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Nutrition
Can you create a ‘healthy’ menu from ultra-processed foods?
Scientists recently led a study showing it’s possible to build a healthy diet with 91% of the calories coming from ultra-processed foods (as classified using the NOVA...
Fast-food diets threaten taxi drivers’ health – SA study
The daily junk food diet of taxi drivers is raising their risks of serious lifestyle diseases, according to a University of the Western Cape...
Daily multivitamin turns back cognitive ageing clock – US study
Researchers have said that for older people, a year of taking daily multivitamins had a similar effect to turning back the cognitive ageing clock...
Depression risk fed by ultra-processed foods – Australian study
A large Australian study has linked high consumption of ultra-processed – or industrially produced – foods to depression.
Medical News Today reports that the NOVA classification...
Meat, eggs, milk healthier than plant-based foods – UN agency review
A major review undertaken by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), looking at 500 papers to analyse the benefits and risks of animal...
Fortified staple foods best nutritional value for money – SA study
A 2003 government decision to improve nutrient intake by fortifying maize meal and bread flour with vitamin A, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine thiamine, folic acid,...
More tea, coffee and protein can lessen hip fracture risk for women – UK study
Regular cups of tea or coffee, and beefing up protein intake could help women reduce their risk of suffering a hip fracture, say scientists,...
Eight glasses of water daily might be excessive for most people – Japanese study
Drinking eight glasses of water a day is probably excessive for most people, and not supported scientifically at all, despite the suggestion having become...
Moderate use of any kind of coffee associated with reduced CVD and mortality risk
Two or three daily cups of coffee – whether ground, instant or decaffeinated – were associated with significant reductions in incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) and...
Seven walnuts a day for improved health, reduced CVD risk– US study
People who eat walnuts have a better heart disease risk profile than those who don’t, gain less weight, and enjoy more physical activity compared...
Dairy products may protect against type 2 diabetes – Italian meta-analysis
A meta-analysis, presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) conference, links low-fat dairy products to a...
Drinking black tea linked to lower mortality risk – US Cancer Institute study
Drinking green tea has long been associated with various health benefits and longevity, according to a number of studies, but now recent data from...
UK study casts doubt on widespread lactose intolerance diagnoses
Despite our ancestors drinking milk for thousands of years, intolerance among Britons is rising, but is it as widespread as it seems? A recent...
Human cells less able to absorb protein from ‘vegan’ meat’ – Ohio study
Proteins in plant-based meat alternatives may not be as accessible to human cells as those from real meat, a study has suggested.
While plants rich...
Diabetes drug helps obese patients shed weight – US study
A weekly dose of a diabetes drug appears to lead to significant weight loss in people with obesity, with a recent study showing participants...
Less risk of early death for coffee drinkers, suggests Chinese cohort study
Studies on the benefits or risks of coffee drinking continue unabated worldwide, the latest one, from researchers in China, suggesting that people who consume...
Coffee brewing method linked to increased total cholesterol levels – Norwegian study
Espresso coffee consumption has been associated with higher total cholesterol levels, particularly in men, a population-based, cross-sectional Norwegian study found. They also found a...
Supplementation: Vitamin D3, but not D2, stimulates human immune system
Contrary to widely held views, there are significant differences between the two types of vitamin D, with D3 appearing to boost the immune system...
More olive oil, less butter, reduces risk of CVD mortality – large Harvard analysis
Consuming more than 7g (>1/2 tablespoon) of olive oil daily has been linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality, cancer mortality, neurodegenerative...
Plant-based diet lessens risk of cognitive impairment — 12-year European study
A diet rich in plant products reduces the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia in the elderly, found a 12-year European study.
The results revealed...
Probiotics improve nausea and vomiting in pregnancy
In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine found that probiotic supplementation significantly improve the symptoms of pregnancy-related nausea, vomiting...
Daily tea and coffee consumption links to lower stroke and dementia risk — UK Biobank
Moderate tea and coffee consumptions is associated with lower risk of stroke and dementia, according to a study of 50-74-year-olds, in PLOS Medicine. Coffee...
Fasting as a weight-loss intervention in gestational diabetes – Australian trial
The 5:2, or intermittent fasting diet, is just as effective as a conventional energy-restricting diet, enabling women greater choice and flexibility when it comes...
Fierce debate over a new theory to tackle the global obesity pandemic
A bold challenge to the dominant theory explaining obesity has been launched by Harvard University Professor David S Ludwig and 16 fellow researchers from...
Avocado consumption may improve belly fat distribution in women — UK trial
A small UK trial found that daily consumption of avocado changed abdominal adiposity distribution among females, but had no influence on glucose tolerance in...
Daily handful of walnuts modestly lowers 'bad' cholesterol — 2-year US study
A daily handful of walnuts every day for two years modestly lowered levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, known as “bad cholesterol” and reduced...
Daily handful of walnuts modestly lowers 'bad' cholesterol — 2-year US study
A daily handful of walnuts every day for two years modestly lowered levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, known as “bad cholesterol” and reduced...
New index calculates the minute-cost or benefit to healthy life of 6,000 foods
A new epidemiology-based Health Nutritional Index (HENI), developed at the University of Michigan and published in published in Nature Food, calculates the net beneficial...
Omega-3 link to improved life expectancy and cardiovascular outcomes — Two studies
Higher levels of omega-3 in the blood predicted improved all-cause mortality in people over 65, reports an international study drawing on data over 11-years...
Whole grains linked to smaller increases in waist size, BP and blood sugar
Middle- to older-aged adults who ate at least three servings of whole grains daily had smaller increases in waist size, blood pressure (BP), and...
Starchy snacks linked to 50% greater CVD and all‐cause mortality risk
Starchy snacks after any meal were associated with at least a 50% increased risk of mortality and a 44%-57% increased risk of cardiovascular disease...
Pro-inflammatory diet tied to increased breast cancer risk
Women consuming a more pro-inflammatory diet are at increased risk for breast cancer, especially pre-menopausal women, according to new European research published in Current...
Overweight substantially worsens liver-damaging effects of excessive alcohol use
People in the overweight or obese range who drink alcohol to levels beyond UK guidelines are at significantly greater risk of liver disease and...
Regular milk consumption not associated with increased cholesterol
Regular consumption of milk is not associated with increased levels of cholesterol, according to an almost 2m-person Mendelian analysis, published in the International Journal...
Even obese vegetarians who smoke and drink have healthier biomarkers than meat-eaters
Vegetarians have a healthier biomarker profile than meat-eaters, and this applies to adults of any age and weight, and is also unaffected by smoking...
Higher mushroom consumption associated with lower cancer risk — Meta-analysis
Higher mushroom consumption is associated with a lower risk of cancer, according to a new Penn State study. The systematic review and meta-analysis examined...
Eating fish associated with significant health benefits — Pooled analysis
There is a significant protective benefit of fish consumption in people with cardiovascular disease, as well as with significant improvements in multiple other health...
Frequent eating out significantly associated with higher all-risk mortality
Emerging, although still limited, evidence suggests that frequent consumption of meals prepared away from home is significantly associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality,...
High refined grains intake linked with CVD and mortality risk — 21 nation study
High intake of refined grains was associated with higher risk of mortality and major cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, found a large 21-nation analysis.
No significant...
Long-term, heavy coffee consumption and plasma lipid profiles — UK Biobank data
Long-term, heavy coffee consumption – six or more cups a day – may lead to unfavourable lipid profile, which could potentially increase risk for...