Ever been prescribed a drug by your doctor and wondered how safe or unsafe it is?
The FDA has recently begun posting a list of prescription drugs under investigation for safety problems on its site. Currently there are only about 20 meds on the list, but the FDA will continue to update it each quarter.
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Tomatoes took the rap for the recent Salmonella outbreak for weeks — and now that it looks like it's been traced to the spicier serrano pepper (linked to 1,300 infections in 43 states), tomato growers are understandably hot under the collar. Since the FDA announced that certain tomatoes shouldn't be eaten, the advisory that lasted from June 7 to July 17 cost growers $100 million.
Growers say the advisory came without consulting them, and that the investigation was conducted poorly (indeed, batteries of tests didn't find a single domestic tomato with the bacteria).
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If you've been avoiding certain tomatoes since this horrific salmonella outbreak, go ahead and bite into any tomato you want. Since no strain of salmonella Saintpaul was found on any farms that were tested, the FDA believes that consumers can now enjoy all types of fresh tomatoes.
The mystery still stands though as to what caused this outbreak in the first place, which has now sickened 1,220 people in 42 states — the earliest case on April 10 and the latest so far on July 4.
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I thought antibiotics were beneficial in fighting infection, but it looks like some antibiotics may be causing some harm as well. The FDA is forcing companies to put a black box warning on certain antibiotics because they've been found to lead to tendinitis and ruptured tendons. Yikes!
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Fruity Loops, Fruity Pebbles, and other technicolor cereals could be bad for kids, and not just because of the sugar high. Turns out, the food dyes used to create such candylicious treats could be contributing to childhood hyperactivity and other behavior issues.
Last week, the Center for Science in the Public Interest began urging the Food and Drug Administration to outlaw eight artificial food dyes, citing three decades' worth of studies that suggest the artificial dyes could exacerbate kids' behavioral problems.
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You're asking and I'm answering.
Dear Fit,
I recently went to see a naturopath about my eczema and she gave me some homeopathic medicine. I'm a little nervous about taking these weird little pills.
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Regulators are considering a proposal today that would require potentially gnarly and dangerous side effects be touted as loudly as their miracle cures in pharmaceutical promotions. The FDA is considering requiring TV drug advertisements to also display a number where patients can report serious problems with their medication.
TV advertising has created a culture of savvy drug consumers who think they can prescribe drugs more adroitly than their physicians — ads have become a cornerstone of the pharmaceutical business since regulators allowed them ten years ago.
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If you're trying to eat healthier, you may be trying to ditch foods made with white sugar and artificial sweeteners. What about the sweetener stevia? Have you ever heard of it?
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Watch out, if you've purchased any cantaloupe recently you may want to check the sticker. The FDA issued an alert regarding cantaloupe from Agropecuaria Montelibano, a Honduran grower and packer. Turns out fruit from them may be linked to a salmonella outbreak.
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When you're buying chicken at the store, and the package says "treated with radiation," those little words may make you think twice. I know it sounds like something really bad for you, to eat meat that's gone through radiation, but it's actually a process approved by the FDA. If foods have been irradiated, the FDA requires that they are labeled with a statement such as "treated with radiation” or “treated by irradiation.” They must also show this international symbol for irradiation called the radura.
