What We're Reading: Soy Health Claims; Opioid Accountability; Keeping the Weight Off

FDA Cracks Down on Health Food Claim

Investors Press Drug Makers for Opioid Accountability

Keeping Off the Weight Requires More Exercise

Claims about the heart benefits of soy may have to be removed from food containers. According to STAT, the FDA wants to remove the health claim since scientific evidence doesn’t show any clear connection. The FDA approved the language in 1999, but began reevaluating the claim in 2007. This marks the first time the agency is moving to revoke a health food claim. Up to 300 products in the United States carry the claim that soy can reduce heart disease.Investors of companies making opioids are pressing the drug makers to protect shareholders against losses from the risk of these products. The “shareholder activists” are asking companies to review the risks to their business from involvement in addictive drugs, reported Reuters. The group includes state pension officials and labor and religious organizations and is filing resolutions with 10 companies. The shareholders are also seeking reforms such as independent board chairs that provide better oversight.A new study of participants from the television show The Biggest Loser found that people who lose weight need more physical activity than public health guidelines suggest. The New York Times reported that to maintain significant weight loss, the participants needed to maintain 80 minutes of moderate activity every day. By contrast, the CDC calls for 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, or less than 22 minutes a day. The study also found that the reason people with massive weight loss needed more exercise was because the participants’ weight loss greatly slowed their metabolism.