Home appliances could harbour obesity. A team of researchers at University of New Hampshire is investigating whether the increasing presence of chemical flame retardants found in foam furniture, carpeting, microwaves and computers, could be related to the increasing rate of obesity in the US. [News Source]

Newton’s green gang. In Newton climate change has sparked a political movement, an eco-army of residents for whom the fight against global warming is not simply a matter of slogans or cocktail-party chatter but a passion, a way of life. [News Source]

Organic food ‘can add to allergies’. Parental trust in organic food could be a reason more children are suffering from allergies, an academic has suggested. [News Source]

Emissions plan has mayors fuming at White. Four area mayors accuse Houston Mayor Bill White of overstepping his authority with his plan to reach beyond his city limits to negotiate voluntary reductions in carcinogenic benzene emissions at plants from Texas City to Baytown. [News Source]

Beware the enviro-Luddites. In spiritually weak moments, I sometimes envy the blind faith of the environ-zealots, even if the object of their faith is hardly sacred. [News Source]

Pepsi, Coke to add vitamins to soda pop (EARTHtimes.org) Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are adding vitamins to carbonated beverages in an effort to appeal to health-conscious consumers. [News Source]

Pepsi, Coke to add vitamins to soda pop (UPI) Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are adding vitamins to carbonated beverages in an effort to appeal to health-conscious consumers. The New York Times said Diet ... [News Source]

Antioxidant vitamins may not prolong life (ABC 13 Texas) Antioxidant vitamins, including A, E and C, don't help you live longer, according to an analysis of dozens of studies of these popular supplements. [News Source]

Organic Consumers Launch ‘Nutri-Con’ Campaign to Expose Rampant Labeling Fraud in the $20 Billion Vitamin & Supplements … (RedNova) To: HEALTH EDITORS Contact: Ronnie Cumm [News Source]

Organic Consumers Launch ‘Nutri-Con’ Campaign to Expose Rampant Labeling Fraud in the $20 Billion Vitamin & Supplements … (U.S. Newswire via Yahoo! News) On the eve of the Natural Products Expo West convention, the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is launching a new public health and truth-in-labeling campaign called Nutri- Con: The Truth About Vitamins & Supplements. Through public education, marketplace pressure, and litigation, OCA's Nutri-Con campaign will expose the hazards and limited effectiveness of synthetic vitamins and supplements, ... [News Source]

In obesity, the brain is unaware of body fat. A high-fat diet can desensitise the brain to appetite-suppressing hormones, effectively leaving the brain unaware of obesity, a study in mice has found. [News Source]

Obese mothers-to-be ‘burden NHS’. Obese mothers-to-be need significantly more NHS care than pregnant women of a healthy weight, a study says. [News Source]