Food & Nutrition

We've been discussing the uselessness of healthy people taking vitamin/mineral supplements for lo, these many years. But if you don't believe us, just see what some doctors from Harvard are advising their colleagues about who really needs vitamins, and when.
Just when you think you've heard it all, a new one comes down the road. Here's an in-depth analysis of an unprecedented Twitter discussion. 
While we may well try to diet our way out of the rising incidence of obesity, calorie labeling does not appear to be particularly effective. That's because the Cochrane Library, which, as an organization, invented meta-analysis, released one on the effect of calorie labels on what we eat. Guess what? They have no impact.
Excess body fat is associated with many ailments — including breathing problems. Recent research has found reducing adiposity, particularly in the deep abdominal area (visceral fat), is associated with improved breathing as well as ameliorating other ills.
Quackery can be appealing because it's consistent with the American notion of freedom and individuality and resistance to control and dogma. And a major logical failing of the educated – although it's rarely recognized for what it truly is – is simply prejudice, where everything "natural" is good and everything "artificial" is bad.
Stationary bike riding or weight training, to keep muscles vibrant and strong, is important exercise. But it shouldn't be overdone by doing too much, too fast, or the result can be rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdo, for short, can occur when muscle fibers die and enter the bloodstream, which in some cases can produce kidney failure.
You best get your drink on this week, while beer and wine consumption is good for you! Over the years, there have mixed results on alcohol consumption and benefits to the body. This week, having two glasses of beer or wine could cut one's risk of premature mortality by 18 percent. At least that's the conclusion from one study which studied the habits of people who live past their 90s, since 2003. 
Would knowing more about one's genetic makeup help select the best type of diet for weight loss? Apparently not, since researchers found that information about a person's DNA doesn't help when choosing between low-fat and low-carb diets.
Yet another food-cancer story is in the news. But folks, there's little "there" there. It's a correlational study, and the risks for several types of cancer don't increase much at all. This is a finding that should not keep you up at night.
A new proposal for changing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has riled up people for several reasons — some of which are likely sound. But one complaint certainly isn't: The idea that SNAP participants would be shabbily treated because their food boxes would include canned items. That's because there's nothing wrong with them.
A recent study shed light on something we've known for some time, but haven't quite lived by: Eating slowly could curb weight gain. Here's why this makes sense. 
American snowboarder slash Superwoman Chloe Kim just won her first Olympic gold medal in the Women's Snowboarding Half-pipe. But even she isn't immune to getting hangry — hungry + angry. We feel you, girl.