DR MICHAEL MOSLEY: Shame on the grain giants who are making legal claims to make more children fat –

I was angered, but not surprised, by the news that Kellogg’s is trying to break new junk food rules, meaning that some of their sweetest products won’t be prominently displayed in our supermarkets.

The rules target foods high in calories, saturated fat, sugar and salt (HFSS), banning them from high-profile places like aisles.

Kellogg’s, which has a grain scandal about stuffing its products with sugar, took him to court, arguing that the calculations used to rate their products were “wrong” because they only considered dry wheat and did not consider the nutritional value of milk.

These new rules, which will come into effect in October, are part of a government package of measures to curb the recent alarming rise in obesity rates, especially among children: the latest data in 2021 show 40 percent of Sixth graders (ages 10-11) being overweight or obese, the percentage in the obese group increased from 21% to 25.5% in 2019/20.

Doctors say they are seeing increasing numbers of young children with type 2 diabetes, liver disease, and need masks to provide oxygen at night because of the excess body fat they carry with them.

Led by Boris Johnson, who blamed his fatal hit with Covid as being overweight, some modest steps are being taken to curb our ever-increasing addiction to junk food. Not surprisingly, Big Food — the companies that produce most of what we eat — is responding.

I agree that unlike most junk foods, grains are often fortified with minerals and vitamins, and I also agree that adding milk makes these grains a little healthier.

However, this does not reduce the amount of sugar you eat. And we all know people who love to eat cereal right out of the box.

Some Kellogg cereals, such as Crunchy Nut and Frosties, contain 35% sugar (in both, sugar is the second ingredient on the list after corn). Eat 50g of Crunchy Nuts or Frosties, which isn’t too much, and you’ll have consumed no more than four teaspoons (17.5g) of sugar. And that’s before adding extra sugar (which many kids do) or pouring orange juice instead of milk, which I think is a “thing”.

Like other high-fat, salty or sugar-rich foods, high-sugar cereals cannot be placed within one meter of front entrances, aisles, or exits from October. These, of course, are the places where shoppers are most likely to make instant purchases and are very profitable.

Who Made Britain Fat? While filming a recent documentary called Iri, I was shown walking around a grocery store by Joe Harriman of the retail consulting firm Iri (no supermarket, none of them let us film).

He noted several ways supermarkets and grocery giants could try to circumvent the new regulations, such as moving the display windows a little further from the entrance or checkout – close enough to impress shoppers, but far enough away. -counter rule.

You can also try more creative ways to draw attention to high-profit junk food, such as plasma screens in the right aisles, with flashing lights that catch your eye and make you want to buy.

It’s worth trying to break the rules – as Joe Harriman explains, Iri’s research shows that UK consumers spend £1.7bn a year on products placed in these key spots. Emphasizing how important the new rules really are, he added: “These changes are on a scale we’ve probably never seen before. I’ve heard rationing described as the government’s biggest influence on our food during and after the war.”

If food manufacturers can actually make us spend £1.7bn on their products simply by placing them in certain parts of a store, you can see why they’ll fight tooth and nail to resist change, which means stores will tempt products. less important positions

But will these new rules really make a difference in how much junk food we get? The fact that Kellogg is going to court shows that he fears that will happen. Unlike other recent laws designed to reduce obesity, such as requiring restaurants and fast food restaurants to put calorie labels on their food, I think sidewalks in supermarkets can really make a difference.

A 2018 Cambridge University study shows that supermarkets removing sweets from checkouts resulted in a 76% drop in sales of candy, chocolate and chips, which equates to consumption of how much of the junk food we buy. power from our children.

Fighted back in January, and possibly even more fiercely, we should see new laws come into effect limiting Big Food’s power to advertise products to children (before the 9 p.m. breakthrough on traditional media and paid online platforms).

Frankly, I think the time has come. We are facing a serious and growing health crisis. Obese children are five times more likely to become obese adults than children of a healthy weight.

Prevention is much better than cure, so hopefully Kellogg’s legal challenge is rejected and scorched.

time to cover up

It is only May, but the ultraviolet (UV) light emitted by the sun has already reached the middle of August.

That means it’s time to take precautions to avoid getting burned.

The problem with current sunscreens is that they’re not 100 percent protective – they need more antioxidants, says Dr Charareh Pourzand, a researcher at the University of Bath’s Center for Therapeutic Innovation. Sunscreen works by blocking or absorbing UV light and reduces the amount of harmful free radical molecules that form in the skin.

Dr. Pourzand and her team have identified antioxidant compounds that help protect skin in nuts, seeds, bark, and flowers, at least in the lab.

The hope is that adding these compounds to sunscreens will make them more effective.

Meanwhile, cover it up.

It is only May, but the ultraviolet (UV) light emitted by the sun has already reached the middle of August. This means it’s time to take precautions to avoid getting burned.

At every screening over the age of 65

A few weeks ago I received a letter from the NHS about free abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening.

Available to men over 65, this quick and easy scan checks for swelling or signs of an aneurysm in the aorta, the body’s main artery. If this leaks or breaks, it can cause catastrophic bleeding and rapid death.

The test is recommended for men my age (65) and older because we are at higher risk (this includes women over 70 who have high blood pressure or cholesterol or a history of heart disease).

The danger of AAA is that problems can come on suddenly – if your aorta leaks or ruptures, you have an 85% chance of dying even if you go to the hospital.

A good friend who is super fit had a partial aortic rupture before Christmas. He doesn’t remember what happened, but his wife says he complained of chest pains and was confused.

He called 999 and had an emergency operation. Luckily he survived, but months later he’s still panting and dizzy when pushing. While AAAs usually cause no symptoms, warning signs include a throbbing feeling in the gut (like a heartbeat), persistent bowel pain, and persistent lower back pain – see your doctor if you have these symptoms and are at high levels. group. risk. If sudden, severe pain occurs in the intestines or lower back, urgent examination is required.

AAA screening will be added to a growing list of screening tests I need to pass as I get older.

I’ve been screened for colon cancer for the past six months and had a PSA test for prostate cancer. I also monitor my blood pressure and glucose with home kits and take care of my waistline. None of this will guarantee me a long and healthy life, but I hope it all works out for me.