FDAV Consumer, June 1980

koto., zo. i^/s June 1980 Blue Language And The Jakewalk Blues %: Patricia Roberts Harris Secretary, U.S. Department of ':-! Health and Human Services I..-. ^ DIVISION Julius B. Richmond, M.I). GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS" jrrcr.Y Assistant Secretary for Health JU.S. DEPCJITCr.Y iDO0C:.'.£NT. VOL. 14 NO. t D-295 June 1980 Jere E. Goyan, Ph.D. Commissioner of Food and Drugs Blue Language and the Jakewalk Blues 6 Wayne L. Pines was a drink also Associate Commissioner Jake popular illegal during prohibition. It for Public Affairs caused paralysis. Our writer recalls what happened to his jake-drinking father and reconstructs how FDA helped solve the jake contamination case. Roger W. Miller/Editor Harold C. Hopkins/Editorial Director Letter to a Young Saccharin User 12 Commissioner Jere E. Goyan responds to a young Jesse R. Nichols/Art Director letterwriter who drinks diet soda and worries about the con sequences. FDA Consumer (436210) is the official magazine of the Food and Drug Administration, Rock- A Peek Into America's Shopping Bag 14 ville, Md. 20857, and is monthly, ex published Food-buying habits the American public are constantly cept for combined issues for July-August and of Here's the latest on a those habits. December-January. Subscriptions should be changing. survey of ordered from and made payable to SUPERIN TENDENT OF DOCUMENTS, Government Keeping an Eye on Glaucoma 16 Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402, at A silent disease of the eye, glaucoma can ruin the optic $12.00 a year ($15.00 foreign mailing). Second- nerve cause blindness. can class postage paid at Washington, D.C, and and It also be treated with drugs additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: and surgery. Send address change to FDA Consumer/HFI- 20, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Md. 20857. Learning About Loading Up on Nutrients 20 Address for editorial matters: FDA Consumer. Nobody knows what large, consistent doses of vitamins and HFI-20, Food and Drug Administration, 5600 other nutrient supplements do to normal, healthy individu Fishers Lane, Rockville, Md. 20857. als. A new FDA unit starts a study of the question. Text of articles published in FDA Consumer Brushing and Rinsing To Prevent Cavities 22 may be republished without permission. Credit to FDA Consumer as the source is A panel of outside experts advises FDA that some ingredi appreciated. ents in dentifrices help cut down on tooth decay. The panel Use of funds for this printing publication ap also suggests that gels and rinses that do the same job proved by the Office of Management and should be made more readily available. Budget November 1, 1972. FDA Consumer was previously known as FDA Papers. Section 705 [375] of the Food, Drug, and Cos Update 2 metic Act: Consumer Forum 4 (a) The Secretary shall cause to be published from time to time reports summarizing all judgments, decrees, and court orders which The Notebook 26 have been rendered under this Act, including the nature of charge and the disposition Investigators' Reports 28 thereof. (b) The Secretary may also cause to be dis seminated information regarding food, drugs, Seizures 32 devices, or cosmetics in situations involving, in the opinion of the Secretary, imminent danger Notices of Judgment 34 to health, or gross deception of the consumer. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the Secretary from collecting, report ing, and illustrating the results of the investiga tions of the Department. Inside Front Cover: This familiar scene is still an important scene, a panel of experts has reported in reviewing dental products for the Food and Drug Ad ministration. The panel said that brushing one's teeth regularly with the pro Cover Design: Paul Salmon per toothpaste is important to dental hygiene. FDA Consumer I June 1980 I 1 Update the potential health hazards associated with the consumption of protein products for prolonged pe riods as the sole or primary source of calories in order to lose weight. Liquid Protein Warning Fructose No Alternative In 1977 FDA became concerned about the rap idly growing use liquid protein products that of The whys and wherefores of fructose, a sweetener were being used as the primary or sole source of that is being widely promoted as a diet aid, were calories in low-calorie diets. Seventeen deaths were covered in Fructose: Questionable Diet Aid, in the attributed to the use of these products. Steps that March 1980 issue of FDA Consumer. Here's an took, the Agency including a proposal to require update. warning labels, were outlined in Low-Calorie Pro tein Diets in the March 1978 FDA Consumer. Despite the claims of some food and beverage Here's an update. manufacturers, fructose should not be regarded as the "definitive alternative" to the artificial sweet 4, 19X0, Effective August "liquid protein" and ener saccharin or to tabletop sugar, according to a other protein products promoted for use in weight recent announcement by the American Diabetes reduction or as dietary supplements will have to Association (ADA). carry warning labels. A final rule calling for the The nonprofit health organization's statement on new labeling was published by FDA in the April 4 3 calorie-containing sweeteners is discussed in a Register. Federal new 9-page report titled "Fructose, Xylitol and Under the regulation, three types of warnings Sorbitol." are required, depending on how the product is Fructose, xylitol. and sorbitol are sweeteners promoted: that do not contain glucose. Diabetics are discour • Food products deriving more than 50 percent aged from consuming glucose-containing sugars to of their calories from protein and promoted for prevent rapid rises in blood sugar levels. weight reduction must carry the following label: Fructose, the most readily available of the three "Warning: Very low calorie protein diets (below sweeteners, is being used widely in the food and 800 Calories per day) may cause serious illness or soft drink industries. Contrary to some advertised death. DO NOT USE FOR WEIGHT REDUC claims, ADA says that fructose is of "little or no TION WITHOUT MEDICAL SUPERVISION. help" in the diets of overweight people. ADA also Use with particular care if you are taking medica warned against public confusion over pure fruc tion. Not for use by infants, children, or pregnant tose, usually sold in health food stores, and foods or nursing women." with high fructose corn sweeteners. • Protein products promoted as part of a nutri "High fructose corn sweeteners can have as 800 tionally balanced diet plan providing Calories much as 58 percent glucose, the sugar [that dia or more must declare: Use as di "Warning: only betics] are least able to metabolize properly," rected in the diet plan described herewith. Do not ADA warned. Because of this confusing use of the use as the sole or primary source of calories for word fructose, ADA urges both the diabetic and weight reduction." nondiabetic overweight populations to exercise ex • Food products intended for dietary supple treme caution when purchasing foods which have mentation that derive more than 50 percent of labels that claim they are sweetened with fructose. their total caloric value from protein for purposes People interested in fructose should consult their other than weight reduction must state on their la physicians first. ADA advised. bels: "Warning: Use this product as a food supple Copies of ADA's report which also appeared in ment only. Do not use for weight reduction." the March/April issue of Diabetes Care, an Very low-calorie protein diets, especially the liq ADA publication, can be obtained for 50 cents uid protein diet, became a fad in 1977. The fad each or for $40.00 per 100 copies from the Ameri and the major products declined after FDA issued can Diabetes Association, 600 Fifth Avenue. New a public warning in November 1977, but similar York, N.Y. 10020. products have remained on the market. A specially formed U.S. Public Health Service Drug Producers Clarified Protein Diet Task Force has concluded that pro tein products used as the principal or sole source In October 1978 FDA proposed changes in the of nourishment for rapid weight reduction can be general drug labeling regulations to spell out just harmful, and may cause heart irregularities and who could claim to be the manufacturer of a drug death. product. The idea was to end the "man-in-the- The warnings are intended to alert consumers to plant" policy under which a company contracts to 2 I June 1980 I FDA Consumer use another firm's plant, assigns one or more em ing the Immunization Gap. in the November 1977 ployees to oversee production, and then claims to issue of FDA Consumer. The article included a be the drug's manufacturer. Specifics of FDA's la recommended immunization schedule giving the age beling proposals were detailed in Drugmaker ID at which children should receive these protective Rule Proposed, in the December 1978-January "shots." Here's an update. 1979 issue of FDA Consumer. Here's an update. A Federally sponsored panel of medical experts Beginning April 10, 1981, drug manufacturers has confirmed the safety and effectiveness of the — will not be permitted to claim, on their product la major viral vaccines on the market those for po bel, to be the manufacturer of a drug product on lio, measles, smallpox, rubella (German measles), the basis of having placed quality control staff in mumps, rabies, yellow fever, and influenza. the plant of a subcontractor. In a report submitted to FDA, the panel en Under FDA regulations the label of every drug dorsed the continued, vigorous use of vaccines in product must carry the name of either the manu childhood immunization programs, saying these facturer, packer, or distributor.

Load more