Ask the Experts

Q: With the growing popularity of daily low-dose aspirin therapy, I wonder if there...

Answer : Despite several unreferenced articles linking aspirin to AMD, Allen Taylor, PhD, director of Tufts HNRCA Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research, says...

Q: Does tea lose its health benefits if its been stored a long time?

Answer : Selena Ahmed, a Tufts postdoctoral fellow researching the chemical ecology of tea, responds: Some tea phytochemicals- the compounds that may have health-protective effects in humans-are more influenced by production...

Q: Im confused by your article about the new American Heart Association statement on...

Answer : We checked with Neil J. Stone, MD, of the Feinberg School of Medicine...

Q: Do diet and exercise have the same benefit for someone who has led...

Answer : The good news (unless youre looking for an excuse to slack off exercising)...

Q: Should fruit be eaten on an empty stomach to ensure proper digestion?

Answer : Ashley Dunham, a dietetic intern at Tufts Frances Stern Nutrition Center, replies, No, fruit does not need to be eaten on an empty stomach.

Q: Is lead as harmful for adults as it is for children? Is it...

Answer : Beth Rosenberg, MPH, ScD, an assistant professor in Tufts Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, replies: Lead is definitely harmful for adults to ingest or breathe...

Q: Are the shortenings that boast no trans fat really any better for you...

Answer : Yes, shortenings actually have gotten better...

Q: My husband, whos been on medication for early Alzheimers, went to the emergency...

Answer : You should never stop taking any medication without checking with your own physician. As for coconut oil, its touted as a source of caprylic acid, which the body breaks down...

Q: Since its dangerous to heat cooking oils beyond their smoke point, is it...

Answer : Lynne M. Ausman, ScD, a professor in the Friedman School and scientist in Tufts HNRCA Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory, explains...

Q: Does powdered garlic have any nutritional value?

Answer : Lynne M. Ausman, DSc, director of the Biochemical & Molecular Nutrition Program at Tufts Friedman School, says most powdered spices...