The Sweetener Lowdown (from TCSDaily.com)
By Ruth Kava, Ph.D., R.D.
Publish Date : Tuesday, May 16, 2006
By Dr. Ruth Kava.  While love of money may be the root of most evil, when it comes to obesity, food ingredients -- especially those made in laboratories -- come in at a close second. (Just read the headlines). Witness the media hype around high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a sweetener that has come to replace regular table sugar (sucrose) in a wide variety of foods and beverages. HFCS is now firmly established as a member of the "bad foods" category -- but it shouldn't be...  Read Full >>

Low-Calorie Sweeteners and Other Sugar Substitutes: A Review of the Safety Issues (from Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety)
By Ruth Kava, Ph.D., R.D., Manfred Kroger, Kathleen Meister
Publish Date : Monday, April 17, 2006
Sugar-free or reduced-sugar foods and beverages are very popular in the United States and other countries, and the sweeteners that make them possible are among the most conspicuous ingredients in the food supply. Extensive scientific research has demonstrated the safety of the five low-calorie sweeteners currently approved for use in foods in the United States...  Read Full >>

"Spontaneous" Mad Cow Strikes Other Species, Too (from the Wall Street Journal)
By Ruth Kava, Ph.D., R.D.
Publish Date : Tuesday, August 9, 2005
It's true that the first case of mad-cow disease (BSE) was detected in the 1980s, as noted in your July 18 editorial "The Madness of Herds." But such diseases have been seen in the United States since the late 1960s -- though not in cows...  Read Full >>

Good Stories, Bad Science: A Guide for Journalists to the Health Claims of "Consumer Activist" Groups
By Ruth Kava, Ph.D., R.D.
Publish Date : Friday, June 10, 2005
The media frequently report claims by nonprofit consumer groups about alleged health hazards in our food supply and our environment. Often these claims are coupled with suggestions for specific actions to reduce the purported risk of disease or premature death by avoiding or reducing exposure to the allegedly harmful substance...  Read Full >>

Breaking the Inactivity Habit (from New York Times, "Science Times" section)
By Ruth Kava, Ph.D., R.D.
Publish Date : Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Perhaps we should anticipate dedicated couch potatoes' pointing to information that genetic predisposition influences one's tendency to sit still or fidget as a rationale for being overweight...  Read Full >>

Health and Safety Tips for Your Summer Vacation (2005)
By Ruth Kava, Ph.D., R.D.
Publish Date : Sunday, May 1, 2005
Whether you are traveling around the world or relaxing at home, a safe, healthy vacation will add to your enjoyment. Here are some health and safety tips to keep in mind when planning your summer vacation...  Read Full >>

The Top Ten Unfounded Health Scares of 2004: Dishonorable Mention
By Ruth Kava, Ph.D., R.D., Aubrey Noelle Stimola, Rivka Weiser, Lynnea Mills
Publish Date : Monday, December 13, 2004
The following scares were deemed to be of lesser import than the preceding ones—they typically received less media coverage...  Read Full >>

The Top Ten Unfounded Health Scares of 2004
By Ruth Kava, Ph.D., R.D., Aubrey Noelle Stimola, Rivka Weiser, Lynnea Mills
Publish Date : Monday, December 13, 2004
Along with a lot of important health news, like the shortage of flu vaccine, 2004 also provided a plethora of unfounded health scares—stories that warned us of exaggerated or mythical risks, often based on brief, hyperbolized or misinterpreted medical research. ACSH has rounded up and explained 10 of these scares, which have often received much more media attention than they deserve.  Read Full >>

The Top Ten Unfounded Health Scares of 2004: Antibiotics Cause Breast Cancer
By Ruth Kava, Ph.D., R.D., Aubrey Noelle Stimola, Rivka Weiser, Lynnea Mills
Publish Date : Monday, December 13, 2004
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the United States...  Read Full >>

The Top Ten Unfounded Health Scares of 2004: Cell Phones Cause Brain Tumors
By Ruth Kava, Ph.D., R.D., Aubrey Noelle Stimola, Rivka Weiser, Lynnea Mills
Publish Date : Monday, December 13, 2004
Since the Larry King show presented claims of a link between cell phone usage and cancer in 1993, various concerns over this supposed connection have surfaced...  Read Full >>