Why is the ‘eat less meat’ message such a hard sell? Eating less meat is one of the most effective steps any of us can take to fight climate change, as Nicholas Read points out in his insightful article in The Vancouver Sun last week. [News Source]

Avoid dyes used in treats that play tricks on kids. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has petitioned the Federal Drug Administration to ban dyes used in some candy altogether, calling these dyes the "secret shame" of the food industry. [News Source]

Eat grass, more gas. Contrary to the previously held belief, researchers at the University of Manitoba have discovered grain-fed cows produce less methane than cattle that feast on grass. [News Source]

Eat, drink, and be wary. In 2001, Ajit Varki's dream came true when he drank an extract from pig spit--part of an experiment that he believed might help explain the unique susceptibility humans have to some infectious diseases, cancers, and heart ailments. [News Source]

Red meat primes body for intestinal germ, study finds. Researchers in the United States and Australia said persistently eating red meat appears to prime the body for exposure to a potent form of Escherichia coli. [News Source]

Vitamin E may slash lung cancer risk: Study (Nutraingredients.com) Researchers from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center report that intakes of vitamin E in the alpha-tocopherol form were associated with consistent and independent reductions in lung cancer risk. Other forms of the vitamin did not have any effects on their own, they added. [News Source]

Optimal dose of vitamin E helps heart (UPI) CORVALLIS, Ore., Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Vitamin E has been found to decrease cardiovascular risk, but high doses of vitamin E also result in an increase in nose bleeds, U.S. researchers said. [News Source]

Vitamin Didn’t Lower Prostate Cancer Risk (Washington Post) A large government study of whether Vitamin E and selenium protect men against prostate cancer has been suspended, federal health officials announced yesterday, after an independent analysis determined that the nutrients did not reduce the risk for the common malignancy. [News Source]

Fight Off Aches & Pains This Winter With Extra Vitamin D (Newswise) A lack of vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, during dismal winter months often results in muscle, bone, or joint aches and pains. The solution is as simple, safe, and inexpensive as an extra daily dose of vitamin D, says a research review from Pain-Topics.org. [News Source]

Meijer’s Free Antibiotic, Pre-natal Vitamin Program Sparks Leadership Honor (Progressive Grocer) In recognition of its free antibiotic and free pre-natal vitamin programs, Meijer Inc. has been given the Legacy of Leadership award by the Michigan Primary Care Association (MPCA), the nonprofit membership organization that represents community health centers and other community-based providers in Michigan. [News Source]

Low vitamin D common in kids with cystic fibrosis (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) and current treatment recommendations for correcting the deficiency are "inadequate," conclude clinicians from The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, Maryland. [News Source]

Optimal Dose Of Vitamin E Maximizes Benefits, Minimizes Risk (Medical News Today) Vitamin E has been heralded for its ability to reduce the risk of blood clots, heart attack, and sudden death. Yet in some people, vitamin E causes bleeding. Scientists have known for more than 50 years that excess vitamin E promotes bleeding by interfering with vitamin K, which is essential in blood clotting. However, they haven't been able to pinpoint how the two vitamins interact. [News Source]