SCIENCE OUTREACH
DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY
Food and Nutrition
2005 Dietary Guidelines from the National Institutes of Health and the US Department of Agriculture
Handy Brochure (pdf file)
Download the pdf file of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines
The Different Kinds of Fats, and why it matters to you
the FDA discussion and requirement that large amounts of trans fat be disclosed on Food Labels
the announcement from 2006
Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, and Fructose
- The Trends
- Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
- Consequences of Fructose Metabolism
- Sources of Fructose
- Human Evolutionary History
- Conclusions and Recommendations
Protecting Yourself Against Health Fraud
Health Fraud Testimony Before Congress, John Taylor, FDA Sept 2001
Claims That Can Be Made for Conventional Foods and Dietary Supplements
Specific Health Claims That Have Been Approved
Economically-Motivated Food Adulteration
Anti-Quackery Resources (specific issues, plus links to external resources at the end of the file)
There are no Regulations for Dietary Supplements -- consumers are at risk of consuming unknown materials
- Industry response: muddle the phrasing (from the Supplement Industry PAC, Council for Responsible Nutrition)
The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994; Public Law 103-417
The Law Itself, passed in the last days of the Democratic controlled Congress, during the midterm election campaign after which Republicans regained control; the law removes the regulatory burden from the dietary supplement industry
How the Law Weakened the FDA and Increased Public Health Risks
Inspections, Compliance, Enforcement, and Criminal Investigations
A portion of the 2002 activity, including a preface with this paragraph:
"For decades, FDA regulated dietary supplements as foods, in most circumstances, to ensure that they were safe and wholesome, and that their labeling was truthful and not misleading. An important facet of ensuring safety was FDA's evaluation of the safety of all new ingredients, including those used in dietary supplements, under the 1958 Food Additive Amendments to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act). However, with passage of the Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), Congress amended the Act to include several provisions that apply only to dietary supplements and dietary ingredients of dietary supplements. As a result of these provisions, dietary ingredients used in dietary supplements are no longer subject to the premarket safety evaluations required of other new food ingredients or for new uses of old food ingredients. "
Ephedra: a short report on a case study
Center for Science in the Public Interest: brief statement concerning ephedra and other supplements
supported in part by grants from the National Science Foundation
last updated: September 4 2009
