Reuters reports that a study of 60,000 people in Singapore found that people who drink two or more sweetened soft drinks a week have a significantly higher risk of pancreatic cancer.
People who drank mostly fruit juice instead of sodas did not have the same risk, the study of 60,000 people in Singapore found.
Sugar may be to blame but people who drink sweetened sodas regularly often have other poor health habits, said Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota, who led the study.
"The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth," Pereira said in a statement.
CTV News reports that the study found an 87% higher risk of developing cancer for those who drank two or more soft drinks per week. No higher risk was found for those drinking fruit juice. Pancreatic cancer kills about 34,290 in the U.S. each year on average.
Denny's is offering another free Original Grand Slam breakfast again this year. During last year's giveaway, Denny's fed two million people at restaurants nationwide. The Grand Slam contains pancakes, eggs, bacon strips and sausage links. The free offer runs Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 from 6 a.m. through 2 p.m. Denny's ran some ridiculous chicken ads during yesterday's Super Bowl to promote the free offer. You can find more about the offer on Denny's website.
Chef Edwin Bellanco, the executive chef of the Morrell Wine Bar & Cafe in New York City's Rockefeller Plaza, shows The Today Show's Natalie Morales how to whip up some delicious Superbowl food. For the Saints, Edwin makes spicy Creole shrimp and for the Colts, he makes beef and ricotta sliders. Take a look:
You can see Chef Bellanco's recipes for Beef and ricotta sliders and Shrimp Creole here.
Katie Lee, author of The Comfort Table cookbook, showed Harry Smith how to make some homemade snacks for Super Bowl Sunday. Instead of messy buffalo wings, Katie Lee suggests making Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas using a rotisserie chicken purchased at the grocery store. Her other recipes include Insanely Good Turkey Tacos, Heavyweight Hoagies and Breaded Pork Cutlet Satay. You can find all the recipes here. It looks very windy in Miami. Take a look:
A new study has found no link between the ingestion of fatty foods and developing either heart disease or having a stroke. The findings directly contradict the current recommendations of the American Heart Association, which state that reducing animal fat in the diet will help avoid heart disease and stroke.
The saturated fat found mainly in meat and dairy products has a bad reputation, but a new analysis of published studies finds no clear link between people's intake of saturated fat and their risk of developing heart disease.
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For the current study, researchers led by Dr. Ronald M. Krauss, of the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Center in California, pooled data from 21 studies that included a total of nearly 348,000 adults.
Participants, who were generally healthy to start, were surveyed about their diet habits and then followed for anywhere from five to 23 years. Over that time, 11,000 developed heart disease or suffered a stroke.
Overall, Krauss and his colleagues found, there was no difference in the risks of heart disease and stroke between people with the lowest and highest intakes of saturated fat.
The study's authors are quick to say that they don't think people should go overboard on saturated fats. There are other studies which show a link between saturated fat intake and high cholesterol.
The findings were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and are sure to 1) ignite more debate over food and health, and 2) generally confuse the heck out of everyone who is trying to eat healthily.
Heinz has redesigned its ketchup packets. Consumers can now peel back the lid for dipping, or tear off the tip to squeeze out ketchup. The new package holds three times as much Heinz Ketchup as the traditional packet. Heinz says this is the first ketchup packet makeover for the foodservice industry in 42 years.
"Americans love Heinz Ketchup, and now the Dip & Squeeze product makes it easier and more fun for them to enjoy it on-the-go," said Dave Ciesinski, Vice President of Heinz Ketchup. "From dipping nuggets and fries to squeezing ketchup on hamburgers or eggs, the Heinz Dip & Squeeze product gives consumers more flexibility, so they can have fun and enjoy eating Heinz Ketchup on whatever and wherever they want."
Now that the world's second largest food company has won its bid to buy Cadbury, it has to find a way to pay for the deal. Kraft announced it will issue
$4 billion in corporate debt to pay for it.
Kraft may sell at least $4 billion of notes due in 3.25, 6, 10 and 30 years, said a person familiar with the offering who declined to be identified because terms aren't set. The Northfield, Illinois-based company won the approval of Cadbury’s shareholders for the 11.7 billion pound ($18.6 billion) acquisition on Feb. 2.
Kraft is marketing its debt as yields on investment-grade corporate bonds rose to 4.623 percent on average yesterday, the highest level since Jan. 13. Investors concerned about the strength of the U.S. economy may favor the foodmaker's debt because its businesses aren't highly susceptible to recession, said William Larkin, who helps manage $500 million at Cabot Money Management in Salem, Massachusetts.
"The food business is less economically sensitive, so it's the perfect play in this kind of marketplace," Larkin said. "Could banks have another leg down? It's possible, if unlikely. Will Kraft be around in 10 years? It's very likely."
The Wall Street Journalreports that the debt will be in the form of corporate bonds, which will provide the cash portion of the $19.2 billion sale price.
Most analysts think that Kraft will have no problem selling the bonds.
Katarina Van Derham has been named the 2010 St. Pauli Girl spokesmodel. This is the first time in the history of the beer that the same woman has served as the German barmaid icon for two consecutive years. St. Pauli Girl unveiled two new posters with an updated look. People can vote for the official 2010 poster in an online vote at stpauligirl.com.
As part of her St. Pauli Girl duties, Katarina actually underwent a beer education, which included formal training with the Siebel Institute of Technology and World Brewing Academy. Katarina, a model and actress, was featured in an episode of Entourage last season playing opposite Bob Saget. She has also appeared on the TV shows Monk and CSI, and in the films Cellular and 15 Minutes. She can also be seen in campaigns for AT&T, Dodge, Ed Hardy and Christian Audigier.
"I am so honored to be named the St. Pauli Girl for the second year in a row." said Katarina Van Derham. "I really couldn't be happier, I had so much fun on the 2009 tour and look forward to meeting many more fans this year."
The NPD Group reports
on the most popular Superbowl foods. The list is a surprising one: the number one food eaten on Superbowl Sunday is....vegetables. That struck us as preposterous, until we pictured lots of vegetables accompanied by a large bowl of ranch dressing. That seems likely enough. Or perhaps onion rings are being counted as vegetables?
The potatoes must mean potato chips. Either that or everyone is lying through their teeth to the surveyors. Salad as number 6? We don't think so. And beer didn't even make the top ten.
Here's the list of the most popular Super Bowl foods:
A recent Consumer Reports study found that 39% of samples of pre-washed greens in plastic bags and boxes contained bacteria. Packages with spinach contained the worst contamination. The study was relatively small - only 200 samples were tested - but the findings do indicate that pre-washed greens in bags need to be washed again before being eaten. The good news is that the testing did not find e.coli or salmonella bacteria. Take a look:
Walmart.com recently added a grocery section. Most of the products found in Walmart.com's grocery beta section are not sold online. However, each product listing contains information about the product, including ingredients and nutritional facts. This makes it a useful resource for people considering shopping at Walmart's bricks-and-mortar grocery locations. You can find the grocery department at walmart.com here.
Papa Murphy is offering heart shaped pizzas for Valentine's Day. The pizzas can be picked up from one of the take 'n' bake chain's 1,180-plus locations.
"Pizza is a fun food to begin with, but make it heart-shaped for Valentine's Day and you've got an equation for an entertaining and memorable meal!" said Carron Harris, vice president of product development at Papa Murphy's. "Whether it's a large family gathering or a romantic dinner for two, we're honored that so many choose to celebrate the day with us!"
Walmart is targeting shoppers with new new discounts on HDTVs and food items. Walmart says for less than $500 customers can bring home a 1080p Sanyo 37-inch LCD TV and load up on a range of items to feed a party of eight this week. Here is a list of a few of the discounted televisions.
Vizio 55-inch 1080p LCD TV - $1,298 (save $200)
Vizio 47-inch 1080p LCD TV - $898 (save $100)
Sony 46-inch Bravia 1080p LCD TV - $778 (save $300)
Sony 40-inch Bravia 1080p LCD TV - $668 (save $130)
Vizio 32-inch 720p LCD TV - $368 (save $30)
To commemorate the 44th Super Bowl, Walmart is also offering gametime staples for eight, including hot dogs, appetizers and more, for as low as $44. It is a good deal if don't want to try something more gourmet for your Super Bowl snacks.
One package of Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs (8 ct.)
One package of Johnsonville Bratwursts (6 ct.)
Two packages of Great Value Hot Dog Buns
Two boxes of T.G.I. Friday's Frozen Appetizers
One Hormel Supreme Party Tray
12" Chocolate Chunk Cookie
Two boxes of Nabisco Wheat Thins or Triscuit Crackers (8 to 10 oz. box)
Walmart also set up a special gametime shopping section on its website here.
Chef Andrew Carmellini says pasta is a great dish for a Super Bowl party. Chef Carmellini showed Al Roker how to whip up some delicious, filling pasta instead of boring old chicken wings. Take a look:
You can see Chef Carmellini's recipe for Orecchiette with Shrimp, Toasted Garlic and Hot Peppers here.
Wal-Mart is laying off 11,200 Sam's Club employees. The world's largest retailer is now outsourcing its product demonstrations.
Bloomberg reports;
About 10,000 demonstration employees, most part-time, will lose their jobs when Shopper Events takes over sampling, Sam's Club Chief Executive Officer Brian Cornell told employees today in a memo. The company also is cutting about 1,200 membership recruiting jobs, or about two in each of the club's U.S. stores.
Sam's Club is working with Shopper Events to develop in-store demonstrations, such as food sampling, currently performed by Sam's employees, Cornell said. The effort is aimed at improving demonstrations in the areas of food and beverages, personal wellness and electronics, according to the memo.
Shopper Events will now hire thousands of workers to do demonstrations and laid off employees are encouraged to apply for those jobs. In addition to these layoffs, Wal-Mart is also moving ahead with plans to close ten Sam's Club locations. 1500 people will lose their jobs as a result of those closures.
Now that the world's second largest food company has won its bid to buy Cadbury, it has to find a way to pay for the deal. Kraft announced it will 
Walmart is targeting shoppers with new new discounts on HDTVs and food items. Walmart says for less than $500 customers can bring home a 1080p Sanyo 37-inch LCD TV and load up on a range of items to feed a party of eight this week. Here is a list of a few of the discounted televisions.
