promotional special on footlong sandwiches that has tripled demand for them.
Although the findings of the two reports appear to contradict one another, researchers said differences in focus and size might explain the discrepancies.

Can Biotech Food Cure World Hunger?

Can Biotech Food Cure World Hunger?

By The Editors

Carla Gottgens/Bloomberg A crop of genetically modified canola grows in a field in Lake Bolac, in the Western District of Victoria, Australia, Sept. 29, 2009.

With food prices remaining high in developing countries, the United Nations estimates that the number of hungry people around the world could increase by 100 million in 2009 and pass the one billion mark. A summit of world leaders in Rome scheduled for November will set an agenda for ways to reduce hunger and increase investment in agriculture development in poor countries.

Artificial Sweeteners: How Bad Are Saccharin, Aspartame?

Too much sugar will make you fat, but too much artificial sweetener will ... do what exactly? Kill you? Make you thinner? Or have absolutely no effect at all? This week marks the 40th anniversary of the Food and Drug Administration's decision to ban cyclamate, the first artificial sweetener prohibited in the U.S., and yet scientists still haven't reached a consensus about how safe (or harmful) artificial sweeteners may be. Shouldn't we have figured this out by now? (See the top 10 bad beverage ideas.)

E. Coli Path Shows Flaws in Beef Inspection

By MICHAEL MOSS

Published: October 3, 2009

Stephanie Smith, a children’s dance instructor, thought she had a stomach virus. The aches and cramping were tolerable that first day, and she finished her classes.

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Ben Garvin for The New York Times

Stephanie Smith, 22, was paralyzed after being stricken by E. coli in 2007. Officials traced the E. coli to hamburger her family had eaten.

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Stephanie Smith was in a coma for nine weeks after being infected with E. coli.

Then her diarrhea turned bloody. Her kidneys shut down. Seizures knocked her unconscious. The convulsions grew so relentless that doctors had to put her in a coma for nine weeks. When she emerged, she could no longer walk. The affliction had ravaged her nervous system and left her paralyzed.

Ms. Smith, 22, was found to have a severe form of food-borne illness caused by E. coli, which Minnesota officials traced to the hamburger that her mother had grilled for their Sunday dinner in early fall 2007.

Dining Out : More than just eating

By: Jennifer Fischer

THE INSTITUTION OF DINING OUT IS ALMOST AS OLD AS CIVILIZATION ITSELF. HISTORY BOOKS PAINT A PICTURE OF FOOD SERVICE DATING BACK TO ANCIENT TIMES. IN EARLY ROME, THE STREETS HUMMED WITH THE CALLS AND SONGS OF COLORFUL STREET VENDORS AND PUBLIC COOKS SELLING THEIR FARE. STREET KITCHENS FILLED THE MARKETPLACE WITH TANTALIZING AROMAS. THE RUINS OF POMPEII CONTAIN THE REMNANTS OF A TAVERN THAT PROVIDED FOOD AND WINE TO PASSERSBY.