HomeNutrition
Nutrition
Americans are exporting their obesity to SA — Health department director
The pandemic of obesity in South Africa is a result of our ‘Americanised’ food environment and the responsibility should be shifted from individuals to...
Vitamin D supplements 'do nothing' to improve bone health
Vitamin D supplements do nothing for bone health and the UK government should ditch its advice that everyone should take them throughout the winter...
Mediterranean diet reduces stroke risk by 20% in women
Eating a Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of stroke by more than 20% in women aged 40 or older, but it appears to...
High gluten intake in pregnancy may link to child's diabetes risk
A high gluten intake by mothers during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of their child developing type 1 diabetes, suggests a study....
Lower nutritional quality food associated with cancer risk
The consumption of foods with higher scores on the British Food Standards Agency nutrient profiling system (FSAm-NPS), reflecting a lower nutritional quality, is associated...
Dairy consumption linked to lower rates of CVD and mortality
Dairy consumption of around three servings per day is associated with lower rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality, compared to lower levels of...
Whole grains substantially reduce type 2 diabetes risk 15-year study
A large Swedish study over 15 years found that eating any type of whole grain reduces the risk of type-2 diabetes. Among those who...
The Sugar Wars: Have the ill effects of sugar been overstated?
Have the ill effects of sugar been over-stated by scientists? Experts debate both sides in Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases.
Over the past 50 years researchers,...
Mediterranean diet promotes healthy cellular ageing in women
Eating a diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains and low in added sugar, sodium and processed meats could help promote...
Both low-carb and high-carb diets raise risk of early death — 25-year study
A large US study over 25 years indicates that moderate carb consumption – switching meat for plant-based protein and fats – is healthier than...
ACC review: Plant-based diet with little or no animal products is best
Researchers from the American College of Cardiology's Nutrition & Lifestyle Workgroup of the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Council have released their second review of nutritional...
Omega 3 supplements not protecting against heart disease and stroke – Cochrane review
A Cochrane systematic review shows there is little or no effect of widely promoted omega 3 supplements on the risk of experiencing heart disease,...
Common vitamin and mineral supplements provide no health benefits
The most commonly consumed vitamin and mineral supplements provide no consistent health benefit or harm, suggests a new study led by researchers at St...
Some dark chocolates may have health benefits
Research shows there might be health benefits to eating certain types of dark chocolate. Findings from two studies being presented at the Experimental Biology...
Sugar consumption in pregnancy linked to poorer childhood cognition
A study has determined that poorer childhood cognition occurred, particularly in memory and learning, when pregnant women or their offspring consumed greater quantities of...
DASH diet associated with reduced depression risk
Eating a diet that emphasises vegetables, fruit and whole grains may lead to a reduced risk of depression, according to a study by researchers...
Fish oil and probiotic supplements in pregnancy may reduce allergy risk
In one of the largest ever research reports of how a pregnant woman's diet affects her baby's allergy and eczema risk, scientists from Imperial...
Healthy diet not offsetting negative effects of high salt intake
A healthy diet may not offset the effects of a high salt intake on blood pressure, suggests a study. The research, from scientists at...
Researchers challenge claims that sugar industry paid scientists to shift blame
In recent years, high-profile claims in the academic literature and popular press have alleged that the sugar industry paid scientists in the 1960s to...
Yoghurt intake associated with lowered risk of cardiovascular disease
A large study from Boston University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard University, suggests that higher yoghurt intake is associated with lower cardiovascular disease...
Sub-optimal vitamin D levels in the elderly
One in two persons aged 65 and above has sub-optimal levels of vitamin D in the blood. This is the conclusion of an investigation...
Neonatal vitamin D status associated with ASD risk
Low vitamin D levels at birth were associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) at the age of 3 years a...
Coffee more likely to benefit health than harm it
Drinking coffee is "more likely to benefit health than to harm it" for a range of health outcomes, say researchers. They bring together evidence...
Low-salt diet combined with DASH helps lower systolic BP
A study of more than 400 adults with pre-hypertension, or stage 1 high blood pressure, found that combining a low-salt diet with the heart-healthy...
Mushrooms producing high amounts of antioxidants
Mushrooms may contain unusually high amounts of two antioxidants that some scientists suggest could help fight ageing and bolster health, according to a team...
Another Noakes controversy: Dietary guidelines are a 'genocide'
Low-carb‚ high-fat guru Tim Noakes has tweeted that common dietary guidelines will be 'remembered in history as a genocide', reports The Times.
Low-carbohydrate advocates‚ including...
Sugar tax is not the only solution to SA's obesity crisis
Obesity threatens us with an alarming and bizarre statistic: within the next four years the number of obese people on the planet could outnumber...
Different meats have different diabetes risk
While a plant-based diet is generally considered healthier than a meat-based diet in preventing the risk of diabetes, not all meats affect the risk...
Unsaturated fat improves cholesterol but not weight loss – research review
Metabolically healthy obese adults consuming a diet high in unsaturated fat and low in saturated fat may be able to decrease their total cholesterol...
Eating protein 3x a day to improve muscle mass in the elderly
Spreading protein intake equally among the three daily meals could be linked to greater mass and muscle strength in the elderly.
These are the findings...
Moderate consumption of fat and carbs is best for good health
Research with more than 135,000 people across five continents has shown that a diet which includes a moderate intake of fat and fruits and...
Eating almonds may improve HDL cholesterol and functionality
Eating almonds on a regular basis may help boost levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol while simultaneously improving the way it removes cholesterol from...
Sugar-sweetened drink with a high protein meal may store more fat
A sugar-sweetened drink paired with a high-protein meal may cause the body to store more fat, according to a study from USDA-Agricultural Research Service.
Dr Shanon...
Improving diet over time reduces premature death risk
Improving the quality of one’s diets over time, eating more whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and fish and less red and processed meats and...
Two large studies link coffee consumption with longer lifespan
A coffee drinking habit is associated with longer lifespan, according to two major international studies. Researchers cautioned against media hype, noting that the studies...
Cognitive performance and cocoa flavanols – research review
An Italian research review of randomised controlled trials into the effect of cocoa flavanols found a beneficial effect on cognitive performance.
A balanced diet is chocolate...
Red meat consumption associated with significantly increased risk of dying
Eating more red meat, both processed and unprocessed, is associated with a 26% increased risk of dying from eight common diseases as well as...
Vitamin D levels not linked to asthma or dermatitis
Vitamin D supplementation is unlikely to reduce the risk of asthma in children or adults, atopic dermatitis, or allergies according to a study from McGill...
Backlash to BJSM editorial on saturated fat and heart attack risk
A British Journal of Sports Medicine editorial arguing that saturated fat does not increase the risk of a heart attack by clogging up arteries,...
Effects of avocados on metabolic syndrome
A systematic review assesses the beneficial effects of the peel, seed, flesh, and leaves of avocados on different components of metabolic syndrome, which is...