Here are some of the stories, studies, fads and other foibles of the dietary world that made headlines in 2008....

Have you fallen into the "health halo" trap? Reported on by the New York Times, the health halo is what researchers have dubbed the effect where the presence of a supposedly healthy food within a meal makes consumers judge the whole meal as healthier. ...

(NaturalNews) Higher intake of the omega-3 essential fatty acid known as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) can decrease a person's risk of suffering a second stroke, according to a study conducted by researchers from Toyama University Hospital in Japan and published in the journal Stroke.

Researchers studied 18,645 high cholesterol patients and randomly assigned them to receive one of two cholesterol-lowering statin drugs: pravastatin (also known as Pravachol or Selektine) or simvastatin (also known as Zocor). While 9,319 of the patients received only the designated statin, the other 9,326 had their medication supplemented with 1,800 milligrams per day of EPA. Approximately 5 percent of the patients in each group had previously suffered a stroke.

At the end of five years, the researchers found that supplementation with EPA did not appear to have any effect on participants' risks of suffering a first stroke; 1.3 percent of those in the EPA group suffered a first stroke, compared with 1.5 percent of those in the non-EPA group. This small difference did not achieve statistical significance.

The difference in the rates of second strokes was statistically significant, however, with only 6.8 percent of stroke survivors in the EPA group undergoing a second stroke, compared with a recurrence rate of 10.5 percent in the control group.

The researchers noted that EPA appeared to decrease the risk of a second stroke even though the study was carried out in Japan, where a diet high in oily fish leads most people to have relatively high blood levels of EPA to begin with.

This suggests that "further increases in EPA concentration may lead to prevention of recurrence of stroke," said researcher Kortaro Tanaka.

The current results are consistent with prior research into the benefits of fish oil that has been conducted in the United States and Europe, Tanaka added, implying that "the beneficial effects of EPA which became clear from our study can be applied to other nationalities."

Sources for this story include: www.reuters.com.

(NaturalNews) Recently in a Dear Heloise article, a pet owner wrote she buys treats at a Dollar store for $1 that are "almost the same as $5 treats from the pet store." Unfortunately for this pet owner, discounted dog treats might cost her far more in the long run.

The old adage 'you get what you pay for' usually holds true with pet foods and treats. Discount store pet foods and treats are no exception. Typically, 'Dollar stores' purchase lots of soon to be outdated/expired goods for pennies on the dollar, and then sell cheap hoping to retail all before the expiration date. Some discount stores also purchase lots of imported 'look alike' goods. The red flag for pet owners would be Chinese imported look alike pet foods and treats. However, either way, the pet isn't being provided with much of a treat.

For explanation's sake, let's say that the $1 bag of dog treats is called Fido's Best Chicken Flavored Natural Dog Treats; the bag contains 20 small dog treat pieces, 20 ounces. Just as with pet foods, it is legal for the manufacturer to make "unqualified claims either directly or indirectly" on the pet treat label; Fido's Best Natural might not be 'best' and probably isn't all 'natural'. Let's assume that the discount store purchased the treats for $.50 per bag. If half of the price is manufacturer labor, packaging, and markup expense, each 20 ounce bag of treats contains $.25 worth of ingredients.

Now, if the ingredients cost only $.25 per 20 ounces or 1.2 cents per ounce (about $.19 per pound), how much quality nutrition can this treat actually provide your pet? According to AAFCO regulations, pet treats are only supplemental to the diet; very few labeling or ingredient rules apply to pet treats. So, if a pet food can contain chicken feet and cow intestines and be dubbed Natural Pet Food, just imagine what is allowed with pet treats and what quality of ingredients can be in them. At 1.2 cents per ounce cost for ingredients, you can safely assume the discount treats have only the cheapest left over, garbage ingredients and/or the cheapest of the cheap imported ingredients. Even purchasing bulk ingredients ($380.00 per ton) only the cheapest ingredients could be included in these treats. Either way, there is no actual nutrition provided to your pet and/or your pet's health could be at risk from consuming them.

The other concern of purchasing discount store pet foods and treats is pet owners purchasing expired products. Expired treats or foods can make your pet sick costing you far more in vet bills than the savings from the discounted prices.

If you're ever tempted, if you ever let the thought into your conscious that it's just treats, they won't hurt anything, even if they're cheap my dog or cat will eat them regardless, just consider for a moment what you are giving your pet. Cheap treats (and foods) can ONLY mean the cheapest of ingredients, the poorest quality of ingredients. Don't be tempted. One mistake from the manufacturer that makes foods or treats using the cheapest of ingredients could cost your pet's life and/or thousands in vet bills. If you need to save money on treats, give your pet green beans, carrot and apple slices, or spoonfuls of canned pumpkin. These are inexpensive and provide your pet with some nutrition.

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton

About the author
Susan Thixton has an international pet people following providing dog and cat lovers a trusted source for pet food and pet food ingredient information. She's been called courageous, perseverant, even "the Caped Crusader for Pets" for her 16 year study of pet food. Susan Thixton is the author of hundreds of pet industry articles and the 2006 released book Truth About Pet Food (currently being updated for a second edition). She developed and publishes the pet product consumer magazine Petsumer Report and is a frequent speaker and radio guest all over the U.S. and Canada with more than 70 appearances in the last 2 years. If you are looking for straight forward pet food information that can have an almost immediate impact on your pet's health - subscribe to the free newsletter, and subscribe to Petsumer Report to see reviews of close to 700 dog and cat foods and treats (adding 40+ each month). Susan Thixton's 'truth' will help you find a safer, healthier dog or cat food that could add years to your pet's life. http://www.TruthAboutPetFood.com