Grapevine
A London school will…start giving its pupils multivitamin pills and omega 3 supplements as part of a trial examining the impact of nutrition on educational performance. The trial highlights the interest in supplements such as omega 3, which have been claimed to enhance learning abilities and relieve depression.
The Foods Standards Agency said it was undertaking a separate review of research on the effect of nutrition and diet on the performance and behavior of children in schools. The review will look at the use of omega 3 and omega 6 supplements.
The latest trial to look at the impact of omega 3 on learning behavior is being undertaken by Food for the Brain, a non-profit group founded by Patrick Holford, a nutritionist.
The nine-month trial at Cricket Green School, which caters to children with learning difficulties, involves giving children oily fish twice a week, a daily multivitamin tablet and an essential fat supplement containing omega 3 and omega 6.
—Jenny Wiggins, Financial Times, 6/12/06

What do you get when you cross the munchies with the desire to be healthy? Entrepreneurs Sean Kelly and Luke Burgis of Fit Fuel found themselves at that very crossroad, and it inspired them to launch a company that’s filling vending machines with healthy alternatives to the chips, cookies and candy bars that stock traditional machines.
Healthy vending machine options may be just what the doctor ordered. The Surgeon General has warned Americans about our nation’s obesity problem…Kelly and Burgis think they have the answer to healthier living—and one that could help in the fight against obesity…Fit Fuel has emerged with a product line that is new and unique and offers convenience and accessibility to nutritious products. They’ve renamed their vending machines “Fueling Stations,” which are stocked with an array of granola bars, protein bars, nuts and other tasty but nutritious snacks.
One of their biggest challenges is changing the way healthy foods are perceived by vendors who fear they will lose money with healthy vending.
“The way to do that is through simple numbers. Every vending machine we’ve placed has done better than traditional machines,” Burgis said…And despite America’s cravings for junk food, Fit Fuel has been flourishing since its creation.
—Jessica Golden, ABCnews.go.com, 6/26/06

In three years, Jamaica has pumped about $19 million into product research to kickstart a nutraceutical industry, the success of which will tell in the level of interest by local businesses to commercialize the new creations.
The Scientific Research Council [SRC] believes it is doing exciting things, having so far developed breakfast cereal from local ginger, shampoos and conditioners from sorrel seeds and rosemary, respectively, an anti-wrinkle cream and insect repellent also made from rosemary, and a body lotion made from tumeric…Having developed the products, what remains is for the SRC scientists to complete the research establishing that the product produces the desired effect and without side effects that could be harmful to consumers. After that, it will be all systems go for commercialization…The island has more than 300 plant species recognized as medicinal. Crude extracts from 80 of the plant species studied have been found to have an effect on living tissue, with bio-activity found in 23 percent of those endemic to the island.
—Petre Williams, The Jamaica Observer, 7/2/06

People check the labels on food at the grocery store, but it doesn’t stop them from eating what they want, an AP-Ipsos poll found. Nearly 80 percent of Americans say they check food labels, looking for things like fat and calories and sugars. But 44 percent of people admit that even when the news is not good, they buy the food.
Two-thirds of Americans weigh too much. Why do they bother reading labels?
The AP-Ipsos survey of 1,003 adults, conducted May 30 to June 1, found:
-Women check labels more frequently than men, 65 percent versus 51 percent. They also place more importance on nutrition content, 82 percent to 64 percent.
-Married men are more likely to check labels than unmarried men, 76 percent to 65 percent.
-Younger people are more likely to look at calories on food labels: 39 percent of people between 18 and 29 said they look at calories first. Even so, 60 percent of younger people were more likely to buy foods that are bad for them even after checking the label.
—Associated Press, FoxNews.com, 7/2/06

Ayurveda is a school of medicine in India thought to be at least 4000 years old. Today, its ancient medicines have been caught up in a modern phenomenon called biopiracy. India claims that U.S. drug companies have started wrongfully patenting existing ayurvedic treatments. So India is working on an equally modern solution: a digital database for patent officers to peruse, containing thousands of traditional medicines that include everything from cardamom paste for bronchitis, to nightingale droppings to treat constipation…India claims to have found 5000 U.S. patents on medicinal plants, 80 percent of them from India. Half of these patents should never have been given to the American drug developers, according to India’s government…New drugs typically take seven to 10 years to develop and the research can cost $800 million or more. So [V.K.] Gupta [director of the Indian government’s National Institute of Science, Communication and Information Resources] says Western pharmaceutical companies have been plundering India’s ancient medical textbooks instead…However, the furor prompted India’s national institute to start building the database of medicines and yoga poses, complete with pictures, and having the information translated into five languages for patent officers to search. The database is called the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library, and it’s the first effort of its kind….The government is expected to bring the database online this year. Once it is up and running, patent officers can quickly search terms such as “turmeric” and “wound healing” to find that a patent on the ancient cure might not be appropriate.
—Suzanne Marmion, San Francisco Chronicle, 7/8/06

Abraham Cherrix, 16, went through chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s disease that left him so weak that his father carried the 6-foot-1 youth from the car to the house. Doctors tell him he needs a second round of chemo to get rid of the cancer that reappeared in February. Abraham says no, and his parents are backing him up. Now the Virginia family is in juvenile court, the parents are charged with medical neglect and the Accomack County social services agency has joint custody of Abraham. The agency asked the court to order the boy to undergo chemotherapy…Abraham and his family are treating his cancer with an herbal remedy four times a day and an organic diet under the guidance of a clinic in Mexico. The remedy, called the Hoxsey method, has not been clinically tested, and there is no scientific evidence that it is effective, the American Cancer Society says. Although he is not old enough to cast a vote or buy an alcoholic drink, Abraham argues that he is old enough to make decisions about treatment to save his life…Another round [of chemotherapy], at higher doses, “would kill me, literally. No joke about it,” Abraham says. “The first round of chemo almost killed me in itself. There were some nights I didn’t know if I would make it.”
—Martha Moore, USA Today, 7/11/06