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OJ growers want you to drink up - even if you're on a diet Florida citrus growers are fighting back against low-carb diets.

OJ growers want you to drink up - even if you're on a diet

Florida citrus growers are fighting back against low-carb diets.

This week the states's Department of Citrus changed its marketing strategy to convince consumers that orange juice can be compatible with the Atkins diet as well as other popular weight-loss plans, reports Canadian Press.

State lawyers are even considering legal options against some books, such as the South Beach Diet, that discourage orange juice consumption because of its high sugar content.

About $1.8 million US will be spent on the new marketing campaign.

Florida's $9 billion US citrus industry has reason to be concerned since orange juice consumption has fallen from 3.3 billion litres during 2000-2001 to an expected 3.1 billion litres in the current season.

Officials in Florida began to notice the drop last March when low carb diets became a real fad.

Most of Florida's oranges are made into juice and the state is the largest U.S. producer of oranges.

Kidney failure on rise, especially in older women

The number of people in end-stage kidney failure continues to rise.

And, says a new report, an increasing portion of those with the debilitating and potentially fatal condition are older women.

The number of people being treated for kidney failure climbed nearly 20 per cent from 1997 to 2001 said the report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Increasing rates of Type 2 diabetes, often brought on by obesity, bear a large portion of the blame for the problem reports Canadian Press.

By the end of 2001 there were nearly 16,000 patients receiving dialysis in Canada. And diabetes was the primary cause for a third of the people who started treatment for kidney failure in 2001, up from 29 per cent in 1997.

Of all new patients with kidney failure in 2001, 55 per cent were 65 and older.