The replacement of regular salt with a salt substitute can reduce incidence of hypertension, or high blood pressure, in older adults without increasing their risk of low blood pressure episodes, according to a recent study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. People who used a salt substitute had a 40% lower incidence […]
Food manufacturers often add preservatives to food products to keep them fresh. A primary purpose of these preservatives is to kill microbes that could break down and otherwise spoil the food. Common additives like sugar, salt, vinegar and alcohol have been used as preservatives for centuries, but modern-day food labels now reveal more unfamiliar ingredients […]
Scientific understanding of how different diets impact the human immune system and microbiome is limited. The keto diet is a low-carbohydrate diet that is generally high in fat. The vegan diet eliminates animal products and tends to be high in fiber and low in fat. The study was conducted by researchers from the NIH’s National […]
For older adults with mild high blood pressure, a new study suggests consuming tomatoes may help manage hypertension and may even lower the risk of developing high blood pressure in the first place. In the study, people without high blood pressure who ate the most tomatoes or tomato-based foods had a 36% lower risk of […]
Recently, research has found increasing evidence of the potential effects of the human microbiome on our health. The microbiome consists of bacteria, archaea, viruses and eukaryotic microbes that live in and on our bodies. A healthy adult will house around 1000 different species of bacteria, the majority of which are in the gut. In most […]
Research is ongoing about potential fertility treatments, including the use of in vitro fertilization (IVF). It’s unclear how following certain diets or consuming over-the-counter supplements may contribute to the chances that IVF will result in a healthy pregnancy. A recent review published in Reproductive Biomedicine Online (RBMO) examined 27 studies to see how different nutritional […]
The problem of foodborne metal contamination has taken on new urgency, thanks in part to a 2021 US Congressional Report detailing high levels of metals found in infant food pulled off grocery shelves. Food crops can absorb heavy metals from contaminated soil, air, and water. As a result, traces of dangerous heavy metals — lead, […]
Diet quality among adolescents in the United States is among the worst across all age groups, putting young people at risk for heart attack, stroke, and diabetes, among other cardiometabolic diseases later in life. The research brief shared in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. This study examined data from the Translational Investigation of […]
In new research, published in Brain, Behaviour and Immunity, researchers have described the mechanism by which Lactobacillus — a type of bacteria commonly present in fermented foods and yogurt — assists the body in coping with stress. This research could pave the way for the development of innovative treatments and potential cures for a broad […]
The answer to a relatively concise question — how does what we eat affect how we age — is unavoidably complex, according to a new study. While most analyses had been concerned with the effects of a single nutrient on a single outcome, a conventional, unidimensional approach to understanding the effects of diet on health […]