Given a choice between indulgent and healthy foods, what will most people pick? The answer may depend on what foods sit nearby on the grocery shelf, suggests new research. Paradoxically, the nearby presence of an indulgent treat such as Snickers or Oreos can cause more people to opt for a healthy food, such as salmon or grapefruit. Context, in other words, affects food choices.
Public health guidelines, such as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, have long emphasized reducing dietary fat intake, but nutritionists and other health scientists now have more recent evidence that not all fats have adverse effects. Dietary fats differ with regard to their effects on health and risk for chronic diseases, particularly in regard to effects on risk for heart disease.
Many young children have diets of low quality and consume too few fruits and vegetables and too much sugar, salt and fat. High-sugar cereals are heavily promoted to children on TV, encouraging the adoption of poor eating habits.
We have long been told to eat less salt as a high salt diet can lead to high blood pressure, which in turn is a risk factor for a host of health problems including heart disease and stroke. But did you know that, more recently, a high salt diet has been linked to stroke and overall brain health, regardless of the presence of high blood pressure?
A new study finds that the common yeast Candida albicans, a type of fungus, can cross the blood-brain barrier and trigger an inflammatory response leading to the formation of granuloma-type structures and temporary mild memory impairments in mice. These granulomas share features with plaques found in Alzheimer’s disease.
A review in Frontiers in Pediatrics says a common food additive could both cause and trigger coeliac-related autoimmune attacks, and calls for warnings on food labels pending further tests.
A higher intake of vitamin C is crucial for metabolic syndrome patients trying to halt a potentially deadly cycle of antioxidant disruption and health-related problems, an Oregon State University researcher says.
There is no compelling evidence to indicate important health benefits of non-sugar sweeteners, and potential harms cannot be ruled out, suggests a review of published studies in The BMJ.
A new study suggests that high levels of inorganic phosphate - a preservative widely used in certain sodas, packaged meats and other processed foods - may be a reason why the U.S. population isn't as physically active as it used to be.
People with occupational asthma could gain significant benefits from nutritional interventions aimed at reducing fat mass and increasing vitamin D status, according to new research.
A new study links higher levels of several key nutrients in the blood with more efficient brain connectivity and performance on cognitive tests in older adults.
Eating a diet containing foods which are known to promote inflammation – such as those high in cholesterol, saturated fats and carbohydrates – makes you around 40% more likely to develop depression.
Sugar can silence a key protein required for colonization by a gut bacterium associated with lean and healthy individuals, according to a new Yale study.
Food allergies are associated with heightened levels of disease activity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), new research suggests.
Even in developed countries, a large proportion of children don’t get enough vitamins and minerals, and there is some evidence that vegan diets might be adding to this. So how hard is it for vegetarian or vegan parents to get this right while passing on their food preferences?
A randomized trial by Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center researchers indicates that magnesium optimizes vitamin D status, raising it in people with deficient levels and lowering it in people with high levels.
Eating a plant-based diet may lower the risk of chronic disease and is good for the environment, but poorly planned vegan diets that do not replace the critical nutrients found in meat, can lead to serious micronutrient deficiencies.
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation has the potential to enhance neural blood flow, possibly preventing memory decline caused by restricted blood flow or brain cell inflammation.
"Children with ADHD had higher serum zonulin levels and were more impaired in social functioning compared to controls." So said the findings reported by Gonca Özyurt and colleagues exploring zonulin and the assumption that "the level of zonulin increases when intestinal permeability is impaired."
Scientists estimate that we share our bodies with 38 trillion organisms that play an integral part in keeping us healthy and making us who we are. They crawl across our skin, cling to our intestines, and generally call our bodies home.