Food & Diet, features and articles | Educational Science

May 31, 2014

Cancer-Fighting Diet: 6 Tips to Reduce Your Risk

Following six diet guidelines can reduce your cancer risk, researchers say. The advice is a combination of what foods to limit or avoid, and which ones to eat. The recommendations, which appear in the June 30 issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, were spearheaded by the...

Feb 28, 2014

Make It 7: More Fruit and Veggie Servings Needed?

Eating seven or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day reduces people's risk of dying, a new study suggests. The study also found that fresh vegetables may be slightly more protective than fresh fruit, and canned fruit may actually increase the risk of death. Researchers analyzed information from more...

Oct 31, 2015

The Great Salt Debate: How Much Sodium Is Too Much for Your Diet?

ORLANDO, Fla. — Americans eat, on average, more than 3,400 milligrams of sodium each day — much more than the 2,300-mg current recommended limit for many people. But whether this amount increases a person's risk of heart disease is now being hotly debated by researchers. There's no doubt that eating...

Oct 31, 2015

Coffee Drinkers, Perk Up: 1 to 5 Cups Daily May Reduce Risk of Early Death

Coffee drinkers may have more reasons to enjoy another cup, as a large new study suggests that people who drink up to five cups of regular or decaffeinated coffee daily may be slightly less likely to die early from any cause or certain chronic conditions. Men and women in the...

Sep 30, 2015

Cutting Sugar Made Obese Kids Healthier in 10 Days

There can be no more dancing around the fact that, for children, consuming added sugar contributes to a litany of chronic diseases, particularly obesity, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, scientists concluded in new research published today (Oct. 27). In the study, researchers closely monitored 43 obese children and found...

Aug 31, 2015

Why Diet Soda Could Sink Your Diet

Drinking diet soda may go hand in hand with indulging in extra helpings of sugar- and fat-laden foods like cookies or french fries, a new study suggests. Researchers found that on the days that the people in the study drank diet or sugar-free drinks, they consumed about 49 more calories...

Aug 31, 2015

Meat May Not Be So Bad for You After All (But There's a Catch)

Although a vegetarian diet has many health benefits, eating meat may not be so terrible for you either, as long as you include plenty of vegetables, too, according to a new study. In the study, the researchers looked at how different diets affected the types of bacteria in people's guts,...

Jul 31, 2015

Coca-Cola Controversy: Is Exercising More or Eating Less Better for Weight Loss?

Coca-Cola has given a million dollars to a new research organization that has pushed a message that lack of exercise is a bigger factor in the obesity epidemic than is calorie consumption. Science, however, still counts calories as the main driver of weight gain for most people. Although exercise makes...

Jun 30, 2015

Finally, Bacon-Flavored Health Food Has Arrived

Bacon-flavored seaweed is the new kale. Yes, really. Scientists are currently cultivating a marine plant that's packed with more nutrients than the trendy green superfood kale. And it naturally tastes like bacon. Bacon-flavored crackers. Bacon-flavored salad dressing. These are just two of the savory treats that have been created so...

Jun 30, 2015

Viral Soda Infographic: How Does Cola Really Affect the Body?

An infographic that breaks down what happens in your body after you drink one Coke has gone viral, but health experts say some information in the graphic is exaggerated. In addition, while soda is certainly not a healthy food choice, drinking a sugar-sweetened beverage once in a while wouldn't necessarily...

Apr 30, 2015

How Does Salmonella Get into Sushi?

Raw tuna is the suspected source of a new outbreak of Salmonella, but how does tuna become contaminated with the bacteria in the first place? Experts say that the Salmonella probably wasn't living on the fish itself, but rather the tuna became contaminated at some point when the food was...

Mar 31, 2015

5 Not-So-Miraculous Dr. Oz Claims

Dr. Mehmet Oz has made a name for himself in part by touting miracle cures and weight-loss products, but the TV personality is now facing fire from critics for making health claims that are not supported by scientific evidence. Oz was strongly criticized for his claims about weight-loss supplements in...

Jan 31, 2015

Hold the Sugar, US Nutrition Panel Recommends

Americans should limit the amount of added sugar they consume to no more than 10 percent of their daily calories, or about 200 calories a day for most people, say new recommendations from a government-appointed panel of nutrition experts. If upcoming federal diet guidelines adopt this recommendation, it would be...

Dec 31, 2014

Here's What to Eat to Lower Inflammation

Ginger, nuts, fatty fish and whole grains are just some of the many foods that have been touted to have anti-inflammatory properties. But do they work? It turns out that experts agree that eating a diet rich in such foods may in fact help lower the levels of inflammation in...

Aug 31, 2016

Still Good? 5-Second Rule a Myth, Study Finds

If you're tempted to eat food you've dropped on the floor, you may want to think again: A new study disproved the 5-second rule, or the idea that food is safe to eat off the floor if you pick it up fast enough, the researchers said. Turns out, bacteria from...