Snacks and junk food are everywhere, even hardware stores and pet shops have candy and salty snacks up by the cash registers.

So now experts think all this easy access to food and snacking could spur “constant eating” in young children.

Writing in the journal Health Affairs, researchers claim 27% of calories that American kids eat come from snacks; mostly salty foods, candy, desserts, and sweetened beverages.

The scientists say children’s caloric intake has increased by 113 calories per day from 1977 and 2006 – basically a can of soda.

All this snacking may lead to constant eating, which refers to the “physiological basis” for eating is becoming upset and kids confusing when to and when not to eat.

This compulsion, coupled with inactivity, will continue to fuel rising obesity rates. So U.S. health officials have urged food producers to improve the nutritional quality of their products.

And parents to become better educated about nutrition and to encourage their kids to exercise more.

Via Reuters.

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Soft drinks and soda—i.e. the most worthless of all foods—could increase your risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly forms of cancer, with only 5% of people surviving five years after diagnosis.

And now, writing in the journal of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, scientists have found soft drinks, like soda and sugar sweetened juices, increase risk of pancreatic cancer.

Studying over 60,000 middle-aged or older Chinese Singaporeans, researchers tracked how much juice and soda people drank on average, following them for 14 years to see how many developed pancreatic cancer.

Data revealed participants who drank two or more sodas a week were 87% more likely to get cancer than those who didn’t drink soda.

So have a Coke and some cancer—not a smile.

Via HealthDay News.

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Three U.S. agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Centers for Disease Control are looking to ban junk food marketing targeted to children.

The proposal is aimed at foods with more than 1 gram of saturated fat or more than half a gram of trans fat per serving, 13 grams of added sugar, or 200 milligrams of sodium.

A spokesperson for the group says U.S. government agencies need to do a better job regulating marketing seen by children, and the proposed ban would simply “supervise” food producers.

Some food producers have already reworked their products to take health concerns into account, such as Froot Loops and Cocoa Puffs, which both started to reduce the amount of sugar in foods advertised to children.

But not everyone thinks it’s a good idea. The Association of National Advertisers insists advertisers are not responsible for the increasing number of overweight and obese children. So marketers feel as if they are being punished and being censored.

Via Reuters.

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Staying on the road all night long might help truck drivers make deadlines and schedules, but skipping sleep may harm their diet.

A new study in the American Journal of Public Health found truck drivers who get adequate sleep are more likely to eat healthier.

Surveyed truckers getting enough sleep reported eating an average of 3 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

Getting plenty of sleep also cuts down junk food, like sugary drinks and snacks.

But truckers driving around tired reported eating fewer fruits and vegetables, from 3 servings down to 2. Lack of sleep also increased the amount of sugary snacks and drinks truck drivers consumed each day.

Researchers believe good sleep schedules may help influence better dietary habits. So they encourage workplace programs promoting sleep as an important part of employee health.

But they’re not talking about sleeping on the job, especially if you’re driving!

Via Reuters.

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Quitting a bad diet, and switching to a healthy one, might be just as difficult as kicking drug addiction.

When weaning rats off a high-calorie diet, researchers found similar effects on their brain to stopping drugs and alcohol.

Granted, rats and humans have very different brains—most of the time—but scientists believe these findings help explain why diets fail.

Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, experts claim when overeaters try to go on a diet it causes stress hormones in their brains to run wild.

This freaks them out, leading to anxiety, decreased motivation, and unwillingness to try other foods. A similar effect is seen with drug addiction.

To test this out, researchers gave the rats regular food for 5 days, then switched them to a chocolate-flavored sugary food, and after eating the junk food, the rats didn’t want to go back to the regular stuff.

And when deprived of the sugar, the rats’ brains acted as if they were coming off booze or drugs.

Researchers say knowing how food effects the brain can help treat people with obesity.

Via HealthDay News.

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Sure, devouring a pint of triple-chocolate ice cream will make anyone feel better, but we’re not talking about “comfort food” here.

Scientists at the Nestle Research Center in Switzerland suggest compounds in dark chocolate may lower stress hormones during times of high anxiety.

After feeding study participants, both men and women, half a chocolate bar, or roughly 20 grams, every morning, researchers monitored their stress hormone production for two weeks.

Findings showed “chocolate therapy” lowered high hormone levels.

So experts suggest stressed out workers would benefit long-term from daily consumption of chocolate. They recommend 40 grams a day. A whole candy bar, nice!

Researchers believe flavanols in chocolate, which help prevent artery inflammation, are also responsible for the reduction in mental stress.

But dietitians warn not to go overboard with chocolate, since it’s usually high in fat and sugar.

Via The Daily Mail.

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