It will be harder to buy junk food in New York and Massachusetts starting in 2009. Both states will require restaurants to post calorie counts on their menu items.

New York Gov. David Paterson is backing three other proposals that are designed to encourage healthy eating:

1. Prohibiting restaurants from offering foods that contain trans-fats.
2. Banning public schools from selling junk food.
3. Requiring consumers to pay an 18-percent tax on sugary sodas.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick wants schools to send home "weight report cards" to parents of children in the first, fourth, seventh, and tenth grades. Under the Patrick plan, parents with overweight and obese children would receive advice on nutrition and exercise.

Labels: calorie_restriction, junk-food, restaurants

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Drinking carbonated sodas, particularly colas, causes bone loss, according to a new study from Tufts University.

The Tufts researchers gave three reasons for this effect:

1. Phosphoric acid, an ingredient in sodas, may cause the body to give up calcium in order to neutralize the acid.
2. People who drink sodas may not drink calcium-rich drinks such as orange juice and milk.
3. Caffeine in sodas affects bone density.

The researchers studied 2,500 people and found that those who drank five or more carbonated drinks a week, particularly colas, suffered from lowered bone density that could lead to osteoporosis. It did not matter if the drinks were diet or regular.

"If you really like soft drinks, you don't need to take them out of your diet completely," said Dr. Primal Kaur. "Just limit yourself to one or two glasses a week."

This study appeared in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Labels: soda, caffeine, bone_density

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