Latest news with #foodAllergies
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
USDA Warns Consumers After Massive Deli Meat Recall
More than 140,000 pounds of deli meat have been pulled from shelves after a major labeling mix-up triggered a federal recall. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that Gaiser's European Style Provisions Inc. is recalling 143,416 pounds of ready-to-eat bologna products that may contain undeclared pork, beef, or chicken. The issue was first flagged after a complaint was filed with the Office of Inspector General's hotline. When FSIS investigated the complaint, it determined that the products contained undeclared source materials. While no illnesses have been reported, the USDA has issued a Class III recall, meaning the mislabeled meat is not expected to cause serious health consequences, but it still violates labeling standards and poses a risk for people with dietary restrictions or food allergies. The bologna was sold between March 20 and June 20 under a wide variety of names. Here's what to look for: Family Tree Bologna Veal Babushka's Recipe Chicken Bologna Fancy Bologna Gaiser's Russian Brand Doktorskaya Bologna Gaiser's Bologna Veal Gaiser's Turkey Bologna Chicken Bologna Kypoyka Paba All affected products will have the establishment number '5385' printed inside the USDA inspection mark. In some cases, the meat may have been sliced and rewrapped at a deli counter, which could make it harder to identify. The USDA recommends throwing away any suspect product or returning it to the place of purchase. Consumers with questions can contact Gaiser's at 908-686-3421 or gaisers@ While the agency doesn't expect any adverse health effects, the recall highlights the importance of transparent labeling and the need for customers to check what's really in their food, especially when it comes to processed meats. Don't forget to check both your fridge and your freezer. USDA Warns Consumers After Massive Deli Meat Recall first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 30, 2025
The Independent
01-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
More parm than good? Cheese may be what's giving you nightmares, scientists say
Having nightmares? Scientists say a love of cheese may be linked to bad dreams. A strong association has been discovered between nightmares and lactose intolerance. In turn, stomach pain or gas during the night can affect sleep. Understanding that relationship — and potentially cutting out cheese — could help improve sleep quality, which may already be disrupted due to noise and light pollution or other health issues. Good sleep is crucial for the body to function well. 'Nightmare severity is robustly associated with lactose intolerance and other food allergies,' lead researcher Dr. Tore Nielsen, of the Université de Montréal, explained in a statement. 'These new findings imply that changing eating habits for people with some food sensitivities could alleviate nightmares. They could also explain why people so often blame dairy for bad dreams!' To reach these conclusions, the researchers questioned more than 1,000 students at Canada's MacEwan University about their sleep, eating habits, and any perceived tie between the two. About a third of participants reported having regular nightmares. The majority of those reporting poor sleep and nightmares were women, who were also more likely to remember their dreams and nearly twice as likely as men to report a food allergy or intolerance. Some 40 percent of the students said they thought that eating late at night or eating specific foods had affected their sleep, and about a quarter believed that consuming certain foods could make their sleep worse. Many blamed bad sleep on spicy foods, sweets, and dairy. However, just 5.5 percent felt that what they ate impacted the tone of their dreams. People with less healthy diets were more likely to have bad dreams and less likely to remember their dreams. The authors compared reports of food intolerances to those of bad dreams and poor sleep, finding that lactose intolerance was associated with gastrointestinal symptoms, nightmares, and low sleep quality. 'Nightmares are worse for lactose-intolerant people who suffer severe gastrointestinal symptoms and whose sleep is disrupted,' said Nielsen. 'This makes sense, because we know that other bodily sensations can affect dreaming.' They noted that improved awareness of food intolerance could mean students in the study ate fewer foods likely to lead to negative outcomes. A previous study, conducted by Nielsen more than a decade ago, showed even more participants reported a link between their food and dreams. Prior research, separate from Nielsen's, has also pointed to this relationship, and blue cheese specifically has been reported to cause vivid dreams. But, there have also been studies showing that dairy helps sleep quality. It remains unclear how sleep and diet impact each other. The authors said additional research is needed to confirm these links and identify the underlying mechanisms. 'We need to study more people of different ages, from different walks of life, and with different dietary habits to determine if our results are truly generalizable to the larger population,' said Nielsen.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Sweet dreams? Not if you eat this popular snack before bed, study says
Looking for a gouda night of sleep? You might want to steer clear of this little nibble before bed. A new study in the journal Frontiers in Psychology suggests dairy might be the grate-est villain to sweet dreams. Researchers polled 1,000 students at MacEwan University in Canada on their sleep quality and eating habits and found an un-brie-lievable link between nightmares and lactose intolerance. 'Nightmare severity is robustly associated with lactose intolerance and other food allergies,' said lead study author Tore Nielsen of Université de Montréal. 'These new findings imply that changing eating habits for people with some food sensitivities could alleviate nightmares. They could also explain why people so often blame dairy for bad dreams!' Looks like that delectable cube of cheese could have you waking up in a cold, curdled sweat! Unsurprisingly, this is especially true if you're sensitive to dairy — which many people unknowingly are. 'Nightmares are worse for lactose-intolerant people who suffer severe gastrointestinal symptoms and whose sleep is disrupted,' said Nielsen. 'This makes sense, because we know that other bodily sensations can affect dreaming.' Nightmares can rob people of restful sleep, Nielsen noted, because they tend to cause the dreamer to awaken in a state of distress — and they may lead to sleep avoidance. About one-third of the study participants admitted that they regularly experience nightmares, with women significantly more likely to remember their dreams and report food allergies than men. Around 40% believed late-night snacking or eating certain foods could lead to tossing and turning all night. Most blamed sweets, spicy food and dairy for their nighttime woes. Only 5.5% of participants suspected what they snacked on seeped into their dreams, but of those, dairy reigned supreme as the dream-warping devil. Still, more research is needed before we give up on cheese Roquefort-ever. 'We need to study more people of different ages, from different walks of life, and with different dietary habits to determine if our results are truly generalizable to the larger population,' said Nielsen. 'Experimental studies are also needed to determine if people can truly detect the effects of specific foods on dreams. We would like to run a study in which we ask people to ingest cheese products versus some control food before sleep to see if this alters their sleep or dreams.' That's nacho average study! The findings shed insight into folklore wisdom that goes back as far as 'A Christmas Carol,' in which Ebenezer Scrooge famously blamed 'a crumb of cheese' for his ghostly visions. In 2005, the British Cheese Board — a cultured organization, to be sure — conducted a study with 200 people and found no link between cheese and nightmares. In fact, a hunk of cheddar appeared to lead to more pleasant dreams, possibly because a happy belly equals a placid midnight mind. And a recent study found cheese might even prevent sleep apnea, thanks to its nutritional density. So — why does cheese keep getting grilled? Some cheeses contain tyramine, a compound that can stimulate the brain by triggering the release of norepinephrine, a chemical that can make you feel more alert. However, biomedical scientist Dr. Zac Turner recently pointed out that most people only eat a few cubes of cheese in one sitting, which would deliver negligible amounts of tyramine. He noted that if you're pairing your cheeseboard with a bottle of wine, that's more likely to be the culprit, as alcohol is a known disruptor of sleep.
Times
01-07-2025
- Health
- Times
Does cheese give you nightmares? Study suggests it's possible
Can cheddar give you nightmares? Is brie a bringer of bad dreams? Will edam damn you to a night of fitful sleep? The belief that eating cheese before bedtime will give you nightmares is often considered an old wives' tale, but scientists have discovered that it could be true. Those with an intolerance of lactose, the sugar in milk, can suffer 'bizarre or disturbing' dreams if they consume dairy products in the evening, probably caused by discomfort in their stomach or gut, according to a study by Canadian scientists. The same can be said for those with gluten intolerance and other food allergies, suggesting that those who regularly suffer from bad dreams may need to alter their diet, particularly what they eat late at night.
Medscape
13-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
What Role Does Diet Play in Managing Atopic Dermatitis?
Eliminating 'problematic' foods or ingredients from the diet is not a sensible measure to apply across all patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), although it may be beneficial for a subset of patients with moderate-to-severe disease who also have documented food allergies. This point was emphasized in several presentations at The World Congress of Pediatric Dermatology (WCPD) 2025 Annual Meeting, held recently in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 'There is currently no role for routine elimination diets in all patients with AD,' said Sandipan Dhar, MD, professor and head of the Department of Pediatric Dermatology at the Institute of Child Health in Kolkata, India, and current vice president of the International Society of Pediatric Dermatology. Dhar noted that when you google the words 'diet' and 'eczema,' about half of the results come from self-proclaimed 'experts,' 30% from educational websites, and 20% from promotional sites. Among the top 10 results, 80% recommend avoiding milk or dairy, and 50% suggest avoiding soy, wheat, and gluten. However, only 3%-10% of patients with AD also have food allergies, though that proportion can rise to one third among individuals with moderate-to-severe disease, Dhar explained. 'Remember: Dietary restriction makes no sense in pediatric or adult patients with mild AD.' Although there are no clear diagnostic criteria, young children with severe AD are more likely to have food allergies, said Dhar. A 2015 population-based cohort study of more than 4000 infants found that those with AD had a sixfold increased risk for food allergy to cow's milk, egg, or peanuts. Effectiveness of Elimination Diets Dhar stated that a review of the literature shows 'mixed results' regarding the usefulness of elimination diets in AD, with few randomized, double-blind studies published in the past 20 years supporting a role for food allergy in clinical manifestations of the disease. A 2008 Cochrane review concluded that there is 'little evidence' supporting the use of exclusion diets in unselected individuals with AD. In 2009, Dhar led an open-label, uncontrolled pilot study in a selected group of 100 infants and children with severe AD. Participants were asked to strictly avoid milk and dairy products, all types of nuts, egg, marine fish, shrimp, eggplant, and soy for 3 weeks. The study found a statistically significant reduction in disease severity scores. However, Dhar clarified that he now critiques his own study ('this is how science progresses') and that the concept of strict food avoidance has evolved. In the past decade, numerous studies have shown that delaying the introduction of foods such as milk, egg, wheat, and peanuts during infancy actually increases the risk of developing allergies to those foods. In the landmark 2015 LEAP trial from the UK, early introduction of peanuts starting at 4 months of age in infants aged 4-11 months with severe AD and egg allergy significantly reduced the risk for peanut allergy compared to those who avoided peanuts until age 5. María Fernanda Greco, MD, a panelist at the congress and head of Pediatric and Adolescent Dermatology at the British Hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina, agreed that there is no single dietary approach suitable for all patients with AD. However, she emphasized that 'there is growing interest in the role of the gut microbiome in skin health' and suggested that enhancing the gut barrier through diets that promote intestinal health, as well as probiotic supplementation (eg, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium found in yogurt and fermented foods) or prebiotics (found in garlic, onions, and bananas), may help improve the skin barrier and reduce disease severity in the short term. For example, a 2021 randomized Polish study found that a probiotic preparation containing three strains ( Lactobacillus rhamnosus ŁOCK 0900, L rhamnosus ŁOCK 0908, and L casei ŁOCK 0918) increased the likelihood of improvement by sixfold over 3 months in children younger than 2 years with AD and cow's milk protein allergy. However, the benefits did not persist after 9 months. Supplementing with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may also help modulate inflammatory responses and improve symptoms, she added. 'It's difficult to take a definitive stance [on the role of diet in AD], but I believe that with each patient, we need to assess whether they might benefit from supplementation, food avoidance, or allergy testing,' Greco concluded. Dhar closed the session by emphasizing that until future studies clarify the relationship between food allergies, AD, and the immune pathways that regulate tolerance and immediate hypersensitivity, clinical decisions about elimination diets should be based on reflective, cautious interpretation of the available evidence. And if an elimination diet is pursued, it should be personalized 'based on the patient's needs, the severity of eczema, and documented correlations between dietary intake and skin flares or food allergies — without neglecting nutritional balance,' he concluded. Dhar disclosed advisory or thought-leader roles with some pharmaceutical companies, though his presentation did not reference any commercial products. Greco declared having no relevant financial conflicts of interest.
