Health & Diet News & Updates

January 26, 2024 — If fats and sugars sometimes seem irresistible, you’re not alone. A new study published in Cell Metabolism reveals why.

January 17, 2024 — Limiting the amount of 100% fruit juice that children drink could be a way to help combat childhood obesity, particularly among young children, new research suggests.

January 17, 2024 — When it comes to alcohol consumption, moderation is everything.

January 9, 2024 — Each liter of water in a plastic bottle may contain more than 100,000 microscopic pieces of plastic, new research shows. The important finding suggests that the amount of plastic consumed by many people simply through drinking a bottle of water is 10 times greater than thought before.

January 3, 2024 — The Mediterranean diet, with an emphasis on overall diet quality rather than a single food group or nutrient, swept the categories for best diet of 2024.

December 28, 2023 — A study published today found that people who added salt to their food, even just sometimes, faced a higher risk of getting chronic kidney disease.

December 20, 2023 — Figuring out why ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are linked to more chronic health conditions like heart disease and obesity remains an important puzzle for nutrition experts to figure out. When they do, the worst offenders could be taxed or regulated by the government while other UPFs that people enjoy could be reformulated to make them less of a long-term threat to health.

December 13, 2023 — In a new study, researchers at the University of Southern California set out to learn how vegan labeling influenced consumers, finding that the word may turn some people off from trying vegan products.

November 21, 2023 — The “food as medicine” movement says doctors should use food “prescriptions” as medical treatment. There’s now real money behind this approach, and larger investments are expected as research shows that food as medicine can save money. Here’s what to know.

November 20, 2023 — Nutrition and diabetes experts offer tips for dealing with holiday meals this season if you are watching your weight, or are living with diabetes, obesity, or other health conditions.

November 16, 2023 — The research estimated that replacing a single serving of processed meat each day with whole grains, nuts, or beans was associated with a 23% to 36% lower risk of cardiovascular problems such as stroke and heart attack.

November 13, 2023 — The Mediterranean Diet isn't really a "diet," as the word is commonly used. It's more of a way of life. A delicious way of life.

October 30, 2023 — Advocates for phasing out Red Dye No. 3 and other harmful additives hope these state-based developments will spur the FDA to finally take similar action and respond to a petition requesting the ban of Red Dye No. 3.

October 26, 2023 — Consumer Reports is calling on the makers of dark chocolate products to limit levels of heavy metals, after what the watchdog group called “concerning” test results.

October 20, 2023 — Ultra-processed foods are energy-dense and ready-to-eat food items including things like processed breakfast meats, packaged snacks, and ice cream as well as artificially sweetened drinks.

October 5, 2023 — Researchers have discovered a set of genes associated with people who stuck to a vegetarian diet for at least a year.

September 28, 2023 — Eating an extra 100 grams a day of starch from vegetables like corn, green peas, or potatoes was linked to 3.3 pounds more weight gain over 4 years.

September 12, 2023 — Mixing fruits like bananas -- which brown quickly -- with things like berries may limit the nutritional benefit of those berries.

September 11, 2023 — It’s been more than a decade since the documentary “Forks Over Knives” was released, in which people were shown to reverse the signs of heart disease while eating a whole-foods, plant-based diet.

September 8, 2023 — The manufacturer of an extremely spicy tortilla chip marketed as the “One Chip Challenge” is pulling the product from store shelves after a Massachusetts woman said her 14-year-old son died after eating one of the chips.

August 8, 2023 — The study found that women who are beyond menopause who consumed at least one sugar-sweetened beverage daily had an 85% higher risk of developing liver cancer and a 68% higher risk of dying from chronic liver disease.

July 28, 2023 — Most plant-based milks, such as almond or oat milk, have less calcium, vitamin D, and protein than what is found in cow’s milk, a cornerstone beverage for meeting nutritional needs, according to research from the University of Minnesota.

July 27, 2023 — Olive oil has been tied to lower risks of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, neurological diseases like dementia and Parkinson’s, and early death in general.

July 26, 2023 — In people with heart or other vascular diseases, or who are at risk of them, a new analysis shows that vegetarian diets are linked to lower cholesterol and body weight, and better blood sugar control.

July 21, 2023 — The diet with the lowest impact on the environment was found to come from vegans, who eat a plant-based diet and exclude animal products like meat and dairy. Vegans had one-fourth the environmental impact as meat eaters.

July 14, 2023 — The World Health Organization said this week the artificial sweetener aspartame is a possible carcinogen, meaning it may cause cancer. But the risk only comes with huge amounts of the sweetener.

July 11, 2023 — The finding flies in the face of U.S. and other dietary guidelines that recommend restricting whole-fat foods in favor of low-fat products.

July 5, 2023 — A new study suggests that coffee may be superior to other caffeine sources when it comes to priming the brain for a productive, action-packed day.

June 29, 2023 — Sticking to a tedious calorie-counting diet does just as much for weight loss as eating within a narrow window of time, according to a new study from the University of Illinois, Chicago.

May 15, 2023 — The World Health Organization now recommends that people trying to lose weight should not use sugar substitutes known as non-sugar sweeteners.

May 4, 2023 — Packaged foods for children that have popular characters on the box are probably less healthy than options that don’t have dazzling labels, a new Canadian study indicates.

April 14, 2023 — Lifting weights may be the best way to improve quality of life for older adults, even if they’ve never held a dumbbell in their life.

April 6, 2023 — A new compilation of nearly all research to date on the health impacts of sugar offers dozens of reasons to cut back now.

April 3, 2023 — A new study shows light to moderate drinking doesn’t provide any health benefits, despite the widespread belief that having a glass or two of alcohol can be good for a person’s health.

March 28, 2023 — The FDA wants to start allowing salt substitutes to be used in staple foods like cheese, milk, and bread.

March 22, 2023 — A second company has gotten a “no questions” letter from U.S. regulators saying its version of lab-grown chicken is safe to eat.

March 15, 2023 — Three-quarters of non-organic produce sold in the United States comes with potentially poisonous chemicals, the Environmental Working Group says in its latest ranking of the “best and worst” fruits and vegetables for pesticide exposure. Blueberries and green beans joined the group's “Dirty Dozen” list -- the 12 non-organic, or conventionally grown, fruits and vegetables with the most pesticides.

March 7, 2023 — While having genes for disease will increase your risk by 30% to 40%, having a bad lifestyle for disease will increase your risk by 300% to 400%.

February 14, 2023 — Consumer Reports announced they'd tested 28 different dark chocolate bars -- and found lead and cadmium in every one of them.

February 6, 2023 — Dozens of brands of prepared foods are being recalled due to possible contamination with the dangerous bacteria listeria. The products were sold at a wide variety of locations, including retail stores, on trains, and in vending machines.

February 3, 2023 — A recent study shows that people who picked up community gardening were able to improve their physical and mental health. Is it time to change our approach, and expand the path to finding a healthy lifestyle that's right for you?

January 31, 2023 — Food addiction may be more common among older adults than addiction to alcohol or tobacco, according to a new study.

January 20, 2023 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has amended its rules to increase oversight and enforcement of the production and sale of organic products in an effort to reduce “organic fraud.”

January 19, 2023 — While researchers dig deeper into how much water we should have, people should take cues from their bodies.

January 13, 2023 — A study found that eating at least one-fifth of total daily calories from fast food can increase the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a potentially life-threatening condition.

January 3, 2023 — This year, U.S. News & World Report ranked 24 diets in several categories to help people find a plan that meets their goals. Two new categories were added: Best Diets for Bone & Joint Health and Best Family-Friendly Diets.

June 2, 2022 — Investments in foodtech businesses exploded in 2021 with a record $12.8 billion invested globally -- twice as much as in 2020.

June 2, 2022 — Focusing on food goes back to prehistoric times. Here's a look at significant milestones from ancient times until today.

June 2, 2022 — The concept of using food to treat or prevent illness goes back many years. Here's a timeline of key developments.

June 2, 2022 — Many don't realize that around 30% of global emissions come from the global food system.