A new study finds many American children do not consume enough milk or other calcium-rich foods like yogurt and cheese that build strong bones.

National data shows that most children over age 8 don't get enough calcium, a deficiency that increases their risks for developing osteoporosis in adulthood, the Academy of Pediatrics said in a report released Monday in the journal Pediatrics

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is proposing a new regulation that would require food makers to label the red or orange colorings, cochineal extract or carmine, on food packaging. Those two types of red colorings have been extracted from the ground bodies of an insect known since the time of the Aztecs.

Release of the proposed rule came after the FDA received 35 reports of hypersensitivity to the colorings, the agency said. A 1998 petition by the Center for Science in the Public Interest asked that the FDA take action

The Federal Drug Administration has issued a recall of imported dates that were sold in seven states. Swad brand Dry Dates, sold by Rajah Foods, contain undeclared sulfites, the FDA says. The dates, a product of India, are packaged in 7-ounce uncoded plastic bags.

So far, no illnesses have been reported. But people with severe sensitivity to sulfites may run the risk of serious or life-threatening reactions

According to data from a University of Massachusetts study, proanthocyanidins, or PACs, found in cranberries inhibit the growth of lung tumors and colon and leukemia cells in vitro.

Cranberry PACs contain a unique A-type structure, while most other fruit contains only the more-common B-type PACs

A very low calorie diet can help the heart age more slowly, according to researchers who released what they call the first-ever human study on the subject. The findings confirmed earlier studies on mice and rats that demonstrate the cardiac benefits of a restricted calorie diet.

The study looked at the heart function of 25 members of the Caloric Restriction Society, ages 41 to 64, who consume 1,400 to 2,000 nutritionally balanced calories per day. They were compared to 25 people who eat a typical Western diet, consuming 2,000 to 3,000 daily calories on average