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After Baby’s Death, Kentucky Parents Sue Infant Formula Maker at Center of 2022 Crisis
The parents of a Kentucky baby who died last fall after drinking bacteria-tainted infant formula are the latest to sue Abbott Nutrition, the manufacturer at the heart of a 2022 crisis that left millions of Americans scrambling to feed their children.
Willow Jade Dellaquila, of Carrollton, Kentucky, was 13 days old when she died on Nov. 5, 2023. She was infected with cronobacter sakazakii, a dangerous germ traced to a can of Similac Total Comfort powdered formula used in the baby’s bottles, records show.
“They told me she had a stroke on her right side of the brain,” Cheyenne Ping, Willow’s 25-year-old mother, said in an interview. “It’s really heartbreaking. No one should have to go through this.”
Ping and the baby’s 26-year-old father, Christian Dellaquila, can move forward with a lawsuit against Abbott, an Illinois judge ruled Wednesday.
Pesticide Exposure Linked to Higher Risk of Stillbirth: New Research Reveals
The comprehensive study, titled “Pesticide Exposure During the First Trimester and Its Associations With Stillbirth,” was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
It uncovered that residing within 0.3 miles (500 meters) of areas where pesticides are applied, particularly during the 90 days prior to conception and throughout the first trimester, is associated with a heightened risk of stillbirth.
Researchers examined data from 27 different pesticides and linked these with state birth records, including over 1.2 million births and nearly 2,300 stillbirths from 2006 to 2020.
Their findings reveal that certain pesticides, especially within the organophosphate, pyrethroid and carbamate classes, are significantly linked to stillbirth risk.
Pesticides, widely used to manage pests in agriculture and households, can enter the body through various routes, including diet, occupational exposure and residential use.
This study underscores that pregnant women may be especially vulnerable to pesticide-related health risks due to physiological changes that occur during pregnancy.
Lawmaker Wants to Ban California Schools From Serving Food With Red 40, Other Dyes
A state lawmaker from the San Fernando Valley has resumed his push for a bill that would ban public schools in California from serving food or beverages containing synthetic food dyes such as Red 40 that child health advocates say can harm developing brains and cause neurobehavioral problems.
Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, D-Encino, is the author of Assembly Bill 2316, the California School Food Safety Act, which proposes to prohibit food containing six synthetic food dyes — Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2 and Green 3 — from use in school meals.
The dyes — often found in chips, candies, frosting, soda and sports drinks — are used to enhance the colors so food is more visually appealing but, Gabriel said, they don’t change the taste. There are safer alternatives like pomegranate juice that could be used instead, he said during a press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 6.
According to Gabriel, some school districts, including Los Angeles Unified, have already removed from their menus food items containing the dyes his bill is targeting.
Zero Calorie Sweetener Linked to Blood Clots and Risk of Heart Disease, Study Finds
Consuming a drink with erythritol — an artificial sweetener used to add bulk to stevia and monk fruit and to sweeten low-carb keto products — more than doubled the risk of blood clotting in 10 healthy people, according to a new pilot study.
Clots can break off blood vessels and travel to the heart, triggering a heart attack, or to the brain, triggering a stroke. Previous research has linked erythritol to a higher risk of stroke, heart attack and death.
While small, the study was “very intriguing and interesting,” said Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver.
“I’m not saying we need to cease using these sugar alcohols immediately, but this line of research certainly begs the question: Are they safe or not?” said Freeman, who was not involved in the research.
New Organic Rules for Livestock: What Will They Mean?
If you consider yourself a conscious consumer, grocery shopping can get very complicated very quickly, with countless different labels implying that the food inside was produced humanely.
It’s important to know what these labels mean, and that can be difficult with a term like “organic,” which is often used loosely in casual conversation. But what does meat or dairy being organic really mean for animals, farmers and consumers?
The purpose of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards is to ensure “clear, consistent and enforceable” animal welfare standards, according to the Organic Trade Association.
The rules cover all types of livestock: non-aviary species like lamb and cattle have one set of requirements, while birds of all kinds have another. There are also some additional rules that apply to specific species, such as pigs.
It’s long — over 100 pages in total. Some of the rules are fairly simple, like the bans on certain practices, including gestation crates for pregnant pigs; others, like those addressing how much space livestock must have in their living quarters, are much more lengthy and complex.
A Diet High in Fruits and Vegetables May Reduce Your Heart and Kidney Disease Risk, Study Says
Eating a couple more apples (and broccoli florets, cucumbers, bananas or green beans) may really help keep the doctor away — especially for people with high blood pressure at risk for heart and kidney disease, according to new research.
“Patients with high blood pressure, the two big problems that they get is heart disease and kidney disease,” said lead study investigator Dr. Donald Wesson, professor in the department of internal medicine at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin.
“The study tested whether or not reducing the amount of acid in our diet reduces the kidney disease- and heart disease-related complications of high blood pressure,” he said.
