Health & Diet News
- Ultra-processed Foods Linked to Health Problems and Early Death
February 29, 2024 — According to the research study, there were direct associations between a higher intake of ultra-processed foods and a greater risk of dying early, deaths from heart disease, common mental disorder outcomes, overweight or obesity, and Type 2 diabetes.
- Tree Nuts and Your Health: What to Know About the Super Snack
February 26, 2024 — As a snack, tree nuts pack a punch with added heart benefit.
- Fuel Your Body With Color: A New Guide to Healthy Eating
February 16, 2024 — Turns out the pot of gold at the end of the (food) rainbow is health.
- A Cousin to the Mediterranean Diet Shows 2 Big Benefits
February 12, 2024 — People who followed the Atlantic diet eating pattern significantly reduced their waistlines and improved their cholesterol levels, a new study shows.
- What Counts as a 'Low-Carb' Diet and Is It Right for You?
February 7, 2024 — Among the scientific community, there remains a real discrepancy about what "low carb" means and who would really benefit from these types of diets.
- New Study Reveals Why Fats and Sugars Are Irresistible
January 26, 2024 — If fats and sugars sometimes seem irresistible, you’re not alone. A new study published in Cell Metabolism reveals why.
- How Much Alcohol Is Safe to Drink? 'Not Much' May Be the Answer
January 17, 2024 — When it comes to alcohol consumption, moderation is everything.
- Weight Gain in Children Linked to Drinking Fruit Juice: Study
January 17, 2024 — Limiting the amount of 100% fruit juice that children drink could be a way to help combat childhood obesity, particularly among young children, new research suggests.
- New Technique Reveals True Count of Nanoplastics in Bottled Water
January 9, 2024 — Each liter of water in a plastic bottle may contain more than 100,000 microscopic pieces of plastic, new research shows. The important finding suggests that the amount of plastic consumed by many people simply through drinking a bottle of water is 10 times greater than thought before.
- 2024 Best Diets: Mediterranean Diet Wins – Yes, Again
January 3, 2024 — The Mediterranean diet, with an emphasis on overall diet quality rather than a single food group or nutrient, swept the categories for best diet of 2024.
- Regularly Adding Salt to Food May Lead to Kidney Damage
December 28, 2023 — A study published today found that people who added salt to their food, even just sometimes, faced a higher risk of getting chronic kidney disease.
- Ultra-Processed Food and Your Health: What to Know
December 20, 2023 — Figuring out why ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are linked to more chronic health conditions like heart disease and obesity remains an important puzzle for nutrition experts to figure out. When they do, the worst offenders could be taxed or regulated by the government while other UPFs that people enjoy could be reformulated to make them less of a long-term threat to health.
- Is 'Vegan' a Dirty Word? Study Finds It Turns Some People Off
December 13, 2023 — In a new study, researchers at the University of Southern California set out to learn how vegan labeling influenced consumers, finding that the word may turn some people off from trying vegan products.
- ‘Food as Medicine’ Concept Starts to Catch On: What to Know
November 21, 2023 — The “food as medicine” movement says doctors should use food “prescriptions” as medical treatment. There’s now real money behind this approach, and larger investments are expected as research shows that food as medicine can save money. Here’s what to know.
- Watching What You Eat? How to Navigate Meals This Holiday Season
November 20, 2023 — Nutrition and diabetes experts offer tips for dealing with holiday meals this season if you are watching your weight, or are living with diabetes, obesity, or other health conditions.
- Research Supports Healthy Promise of More Plant-Based Eating
November 16, 2023 — The research estimated that replacing a single serving of processed meat each day with whole grains, nuts, or beans was associated with a 23% to 36% lower risk of cardiovascular problems such as stroke and heart attack.
- Mediterranean 'Diet' Is Really a Lifestyle With Benefits
November 13, 2023 — The Mediterranean Diet isn't really a "diet," as the word is commonly used. It's more of a way of life. A delicious way of life.
- Will California's Ban on Red Dye No. 3 Prompt More Action?
October 30, 2023 — Advocates for phasing out Red Dye No. 3 and other harmful additives hope these state-based developments will spur the FDA to finally take similar action and respond to a petition requesting the ban of Red Dye No. 3.
- Watchdog Group Finds ‘Concerning’ Levels of Heavy Metals in Chocolate
October 26, 2023 — Consumer Reports is calling on the makers of dark chocolate products to limit levels of heavy metals, after what the watchdog group called “concerning” test results.
- Depression Linked to Ultra-Processed Foods, Sweeteners
October 20, 2023 — Ultra-processed foods are energy-dense and ready-to-eat food items including things like processed breakfast meats, packaged snacks, and ice cream as well as artificially sweetened drinks.
- Being a Vegetarian Could Be Linked to Genetics
October 5, 2023 — Researchers have discovered a set of genes associated with people who stuck to a vegetarian diet for at least a year.
- How What You Eat Is Linked to Midlife Weight Gain
September 28, 2023 — Eating an extra 100 grams a day of starch from vegetables like corn, green peas, or potatoes was linked to 3.3 pounds more weight gain over 4 years.
- Not All Fruits Play Well Together in Your Morning Smoothie
September 12, 2023 — Mixing fruits like bananas -- which brown quickly -- with things like berries may limit the nutritional benefit of those berries.
- Before Plant-Based Went Mainstream, There Was ‘Forks Over Knives’
September 11, 2023 — It’s been more than a decade since the documentary “Forks Over Knives” was released, in which people were shown to reverse the signs of heart disease while eating a whole-foods, plant-based diet.
- Maker of ‘One Chip Challenge’ Pulls Product From Shelves
September 8, 2023 — The manufacturer of an extremely spicy tortilla chip marketed as the “One Chip Challenge” is pulling the product from store shelves after a Massachusetts woman said her 14-year-old son died after eating one of the chips.
- Daily Use of Sugary Drinks Raises Risk of Liver Ailments in Postmenopausal Women, Study Says
August 9, 2023 — The study found that women who are beyond menopause who consumed at least one sugar-sweetened beverage daily had an 85% higher risk of developing liver cancer and a 68% higher risk of dying from chronic liver disease.
- Plant-Based Milks Lack Naturally Occurring Nutrients
July 28, 2023 — Most plant-based milks, such as almond or oat milk, have less calcium, vitamin D, and protein than what is found in cow’s milk, a cornerstone beverage for meeting nutritional needs, according to research from the University of Minnesota.
- Olive Oil Is Having a Moment. Is It the Ultimate Superfood?
July 27, 2023 — Olive oil has been tied to lower risks of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, neurological diseases like dementia and Parkinson’s, and early death in general.
- Going Vegetarian May Help Your Heart and Lower Diabetes Risk
July 26, 2023 — In people with heart or other vascular diseases, or who are at risk of them, a new analysis shows that vegetarian diets are linked to lower cholesterol and body weight, and better blood sugar control.
- Going Vegan, Or Just Eating Less Meat, Helps the Environment
July 21, 2023 — The diet with the lowest impact on the environment was found to come from vegans, who eat a plant-based diet and exclude animal products like meat and dairy. Vegans had one-fourth the environmental impact as meat eaters.
- WHO Declares Common Sweetener as Possible Carcinogen
July 14, 2023 — The World Health Organization said this week the artificial sweetener aspartame is a possible carcinogen, meaning it may cause cancer. But the risk only comes with huge amounts of the sweetener.
- Grab the Yogurt: Whole-Fat Dairy OK for a Heart-Healthy Diet
July 11, 2023 — The finding flies in the face of U.S. and other dietary guidelines that recommend restricting whole-fat foods in favor of low-fat products.
- Don’t Give Caffeine Too Much Credit, Coffee Study Suggests
July 5, 2023 — A new study suggests that coffee may be superior to other caffeine sources when it comes to priming the brain for a productive, action-packed day.
- Intermittent Fasting, Calorie Cutting Bring Equal Weight Loss
June 29, 2023 — Sticking to a tedious calorie-counting diet does just as much for weight loss as eating within a narrow window of time, according to a new study from the University of Illinois, Chicago.
- Don’t Use Sugar Substitutes for Weight Loss: WHO
May 15, 2023 — The World Health Organization now recommends that people trying to lose weight should not use sugar substitutes known as non-sugar sweeteners.
- How to Spot the Least Healthy Snacks for Kids
May 4, 2023 — Packaged foods for children that have popular characters on the box are probably less healthy than options that don’t have dazzling labels, a new Canadian study indicates.
- How Old Is Too Old to Start Strength Training?
April 14, 2023 — Lifting weights may be the best way to improve quality of life for older adults, even if they’ve never held a dumbbell in their life.
- Study Offers Dozens of Reasons to Cut Sugar
April 6, 2023 — A new compilation of nearly all research to date on the health impacts of sugar offers dozens of reasons to cut back now.
- Study: Moderate Drinking Isn’t Good for Your Health
April 3, 2023 — A new study shows light to moderate drinking doesn’t provide any health benefits, despite the widespread belief that having a glass or two of alcohol can be good for a person’s health.
- FDA Wants to Allow More Foods to Use Salt Substitutes
March 28, 2023 — The FDA wants to start allowing salt substitutes to be used in staple foods like cheese, milk, and bread.
- Second Lab-Made Chicken Product Gets Safety Stamp From FDA
March 22, 2023 — A second company has gotten a “no questions” letter from U.S. regulators saying its version of lab-grown chicken is safe to eat.
- Blueberries, Green Beans Join Environmental Group’s ‘Dirty’ List
March 15, 2023 — Three-quarters of non-organic produce sold in the United States comes with potentially poisonous chemicals, the Environmental Working Group says in its latest ranking of the “best and worst” fruits and vegetables for pesticide exposure. Blueberries and green beans joined the group's “Dirty Dozen” list -- the 12 non-organic, or conventionally grown, fruits and vegetables with the most pesticides.
- Top Risk Factor to Good Health Is Probably Not What You Think
March 7, 2023 — While having genes for disease will increase your risk by 30% to 40%, having a bad lifestyle for disease will increase your risk by 300% to 400%.
- Should You Skip Dark Chocolate This Valentine's Day?
February 14, 2023 — Consumer Reports announced they'd tested 28 different dark chocolate bars -- and found lead and cadmium in every one of them.
- Hundreds of Prepared Food Products Recalled Over Listeria Concerns
February 6, 2023 — Dozens of brands of prepared foods are being recalled due to possible contamination with the dangerous bacteria listeria. The products were sold at a wide variety of locations, including retail stores, on trains, and in vending machines.
- Community Gardening Could Boost Your Lifestyle and Your Health
February 3, 2023 — A recent study shows that people who picked up community gardening were able to improve their physical and mental health. Is it time to change our approach, and expand the path to finding a healthy lifestyle that's right for you?
- Many Older Adults Are Addicted to Highly Processed Foods: Study
January 31, 2023 — Food addiction may be more common among older adults than addiction to alcohol or tobacco, according to a new study.
- USDA Strengthens Rules to Reduce 'Organic Fraud'
January 20, 2023 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has amended its rules to increase oversight and enforcement of the production and sale of organic products in an effort to reduce “organic fraud.”
- Experts Still Don't Agree About How Much Water We Need Daily
January 19, 2023 — While researchers dig deeper into how much water we should have, people should take cues from their bodies.