Science Media Centre

In a ‘provocative’ commentary article, several scientists have called for sugar to be regulated as a harmful substance like alcohol and tobacco, prompting debate over individual liberty and the western diet. In the article, published in the leading science journal Nature,  international scientists argue that added sweeteners pose dangers to health that justify controlling them [...]

As New Zealand policy-makers examine ways to help consumers make healthy food choices, a new Otago study has shown that keeping it simple works best.   Researchers at Otago University have shown that a front-of-pack ‘Traffic Light system’ (see image) using a red-yellow-green colour code  for high, medium and low salt content helps consumers make [...]

Christmas is coming, and while for many New Zealanders the festive season does involve a feast, there will be many others struggling to feed their family even the most basic meal. Food insecurity is on the increase. Results from the latest Adult Nutrition Survey published earlier this year showed that  from 1997 to 2008/09 the [...]

New Zealand’s latest nutrition survey shows the nation’s obesity epidemic surged ahead over the past dozen years — even though the population’s energy intake levels have dropped. Researchers who conducted the 2008-2009 Adult Nutrition Survey (NZANS) say they suspect this means many people are exercising less than they did when the comparable 1997 National Nutrition [...]

Increasing obesity rates in New Zealand present a real health issue, and experts are saying we need to re-think the way we look at weight gain and dieting. Obesity has had much public focus recently, with high-profile health researchers last week calling on the government to act, and Otago University yesterday releasing a podcast examining [...]

Writer Kate Fraser investigates the health effects of salt and what we are doing to mitigate them. An excerpt (from the Press, read in full here): How much salt is too much? The anti-smoking lobby has a pointer or two when it comes to cutting down on salt, writes Kate Fraser . Every other day [...]

New Zealand scientists have helped establish a link between a mother’s diet while pregnant and the probability that her child will be obese. A team of scientists from New Zealand and the UK, including Sir Peter Gluckman of the Liggins Institute (NZ), examined epigentic modification (chemical changes in the DNA structure) in umbilical tissue from [...]

Rebecca Todd writes in The Press about calls by the Secondary Principal’s Association of New Zealand to restric what dairies near schools can sell during school hours. Research from the University of Otago has shown that dairies are far more numerous in poorer areas, and areas which include schools. An excerpt: (read in full here) [...]

A hard-hitting report from the UK health watchdog group National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) calls on government and the food industry to cut salt and fat from processed foods — a move it says would save tens of thousands of lives a year. The report recommends a public health approach to combat [...]

AusSMC: New research from Europe suggests eating three or more burgers a week may boost a child’s risk of asthma and wheeze – at least in developed nations. Conversely, a Mediterranean diet, rich in fruit, vegetables, and fish seems to stave off the risk, the research shows. The research team base their findings on data [...]