Study Finds Federal Food Assistance Slows Cognitive Decline
'I wonder if food has other benefits as well.' Amelia Coltan, Peppercorn Packager
'Filling out mountains of paperwork is a great mental exercise.' Ed Meyerowitz, Mattress Roller
'I've only heard bad things about food.' Carlos Ramos, Lathe Supervisor
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14 minutes ago
New SNAP rules explained: 6 more states restrict purchases of processed 'junk' foods
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced this week that six additional states had been granted waivers allowing them to prohibit Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from being used on certain processed foods and drinks. Kennedy joined U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Monday as Rollins signed the six new waivers, which allow the states to amend what the food assistance benefits -- colloquially referred to as food stamps -- can be used for at the grocery store. "SNAP is a supplemental nutrition program meant to provide health food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being," Rollins said. "That is the stated purpose of the SNAP program, the law states it and President Trump's USDA plans to deliver on it." In a statement, Kennedy added, "For years, SNAP has used taxpayer dollars to fund soda and candy -- products that fuel America's diabetes and chronic disease epidemics. These waivers help put real food back at the center of the program and empower states to lead the charge in protecting public health." The new waivers will restrict the purchase of so-called "junk food" with SNAP funds in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Colorado, Florida and West Virginia starting in 2026. Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska and Utah were granted similar waivers for SNAP reform earlier this year. What is SNAP? The federally funded program, once known as food stamps, issues electronic benefits that can be used like cash to purchase food. It is run by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, which administers federal food assistance programs. "SNAP helps low-income working people, senior citizens, the disabled and others feed their families," the USDA states on its website. "Eligibility and benefit levels are based on household size, income and other factors." On average, according to USDA data, SNAP served 42.1 million people per month in 2023, which accounts for more than 12.5% of the population. What foods and beverages are restricted by the waivers? Of the 12 states that have been granted SNAP waivers so far, most will restrict the use of SNAP funds on purchases of soft drinks or sodas, and at least eight restrict the use of SNAP funds on candy purchases. Some also prohibit food benefits from being used on purchases of energy drinks and, in Arkansas, the purchase of "fruit and vegetable drinks with less than 50% natural juice." Additionally, Florida will prohibit SNAP funds from being used on purchases of "prepared desserts," and Iowa will restrict the purchase of "all taxable food items as defined by the Iowa Department of Revenue except food producing plants and seeds for food producing plants." This includes items like candy, certain ready-to-eat snacks, soft drinks and gum. The new restrictions will go into effect in 2026. Click here for a full list of prohibited items and links for additional state information. While all of this is being done under the banner of "making America healthy again" and fighting chronic disease, ABC News medical correspondent Dr. Darien Sutton said "there's no evidence that taking away access to soda will actually fight these conditions." He noted however, that "sugar is one of those culprits that you always have to be mindful of" regardless. "The U.S. dietary guidelines recommend that men have no more than 35 grams and women no more than 25 grams per day," Sutton said.
Axios
2 hours ago
- Axios
Florida bans soda and candy for SNAP users in 2026
Florida is among a few states that have narrowed their list of food eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP) this week to exclude sugary snacks and drinks. Why it matters: Starting next year, more than a million families in the state will no longer be able to use their benefits to buy a box of Little Debbie's, a liter of Coca-Cola or a Hershey bar at the checkout. The big picture: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. outlined his "Make America Healthy Again" campaign in April, encouraging states to restrict SNAP purchases to ensure taxpayer dollars go toward "wholesome foods." One study found little difference between purchases made by households with SNAP and those without benefits, with 20 cents of every dollar spent on sweetened beverages, desserts, candy and sugar. How it works: SNAP, often called food stamps, helps low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities buy groceries. Five other states — Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia — were approved to restrict eligible food on Monday. Before these changes, SNAP recipients were already prohibited from using their benefits to purchase alcohol, tobacco, hot and prepared foods and personal care items, according to a press release. Zoom in: Florida amended its statutory definition of food to exclude: Candy, which the state defined as sugar or artificial sweeteners combined with chocolate, fruits, nuts, caramels and gummies. Prepared desserts, which the state defined as processed, pre-packaged sweet foods intended for immediate consumption. Soda, which the state defined as a beverage that is made with carbonated water and flavored with sugar or artificial sweeteners. Energy drinks, which the state defined as a beverage with at least 65 milligrams of caffeine per 8 fluid ounces that are marketed as increasing the consumer's mental and physical energy. Yes, but: Drinks like sparkling water and coffee are still eligible. What they're saying: "In Florida, we are ensuring SNAP supports nutritious options that help families thrive, not unhealthy products that lead to long-term health problems," Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a statement. "Thank you to President Trump for approving our waiver request." The other side: "Because these products are inexpensive, banning SNAP use on them won't have the desired effect," Christopher Bosso, a political science professor at Northeastern University, wrote in an op-ed for The Hill. "SNAP enrollees simply will use other funds on them," Bosso went on. "After all, SNAP is 'supplemental,' and most enrolled households have cash on hand to spend $3 on that 2-liter bottle of Pepsi if they want one."
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
3 myths about metabolism could be holding you back
EDITOR'S NOTE: The podcast Chasing Life With Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the medical science behind some of life's mysteries big and small. You can listen to episodes here. (CNN)— Think speeding up your metabolism is key to losing weight? Metabolism has grown into one of the biggest buzzwords in the wellness industry — a tricky code that, if deciphered, is believed to unlock the secrets of weight loss and overall health. Despite the term's ubiquity, one scientist says many people don't understand much of how this basic bodily process works. 'They think it has something to do with how much food we can eat without gaining weight or something like that,' Dr. Kevin Hall told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta recently on his podcast, Chasing Life. Hall wants to elevate metabolism for different reasons. 'Metabolism is just this incredible biochemical process that basically turns the food that we eat and the oxygen that we breathe into essentially … everything we are and everything we do,' he said. A leading nutrition and metabolism scientist, Hall is well-known for his research on contestants from the reality show 'The Biggest Loser' that helped explain what set participants who kept the weight off apart from those who gained it back. He spent more than two decades at the National Institutes of Health. His later work on ultraprocessed foods investigated its link to obesity, including one study that demonstrated it actively caused participants to overeat. Hall announced his early retirement and exit from NIH in April, citing censorship of how his research findings were communicated. He's now coauthor of the new book 'Food Intelligence: The Science of How Food Both Nourishes and Harms Us' alongside journalist Julia Belluz. Metabolism and weight loss enter conversations arm in arm, but this, according to Hall, can be reductive. 'I just find it incredibly frustrating sometimes that this idea of metabolism, this really beautiful physiological process that is so fundamental to life, is kind of talked about as, 'Oh well, if you take this supplement, you can boost your metabolism and lose weight,'' he explained to Gupta. You can listen to the full episode here. Is a faster or higher metabolism really the highway to weight loss? Hall is here to set the record straight, highlighting three misconceptions about metabolism that show there is more to it than meets the eye. Myth 1: People with obesity have slow metabolisms One common belief is that a slower metabolism results in a higher body weight. But mostly, Hall said, the opposite is true. 'Generally, larger people have faster metabolisms than smaller people,' he told Gupta. Hall attributed the pervasiveness of this myth to the way researchers designed early metabolism studies. Scientists initially tried to match up participants' caloric intake to their weight, but they didn't account for the fact that these calorie counts were self-reported. It turned out that those with obesity often underreported the number of calories they ate to a larger degree than their leaner counterparts. This, Hall said, 'led people to a conclusion that, well, if they're eating less calories and they're maintaining their weight, then they must be burning less calories. And maybe the reason why they have obesity is because they have slow metabolisms.' Modern technology now allows researchers to rely on data, not participants' own reports. 'When we actually directly measure people's metabolisms, people with obesity have higher metabolic rates on average than people who are lean,' Hall noted. But the myth that we should be boosting metabolism to treat obesity has stubbornly persisted — and has at times led to deadly consequences. When Stanford University researchers discovered that the chemical compound 2,4-dinitrophenol, or DNP, increased metabolism levels in the 1930s, they enthusiastically promoted it as a safe and effective tool for treating obesity. While DNP did boost metabolism, it also led to side effects that included blindness and death, causing federal drug regulators to quickly withdraw it from the market. 'Maybe,' Hall suggested, 'it shouldn't be too much of a surprise later to realize that with something so fundamentally important to life as metabolism, you can't just turn it up and turn it down with a pharmaceutical drug and not expect some pretty severe side effects, including death.' Myth 2: Metabolism slows down as we age Like weight, age might not affect metabolism as much as you may assume. 'It turns out that until you get to very advanced ages, we're talking 70s and 80s, it looks like our metabolic rate is roughly constant,' Hall said. There are, of course, changes in the aging body that can impact metabolic rates. People 'past the age of 30 or so,' Hall said, are 'tending to lose muscle mass or tending to lose lean mass, and they're tending to gain fat mass. And that alone is anticipated to result in a lower metabolism.' That's because lean muscle burns more calories than fat. But it's these age-related changes — that are not inevitable — and not age itself, that influence one's metabolism. 'Once you get rid of that effect … it doesn't seem like there's a fundamental aging effect to slow metabolism as, as we get older,' Hall concluded. A couple ways to combat the loss of lean muscle mass as you age is by engaging in twice-a-week strength training and getting enough protein in your diet (but no need to go overboard). Myth 3: A high metabolism is necessary for weight loss Another pillar of metabolism mythology is the idea that a slow metabolism is the enemy of continued weight loss. Interventions such as dieting are believed to slow metabolism to the point that you can't lose any additional weight. But keeping your metabolism from slowing down isn't the key to sustained weight loss, Hall said. In fact, it's just the opposite. 'The people who are most successful at losing weight and keeping it off are the ones who sport the slowest metabolisms or the greatest reductions in metabolism,' he said. 'It's kind of like stretching a spring, right?' The more intensely someone diets or exercises, the more weight they'll lose and the more their metabolism will slow down, he explained in his book. Hall's research showed that a slower metabolism 'didn't seem to determine anyone's ability to lose weight or keep it off in the short or long run.' By uncoupling metabolism from the weight loss conversation, Hall said he hopes everyone can appreciate the phenomenon for what it really is. Misinformation about metabolism 'has really distracted people, I think, from the real beauty of what this is,' he told Gupta. 'It's harnessing the continuous flow of matter and energy in our food and in our breath and powering every cell in our body, as well as the bodies and cells of practically every organism that we have ever encountered,' Hall said. 'It's a fundamental component of life, and it's just incredibly fascinating.' We hope these three insights help you understand your metabolism better. Listen to the full episode here. And join us next week for a new episode of Chasing Life.
