More than half of adults in the U.S. take some type of vitamin each day – a number that has grown steadily over the past 20 years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. [Read more…]
You May Not Need a Vitamin D Supplement
October 23, 2018 By 1 Comment
Are Carbs the Culprit?
September 12, 2018 By Leave a Comment
New evidence from a sweeping study of diet choices reinforces the old adage, “Everything in moderation.” [Read more…]
What We Know About Fasting For Weight Loss
May 14, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Fad diets come and go as often as trains in a busy station and many suggest completely different approaches to weight loss. Protein-based diets encourage participants to forgo processed foods and carbohydrates. Programs like Weight Watchers prescribe a healthy diet with a variety of foods but restrict calories for weight loss. And plant-based diets eliminate animal products including meats and dairy foods. [Read more…]
How much alcohol is too much?
May 9, 2018 By Leave a Comment
A glass of wine with dinner. A beer at a barbecue.
For decades, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines advised that drinking in moderation would not lead to medical problems for healthy adults and may even improve heart health. But a new analysis published last month in the British journal The Lancet calls into question the idea that an alcoholic drink or two a day is harmless. At the same time, critics say the review does not account for other factors – such as diet, exercise, and socioeconomic status – that may influence a person’s overall health. [Read more…]
Are Nutrition Labels an Effective Weapon Against Obesity?
March 19, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Millions of Americans make goals to lose weight every year. Diet books, weight-loss apps, and meal supplements abound. But research shows changing our environments may have a more significant influence on our food choices, and ultimately our health. [Read more…]
New Evidence Finds Vitamins Are Often Unnecessary
February 20, 2018 By 1 Comment
Americans spend more than $36 billion a year on vitamins and nutritional supplements – all in the hopes for leading healthier lives. More than half of Americans take at least one vitamin a day, and millions take more than that. But do vitamins actually improve your health? [Read more…]
New Evidence Links Sugary Drinks and Obesity
February 8, 2018 By Leave a Comment
You have, no doubt, heard the statistics about obesity in the U.S: Nearly forty percent of adults and nineteen percent of youth are obese, the highest rate the country has ever seen, according to the most recent data from the National Center for Health Statistics. We hear all sorts of reasons why people gain weight such as too many sugary drinks, not enough physical activity, and a lack of access to healthy foods. [Read more…]
Is Breakfast the Most Important Meal?
September 13, 2017 By 1 Comment
For decades, common wisdom held that how much we eat and exercise determines our weight. As researchers learned more about the human body, they discovered that what people eat plays an important role in weight gain and loss. This led to a wide range of dietary recommendations that changed over time: Don’t eat fats. Avoid sugars. Eat protein at every meal. [Read more…]
Coffee and Health: What’s The Verdict?
May 16, 2017 By 1 Comment
Do you start your day with a warm cuppa joe? Most Americans do. More than 80 percent of U.S. adults drink coffee every day. And the average person drinks just over two cups each day. That’s a lot of coffee! While most people think it tastes delicious and provides an energy boost, is it good for us? [Read more…]
The link between sleep deprivation and weight gain
December 8, 2016 By 1 Comment
We’ve all experienced the feeling of starting a day without enough sleep. Maybe circumstances out of your control kept you awake, such as a bout of insomnia or needing to care for a sick child. Or maybe you stayed up too late binge-watching a new Netflix series or reading an engaging book. [Read more…]
GMOs: Agricultural improvement or health threat?
June 15, 2016 By Leave a Comment
At the grocery store or in the news, you’ve likely come across the controversy over products made with genetically-modified organisms, or GMOs. Scientific advances that use biotechnology to create plants that can resist disease and insects, offer higher yields and include additional nutrients have sparked fear among the public. The worry is that that genetically-modified foods will harm human health and the environment. [Read more…]
Exercise for Weight Loss?
May 11, 2016 By 3 Comments
Contestants on the reality television show “The Biggest Loser” exercise for hours a day and follow restricted diets to lose dozens of pounds on the show. But a longitudinal study published this week found very few of them were able to maintain their weight loss in the years following their appearances on the show. (The New York Times published a story this week on the study and the contestants experiences.) [Read more…]
