Food & Nutrition

A group of researchers studying drinks seeks a genetic source of our taste. And one important questions emerges: Are some people genetically wired to drink bitter or sweet beverages more often?
Who better to tell us what drives our choice in foods than marketers? We pay more attention to those front-of-the-package claims than to the nutritional information hidden on the back. What a surprise.
Because most of society is between two and six generations removed from farming, that subject is largely terra incognita, literally and figuratively.  This lack of knowledge makes the public very susceptible to fear-based marketing of food. Humans have been modifying the DNA of our food for thousands of years.  We call it agriculture. 
A 2018 Washington Post article addressed the methods we use to breed food crops. But it suffered from a common shortcoming -- “pseudo-balance” -- or the seeking out of clueless commentators to contradict advocates of superior modern genetic modification techniques.  We hate to break it to the author, but in spite of what they teach you in journalism classes, not every issue benefits from point-counterpoint.
Chances are, on the back of many an ice cream tub, you will see something that reads “modified milk ingredients” in addition to any "cream" or "milk" you expect to see. So what are these?
A study of the health effects of alcohol separates the population by a genetic difference: the ability to metabolize alcohol. Researchers found no benefit to drinking, moderate or not. Is it true? Maybe if you're Chinese.
The New York Times recently swallowed whole a study which concluded that those who eat meat die 23% more quickly than those who don't. But the meat study sounded fishy. And it was. ACSH advisor and expert biostatistician Dr. Stan Young turns the meat study into hamburger.
A new study links propionate, a food preservative, to alterations in our metabolism, increasing the production of glucose, at least in one mammal: mice. The evidence of an effect on humans is based on 14 lean humans and two meals.
The maker of Keto Breads, allegedly "the world's healthiest bread," claims that all the other bread out there causes autoimmune disease and leaky gut syndrome. The former claim is risible and the latter is "not a recognized medical diagnosis."
As the story goes, British pilots used bilberries to shoot down German fighters during World War II. But they didn’t fire them out of their guns. They ate them. In the form of jam.
Americans seem to be consuming less sugar, because we are consuming fewer calories. Can labeling that notes "added sugars" bend the curve even more?
Commonly known as “Japanese horseradish,” wasabi is a member of the mustard family and is noted for the short-term burning sensation it produces in the nasal cavity. But historically, wasabi served a purpose other than adding a spicy flavor to raw fish.