Sleep deprivation has been associated with an increased risk of obesity in several studies. A new one, based on a large British survey, assessed whether that link could be due to over-eating by bleary-eyed people. But the data didn't support that hypothesis, so researchers will have to look harder to explain that link.
Food & Nutrition
Very few have heard about this. It's over 100 years old and explains why bread smells so good and turns brown. But baking also produces a few chemicals of concern – or are they? Here you get a chemistry lesson! Whether you want one or not.
Results of a recent prospective study of food intake in 18 countries —including North and South America, Europe, and Asia — reports that an increased intake of fruits, vegetables and legumes is associated with a lower risk of death. But the same study was analyzed to see what effect different dietary nutrients might have and found that it's carbs, not fat that seem to be dietary villains.
Enough already! Please stop with the avocado stories. The darn things contain plenty of folic acid, which may or may not cause or prevent cancer, or keep your hair from turning gray, and may be contributing to the demise of the English language. And it's all about the biochemistry of endogenous formaldehyde. Prepare to be confused.
The literature is filled to overflowing with "publish or perish" articles. So how do we know what to read? Well, the same people that brought you so, so many articles have a curated solution to your current awareness overload.
Skipping breakfast has been linked to increasing the risk of overweight and obesity. But a new study finds that the main problem in breakfast skipping children is a deficit in some pretty important nutrients.
Peanut allergy is among a parent's worst nightmares — a child is at constant risk of life-threatening reactions. But relief is likely on the way. Australian researchers found that their protocol to desensitize allergic children was effective in many for 4 years after treatment had ended.
Maybe old dogs can't learn new tricks — but old people can. Researchers have demonstrated that older folks can learn new exercises that can help them improve their mobility, and likely their overall health.
It's an ethical dilemma. Impossible Burgers sells an entirely plant-based burger that differentiates itself by compounding it in a way that “it bleeds,” so that the red juices we associate with a juicy burger come from a component of soybean’s root. To produce the burger, it's bio-engineered, with the genetic information from the soy plant inserted into yeast.
Does menstruation really increase the likelihood that a woman will crave chocolate, as is commonly believed? Or is that craving just an excuse to eat a forbidden food? Recent research finds that women from other countries don't seem to have the same peri-menstrual urge — so it's more of an American phenomenon than a biologically-based imperative.
Orthorexia, or "clean eating" is as much a belief system as it is a dietary prescription. Believers eschew "normal" eating, thinking that only their particular restrictive versions of proper diets will provide optimal health. But the restrictions that such diets adhere to could be unhealthful, to say the least.
Vitamin B3 is in the news because of findings that it may prevent birth defects. But B3 (aka niacin) has a number of different names and also is similar in spelling and pronunciation to other molecules. We try to clarify things.