Ask the Experts

Q. I've been drinking soy milk daily for years. Since it contains phytoestrogens, I wonder if it puts me at higher risk of developing breast cancer?

Most people know they should exercise more, but many find it hard to start and maintain this behavior. Trackers can be beneficial in that regard, but certainly not all people like them. So, you may want to start with a low-cost wearable tracker or a free activity-reminder app for your mobile device or computer.

During the day, the hormones and overall metabolic processes in our bodies are better prepared to handle the food we consume than if we eat later in the evening when our so-called 'body clock' is preparing for rest. Although this body clock may vary slightly from person to person, the suggestion of avoiding eating after 8 p.m. is, broadly speaking, a good way to ensure that eating happens before our metabolism begins to wind down for the night.

High-oleic sunflower oil is a type of plant oil made from sunflower seeds that have been conventionally bred to be high in oleic acid (a monounsaturated fatty acid) and low in linoleic acid (a polyunsaturated fatty acid). There is a minimum of 80% oleic acid in high-oleic sunflower oil. In comparison, traditional sunflower oil has less oleic acid (around 20%) and more linoleic acid. Both high-oleic and traditional sunflower oils are low in saturated fatty acids. Either type of sunflower oil is a good choice from a cardiovascular standpoint, but the traditional oil is less commonly sold in stores or used by the food industry.

Calcium is better absorbed and utilized if consumed in smaller amounts spread out during the day. Calcium-fortified foods typically contain smaller amounts of calcium than dedicated supplements. And, although people tend to focus on calcium and vitamin D for bone health, many other nutrients, such as potassium, magnesium, zinc, vitamin C and vitamin K, also are important for bones.

The potential health benefits of regularly consuming black tea, such as lower risk of heart disease, certain cancers and osteoporosis, are likely due to the polyphenols it provides. Polyphenols may help protect our body in several ways, such as by helping prevent cell damage, supporting the immune system and fighting inflammation, among other mechanisms.

Any such potential benefits of probiotic supplements in the oral cavity would depend upon whether they are appropriate to the specific oral problem at hand. That means having the right bacterial composition, dosage level and vehicle for delivery, which may be either directly to oral tissues (for example, by injecting them under the gums or providing them in chewing gum or dissolvable lozenges) or indirectly via salivary or bloodstream effects of a swallowed supplement.

Humans can produce choline, but the amount is usually not sufficient (depending on factors such as age and genetics), so dietary intake of some choline is necessary. In the US, the most common sources of choline are meat, poultry, fish, dairy products and eggs. Cruciferous vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains also supply choline.

A chief consideration in safety of cutting boards is how easy they are to clean. Cutting boards made of a nonporous material, such as plastic or tempered glass, can be easily washed in the dishwasher. Those made of solid, hard wood with a tight grain (such as maple) might do OK in the dishwasher but over time that may encourage cracking and splitting.

Pine nuts are edible seeds of certain species of pine trees and are used in a variety of foods including Italian pesto sauce and pignoli cookies. Pine nuts (gymnosperms) are evolutionarily separated from flowering plants (angiosperms) to which all other nuts belong (peanut and tree nuts such as, walnut, hazelnut, cashew and pistachio).