A study showed that boys were almost seven times more likely to become obese when their adult caregivers were also obese, while girls had an about fourfold increased risk, compared with those whose caregivers were not obese. The findings, presented at the meeting of the American Heart Association and based on nearly 1,500 children, ages 8 to 16, and 1,020 adult caregivers, also revealed that children were twice as likely to have a cardiovascular risk factor if their caregivers had at least one CV risk factor.

An appeals court issued a temporary stay that prevents New York City from enforcing its new law requiring chain restaurant menus to include salt warning labels on items that exceed daily recommended limits. Hundreds of restaurants have complied with the law, and city health officials say the labels will make a difference in what customers order.

The Senate Agriculture Committee has approved a bill that would establish voluntary biotech food labeling and prevent the implementation of state-by-state labeling legislation. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., who heads the committee, said consumers and the food industry would see higher costs from a patchwork of state laws. The House already cleared a similar biotech food labeling policy.

Increasing water intake by 1% may reduce total calories and the amount of saturated fat, sugar, sodium and cholesterol consumed each day, researchers reported in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. The study of more than 18,300 US adults found drinking an extra one to three cups of water each day reduced daily total energy intake by 68 to 205 calories.

A study presented at the American Heart Association conference linked eight professions with obesity and other cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension, lack of exercise, high cholesterol, poor diet and smoking. Researchers said data from 5,566 adults showed 68% of people in sales had poor eating habits, administrative support staff often did not get enough exercise, 90% of police and firefighters were overweight or obese and almost 25% of transportation workers smoked.

A New York City elementary school serves only vegetarian lunches, and principal Robert Groff says students do not seem to have the lull in energy usually seen after a midday meal. The vegetarian diet is combined with nutrition education for students and parents. Groff says the cost of providing vegetarian lunches is the same as standard student lunches.