{"id":2455,"date":"2010-02-08T15:22:00","date_gmt":"2010-02-08T15:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.willclower.com\/blog\/2010\/02\/fda-data-glut.html"},"modified":"2016-09-21T09:51:19","modified_gmt":"2016-09-21T13:51:19","slug":"fda-data-glut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2455","title":{"rendered":"FDA Data Glut"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This article in the New York Times<\/i><\/a> <\/i>reports on the Food and Drug Administration efforts to encourage manufacturers to post calorie counts on the front of food packages. They also want to standardize serving sizes. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s a great strategy for the FDA to use to counteract obesity, because there\u2019s just not nearly enough information on the labels to begin with. I look at this actuarial table of percentages and micromanagement and it gives me a migraine. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Honestly, how can anyone but a research scientist keep up with all of this? <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

And, if you actually read the microfiche, those relative ratios of this fat and that fat and this carbohydrate and that carbohydrate, are listed as a percentage of a 2000 calorie per day diet. So you have to know how many calories you will consume in a day, divide that by 2000, then multiply back by the percent \u201cTotal Fat\u201d or whatever in the product. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

So yes, I feel that I need way more data to choke on or, gosh, I may make a wrong move in choosing my food products. I need someone to tell me whether my Buffalo hot wing flavored potato chips have 10 chips per serving or 12, because that will keep me from munching my way to the bottom of the sac during the Super Bowl party. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Listen, data glut is not going to help your average Wal-Mart shopper confront weight problems any more effectively. Even if the FDA listed the calorie content in 24 point bold font with wingdings on the end, it won\u2019t prevent them from getting their venti bucket o\u2019 caramel macciato milkshake. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

This is because our recommendations come from science data, but must be used by, and useful to, ordinary people who don\u2019t have the time or inclination to crunch numbers at the checkout line. So, although the effort is well-intentioned, it won\u2019t make a dent, scratch, or scuff to our expanding weight problems. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Consider this. Our obesity rates continue to climb, year by year. And yet, food product labels were made mandatory in 1990; Trans Fats were added to them in 2003; and now Pepsi, Kraft, General Mills, American Heart Association, National Organic Association, Kellogg\u2019s, Sara Lee, and a slew of regional grocery chains have all added their own labels, icons, and cheery green check marks to let you know how many grams of x, y, or z is in your food product. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

More nutrition label minutia has not slowed our expanding weight problems, and there\u2019s no reason to believe it will in the future. The FDA is simply at a loss, and this is all they know to do. <\/span>
\"Bookmark<\/a>

For more information: Click here to visit Will Clower’s website. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article in the New York Times reports on the Food and Drug Administration efforts to encourage manufacturers to post calorie counts on the front of food packages. They also … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[494,349],"tags":[331,366],"class_list":["post-2455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-food-safety","tag-diets","tag-fda"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Qv5g-DB","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2785,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2785","url_meta":{"origin":2455,"position":0},"title":"FDA Cuts the GRAS on Salt","author":"Will Clower","date":"May 27, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Here\u2019s what we know.1) Excess salt consumption is linked to heart disease and stroke.2) The Food and Drug Administration wants Americans to have fewer heart attacks and strokes. But their proposed solution to the problem is to consider changing the status of salt in the diet. The way they would\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2206,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2206","url_meta":{"origin":2455,"position":1},"title":"FDA Deflates Male Enhancement Claims","author":"Will Clower","date":"December 16, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"FDA warns consumers to avoid sexual enhancement pills(please share this with anyone who might consider this particular brand of crazy)The\u00a0Food and Drug Administration\u00a0is\u00a0warning men who\u00a0take\u00a0Man Up Now\u00a0capsules to stop\u00a0taking them immediately.\u00a0\u00a0The supplement contains a variation of\u00a0an active ingredient found in Viagra that can lower blood pressure to dangerous levels, the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/_HAl9r2q_-j0\/TQlHweMJuII\/AAAAAAAAC1M\/r1r54NncLrQ\/s320\/FDA-Recall-Button.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2096,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2096","url_meta":{"origin":2455,"position":2},"title":"“relaxation\u2019 brownies”? Does the FDA need to step in?","author":"Will Clower","date":"May 29, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Great question. One sitting US Senator thinks so. Senator Dick Durbin is urging the FDA to take a stand.\u00a0Hash brownies are one thing ... but what are \"relaxation brownies\"? They are brownies laced with melatonin. This is a totally slippery slope because melatonin supplements are widely marketed to promote sleep\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-E96wjabRkuk\/TeK_2IR84dI\/AAAAAAAADG0\/KEDp7sk3_ZA\/s320\/lazyCakes.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2765,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2765","url_meta":{"origin":2455,"position":3},"title":"Poor food safety, say health officials","author":"Will Clower","date":"June 20, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has failed to fulfill its promise of making the food supply safer, say US health officials. Following well publicized food recalls and health scares over the past few years, which have left hundreds ill and affected consumer confidence, the FDA announced wide sweeping plans\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Food Safety"","block_context":{"text":"Food Safety","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=349"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2393,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2393","url_meta":{"origin":2455,"position":4},"title":"FDA Yanks Kids’ Meds","author":"Will Clower","date":"May 6, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The FDA did the right thing by pulling these meds, because they identified raw material containers tainted with bacteria that could make immune-compromised people even sicker.Turns out, though, that the bacteria were brought in from one of the suppliers, the contamination has still not be identified in ANY of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bookmark and Share","src":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s7.addthis.com\/static\/btn\/v2\/lg-share-en.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2675,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2675","url_meta":{"origin":2455,"position":5},"title":"Red Wine Pill: FDA takes a closer look","author":"Will Clower","date":"October 31, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Good for the FDA. They stepped up and smacked down a Georgia-based supplements manufacturer for making unfounded (read, rediculous) drug claims about one of its resveratrol pills. Read the report here. The FDA told the company, Natural Biology, that its Red Wine Resveratrol pills were being marketed as a cure\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2455"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3450,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455\/revisions\/3450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}