Ask the Experts

Q: Is it true that heating food in a microwave oven destroys most of...

Answer : In fact, says Irwin H. Rosenberg, MD, editor of the Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter, the opposite is true...

Q: I keep seeing new products labeled “gluten-free.” I understand this is important for...

Answer : Robert M. Russell, MD, emeritus professor at the Friedman School, replies, "The answer is no."

Q: Does instant coffee have the same health benefits as brewed coffee (Coffee Drinkers...

Answer : Jeffrey B. Blumberg, PhD, director of Tufts HNRCA Antioxidants Research Laboratory, answers: "All plant food constituents are complicated but perhaps a bit more so for coffee, as how it is prepared can markedly affect its composition...

Q: Does strontium help strengthen bones, and if so what are the sources of...

Answer : Although strontium is the 15th most abundant element on the planet, its found more in rocks than in food.

Q: Is exercise safe for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)?

Answer : Rebecca Seguin, PhD, an adjunct assistant professor at Tufts Friedman School and an assistant professor at Cornell University, replies...

Q: How many cloves of garlic is acceptable for a person to eat in...

Answer : Garlic can thin the blood (reduce the ability to clot) in a manner similar to aspirin. You should use garlic with caution...

Q: How does taking supplements differ from eating foods fortified with calcium?

Answer : Bess Dawson-Hughes, MD, director of Tufts HNRCA Bone Metabolism Laboratory, says it depends on bioavailability...

Q: Im a 70-year-old male whose usual exercise is weight training with relatively heavy-duty...

Answer : Roger A. Fielding, PhD, director of Tufts HNRCA Nutrition, Exercise, Physiology and Sarcopenia (NEPS) Laboratory, answers...

Q: After being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, I was put on warfarin, a blood...

Answer : Sarah Booth, PhD, director of Tufts HNRCA Vitamin K Laboratory, replies, "I would recommend that you work with your healthcare provider...

Q: Youve reported on studies that processed meat should be limited. Does canned chicken...

Answer : The jury is still out on the health effects of sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite in processed meats...