Roundup: U.S. Agencies Warn About Fake COVID-19 Products; Impact of Exercise on Appetite; and One Egg a Day is OK

U.S. Agencies Warn Companies About Fake Products That Claim to Treat, Prevent COVID-19

U.S. regulators — the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission — warned seven companies to stop selling soaps, sprays and other concoctions that they claim can treat the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) or prevent people from getting it.

The warnings were emailed to companies based in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. In a news release, the FDA and the FTC warned that thise products were fraudulent and “pose significant risks to patient health and violate federal law.”

“The FDA considers the sale and promotion of fraudulent COVID-19 products to be a threat to the public health. We have an aggressive surveillance program that routinely monitors online sources for health fraud products, especially during a significant public health issue such as this one,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, M.D.

The FDA is particularly concerned that products claiming to “cure, treat or prevent serious diseases like COVID-19” may lead to consumers delaying or stopping appropriate medical treatment.

There are no approved treatments for the new virus, the agencies stressed. Potential treatments and vaccines now in testing won’t be ready for many months or more than a year, the FDA and FTC said.

For more information on the companies that were issued warning letters, go to the FDA’s full news release.

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Regular Exercise Seems to Diminish Appetite for Unhealthy Foods, Research Shows

Those beginning regular exercise programs may start to experience less of an appetite for fattening or high-calorie foods, a shift which could have positive long-term benefits for those seeking weight control, researchers have found.

A recent study reviewed changes in “food reward and eating behavior traits” after a supervised 12-week exercise intervention in inactive individuals who were overweight or obese.

Fifteen of the volunteer participants were asked to resume their normal habits as a control group, while the other 46 began exercising, going to a gym five times a week for about 45 to 60 minutes, or until they had burned about 500 calories per session. They continued this training for 12 weeks, eating whatever they liked.

Most, but not all, of the exercisers had lost some weight, while some of those in the control group had gained weight. The men and women in the control group displayed few, if any, changes in their appetites.

In previous studies, active people of normal weight were less interested in high-fat, calorie-heavy foods, compared to sedentary people who were obese. However, exercise for many people increases appetite, other studies have shown, which proves counterproductive for people looking to lose weight and keep it off.

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Eating One Egg a Day Won’t Raise Your Heart Disease Risk, New Research Says

The debate has over eggs has persisted for years. Are they good or bad for your? A new study confirms that one egg a day is just fine and is not linked to an increased risk of heart disease, says study author Frank Hu, M.D., who chairs the department of nutrition at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Researchers reviewed data from large studies involving 215,000 women and men who had no major chronic disease. They were asked about their egg-eating habits and most said they ate between one and five eggs a week. Their health was monitored over a 34-year period.

For the majority, eating eggs did not have a negative impact on their health. The only link between a high consumption of eggs and heart disease was found in people with type 2 diabetes, an association already found in previous studies. What if people ate more than one egg a day?

“On average, most people don’t eat more than an egg a day,” Dr. Hu said. “They might eat two eggs per breakfast, but only two or three times per week. So the average consumption is actually less than one egg per day.”

The research team also reviewed studies from Europe, Asia and the United States and found that eating up to one egg a day had no negative affect on heart health.

Health experts suggest eating as little dietary cholesterol as possible, keeping intake under 300 milligrams (mg) a day. One large egg has about 186 mg of cholesterol — all of which is found in the yolk. So if you have questions about egg consumption, even just one egg a day, consult with your primary care physician and check your cholesterol levels.

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