Healthy Eating

Q. Should we be concerned about potentially unsafe amounts of the herbicide glyphosate in oat products?

Q. What is the difference between raw sugar and the regular white sugar Im used to?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting more than 300 million adults and children. While to date there is no specific diet proven to prevent or cure this condition, research indicates that decreasing depression risk may be yet another reason to aim for a healthy dietary pattern.

It is recommended that adults consume between 25 and 30 grams of dietary fiber a day. The average American currently gets about half that amount. According to the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans, dietary fiber is a nutrient of public health concern, meaning this low level of intake could actually be detrimental to our health. So, its potentially good news that food manufacturers are adding fiber to processed foods. But is that fiber as good for our health as fiber found naturally in fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains?

Q. Is it safe for me to eat grapefruit and drink grapefruit juice when Im taking statins?

The gut microbiota-a community of trillions of bacteria and other microbes that live in the human digestive tract-may have a powerful impact on human health. The study of the microbiota (or microbiome) is a major frontier in nutrition research, as scientists work to understand how these organisms interact with our bodies and the foods we eat. While work is just beginning in this exciting new field, it is hoped that someday soon we will understand how to take care of our gut microbes, so they can take care of us.

More than 20 years after the discovery of the so-called obesity hormone leptin, a team at Tufts may have at last found this important compounds target in the brain. In the 1960s, researchers made a surprising discovery: There was a biological mechanism behind the ravenous appetites of obese mice. Labs around the world immediately set out to find out what was making these mice so hungry.

A recent review of prospective data published in the American Journal of Epidemiology provides one more excellent reason to get up and get moving. The study analyzed data from over 127,000 American men and women with a median age of around 20 years and followed up for 21 years.

Periodontitis, advanced gum disease caused by bacterial infection that damages the soft tissue and bone that support the teeth, may be linked to higher risk of certain cancers, according to a new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The study, led by Tufts epidemiologist Dominique Michaud, ScD, analyzed data from dental exams of nearly 7,500 black and white older adults, and compared periodontal disease severity with incident cancers and cancer deaths during an average of 15 years of follow-up.

A recent study in the British Journal of Nutrition found that following a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern was associated with a longer life. This association has been seen before, but this research, along with a meta-analysis of similar studies conducted by the authors, looked specifically at individuals aged 65 years and older.