Rynn Berry wants to set the record straight about Adolf Hitler. "There's absolutely no evidence he was a vegetarian. It simply isn't true." Mr. Berry, a 54-year-old raw-foodist and "vegetarian historian" who is the author of Food for the Gods: Vegetarianism and the World's Religions, is on a mission to dispel the commonly held view that the 20th century's most notorious mass murderer was also an adamant herbivore. Slate

Gaining weight may be a serious risk factor for breast cancer, the American Cancer Society said on Wednesday. Reuters

There are 131 trademarks listed, most of them clearly created by McDonalds - Big Mac, or the Golden Arches logo, for example. But can a hamburger chain really have cornered the market in the use of the words: Healthy Growing Up, or You Deserve a Break Today? BBC

Excessive television watching and fat-laden fast food menus are working together to make U.S. children fatter and fatter, two separate reports said on Tuesday. Reuters

Madison Avenue was challenged again yesterday over the way it markets food to children, as a new report was released suggesting that advertising contributes to childhood obesity. The New York Times

The US town of Slaughterville has no plans to change its name despite a broadside by animal-rights activists. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals proposed that the town, south of Norman in Oklahoma, change its name to Veggieville. Ananova

Eating at least three apples a day or other sources of dietary fiber such as cereals significantly cuts the risk of death from heart disease, researchers said on Monday. Reuters

She charges that his group is like the Taliban. He claims that her group's dangerous message has "spread like a virus across North America, Europe and elsewhere." The issue inspiring such invectives? Not religion, but diets. The latest spat is between Veronica Atkins, widow of Robert Atkins, the doctor who promoted a low-carbohydrate diet, heavy on the meats, and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a group that advocates vegetarianism. The New York Times

Eating a meat-free, vegetarian diet may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, new research suggests. Reuters

Eating a diet rich in antioxidants, such as vitamin E, appears to ward off diabetes, new research reports. Reuters

The use of antibiotics appears to be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and fatal breast cancer, according to the results of a new study reported in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Reuters

People who consume plenty of whole-grain foods, particularly fiber-rich cereals, may be less likely to develop health conditions that put them at increased risk of diabetes, new research suggests. Reuters

A long-awaited nutrition report calls for a major drop in how much salt Americans eat every day, even though the average person already consumes far more than is recommended. Associated Press

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine today called on the nation's schools to drop beef from their lunch programs because of the threat posed by mad cow disease. In a letter to the country's 50 biggest school districts, PCRM Nutrition Projects Coordinator, Jennifer Keller, RD, urged school food service directors to replace beef and other meaty items with safer -- and healthier -- vegetarian fare. Press Release

US natural and organic food retailer Wild Oats Markets has announced that it has removed all products containing hydrogenated oils (trans fats) from the shelves of its 75 Wild Oats stores. Press Release

Smoking damages almost all aspects of sexual, reproductive and child health, reveals a "shocking" new report. NewScientist

Defenders of the carbohydrate are fighting back against the surging popularity of the Atkins and other high-protein diets. Potato and citrus-grower groups have launched multimillion-dollar marketing campaigns after studies showed demand for their products declining due in part to the low-carbohydrate diet craze. And the pasta industry is also raising money to fight back by advertising. Reuters

Infants who experience fevers before their first birthday are less likely to develop allergies by ages six or seven, according to a new study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study, published today in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, lends support to the well-known "hygiene hypothesis," which contends that early exposure to infections might protect children against allergic diseases in later years. ScienceDaily

The immune response of animals exposed to acute stress – about two hours of restraint – was two to four times higher compared to non-stressed animals. This was true when the animals' skin was treated with chemical or protein antigens immediately after a stressful event. An antigen is any substance that the immune system reacts to by producing cells and antibodies. ScienceDaily

The viruses that cause bird flu, Sars, and Ebola formerly affected only animals. For some reason, they crossed the border between species, and infected humans in Asia, particularly. But the mad cow disease that affected Americas traveled in the opposite direction. It crossed from humans to animals and back again. When man eats animals, nature fights back. Exotic diseases are nature's vengeance. The Daily Star

Christina Witwer, a student at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Fla., was hit with a sudden pop quiz one afternoon. Asked how many servings of fruits and vegetables she eats each day, Witwer considered briefly and answered: ''Probably none.'' The Herald Tribune

These mommies serve organic apple slices instead of Oreos. They might share a bed and nurse their offspring well into toddlerhood and refuse to have them vaccinated. They approach every aspect of care and feeding - before, during, and after birth - from a "whole child" viewpoint, in the firm belief that contact parenting and natural foods not only quell tummy aches and temper tantrums but also produce physically robust, emotionally responsive human beings. Maybe their own moms and neighbors and sisters-in-law used to make them feel isolated and a little weird, but not anymore. Holistic parenting has edged closer to the mainstream, and its adherents are finding their voices. AZcentral.com

Half of all Europeans may be suffering from some sort of allergy by 2015 if the escalating epidemic, which is responsible for millions of children missing school and being hospitalised and for adults staying off work, remains unchecked, scientists believe. The Guardian

Dr. Robert Atkins, whose popular diet stresses protein-rich meat and cheese over carbohydrates, weighed 258 pounds at his death and had a history of heart disease, a newspaper reported Tuesday. Atkins died last April at age 72 after being injured in a fall on an icy street. Before his death, he had suffered a heart attack, congestive heart failure and hypertension, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a report by the city medical examiner. Associated Press

Researchers at the Sleep/Wake Research Centre at Massey University have found a short afternoon nap at work can significantly improve workers' alertness and productivity. Stuff

Health concerns over the Red Bull energy drink were fuelled yesterday after Europe's highest court upheld a French ban on the product. The fizzy drink has been linked to several deaths and some experts have criticised its high levels of caffeine and other stimulants. Red Bull is Britain's best-selling energy drink, with 213 million cans consumed last year. It has been dubbed the "clubbers' drink", and is often mixed with vodka. The popular adverts claiming that Red Bull "gives you wings", have led to the brand being described as "the Porsche of soft drinks". It contains caffeine, vitamins, and sugar which, the company claims, kick-starts the body's metabolism and keeps people alert. But France has refused to authorise its sale, along with other vitamin-fortified foods such as Danone yoghurt and Kellogg's cereals. The Independent

Ed Lidzbarski, New Jersey's largest organic vegetable wholesaler, started farming organically in 1976, before many consumers even knew what that meant. Now, even as the market for organic products explodes, he is on the verge of losing his livelihood. His plight is hardly unique. Organic farmers in New Jersey are struggling, even though food scares and chemical fears have helped organic sales grow at five times the rate of conventional food sales in the past few years. The New Jersey Star Ledger

JESUS would be a vegetarian if he was alive today and be appalled at our treatment of animals in factory farms and slaughterhouses, according to a controversial new Christian doctrine sweeping the United States. Bruce Friedrich, the movement’s figurehead, was rated fifth in Details magazine’s 2003 list of the 50 most influential people under the age of 38, ranked just behind Eminem and ahead of Tiger Woods and Leonardo DiCaprio. Scotsman.com

For an upstart food retailer that aims to provide a local alternative to the traditional supermarket, The Root Cellar is looking more and more like one these days. Root Cellar owner Walker Claridge in the North Providence road market he has run for over three years that specializes in organic and local foods, and now features an in-store deli. Started in 2001 as a way to link local farmers and customers, the business at 21 N. Providence Road is now a thriving year-round operation where fresh greens are available even in the dead of winter. Columbia Daily Tribune

Feelings of depression and low self-esteem plague children as they advance through middle school because they get increasingly less sleep, according to a new study of 2,259 Illinois students. "Sleep clearly played a significant role in predicting depressive symptoms and self-esteem during adolescence," says psychologist Jean Rhodes, Ph.D., of the University of Massachusetts, Boston. The research appears in the January-February issue of Child Development. Press Release

We're fat and we know it. So says a recent Minnesota Poll on the state of our weight. Unless you've been eating in a cave this past year, you've heard the alarm that we are an overweight nation: More than 127 million American adults tip the scale with excess pounds, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Star Tribune

The longer white infants from low-income families are breast-fed, the less likely they will be overweight as young children, researchers said on Monday. Reuters