New Evidence Finds Vitamins Are Often Unnecessary

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

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?

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?

CC0 Public DomainDo 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

sleepWe’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?

dnaAt 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?

obese1Contestants 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…]

Does fasting work for weight loss and health?

obesity-300x225Every few years, a new diet becomes popular for its promise to help people lose weight and improve their health. Sometimes, these diets are based on sound evidence, and other times they are not. Often when new diets first become popular, there is not enough data to know whether they really work. [Read more…]

The evidence on salt? The jury is still out

salt-shaker_300To most people across the globe, salt tastes delicious. It’s the reason most people crave foods like potato chips, peanuts and pretzels. There’s also a sizeable dose of salt in most processed foods, such as soups, frozen entrees and store-bought sauces. Salt even turns up in foods you wouldn’t expect, such as Corn Flakes and cookies. [Read more…]

New dietary guidelines: Updates on sugar, coffee, and alcohol

dietary-guidelinesThe U.S. Department of Agriculture released updated dietary guidlines earlier this month, which include some recommended changes in American diets.

The report is significant because it determines the foods served in school lunches and sets priorities for the food assistance programs. The guidelines also impact labeling, advertising and the advice given by medical professionals.

[Read more…]

The evidence on avoiding holiday weight gain

christmas_holiday_dinnerIt’s the holiday season!  With that comes the cocktail hours, cookie-baking, end-of-year celebrations and countless other festivities that include delicious food.  Unfortunately, along with that delicious food and festivities, come many extra calories. [Read more…]

Artificial sweeteners: Better than sugar?

SweetnLowSweetenerI never know what to think when I see a Diet Coke or jar of jam labeled as sugar-free. On the one hand, I know that consuming sugar leads to weight gain, among other problems. But on the other hand, I’m suspicious of low-calorie sweeteners. What exactly are they made of, and how do they affect the body? [Read more…]

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