Research over the years has shown that the brains of infants and young children are healthier when their moms supplement their pregnancy diets with larger doses of the vitamin-like essential nutrient choline. But choline – found in beef liver and eggs and in supplements – is also essential as children grow, though it can be difficult to get kids to ingest adequate amounts. An entrepreneur is trying to solve that problem with the launch of a gummie supplement that makes that task easier. Sarah Kline, founder of Austin, Texas-based BestCholine, begins shipping her choline supplement this month in 500mg capsules, the amount recommended by the American Medical Association. Her marketing challenge is twofold: spreading the word about her product while educating parents about the need for adequate amounts of choline in developing brains.. [Image Credit: © BestCholine ]

In a comprehensive initiative to make the country’s foods and beverages more healthful, the Spanish health ministry is working with food manufacturers, foodservice companies, and vending machine firms to cut levels of salt, sugar, and fat in more than 3,500 products within two years. The Spanish health minister called the move “a pioneering plan to improve the composition of food, promote the health of Spaniards and prevent chronic diseases.” [Image Credit: © CasualSpain.com ]

Cancer warnings have multiplied in California since 1986, when the Toxic Enforcement Act took effect. Its purpose was to keep unsafe chemicals out of the water supply and warn of dangerous ingredients elsewhere. A state judge will rule soon on whether the law applies to coffee, which contains the flavorless chemical acrylamide, produced during roasting. Acrylamide is on a list of carcinogens that also cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. Businesses must warn of its presence. The coffee case was filed in 2010 by the nonprofit Council for Education and Research on Toxics, which sued dozens of coffee sellers and manufacturers, including Starbucks and Keurig Green Mountain. The defendants argue, however, that coffee contains only harmless trace amounts of acrylamide whose presence is outweighed by the health benefits of the drink.