Special Reports

We have all forgotten why we walked into a room or had trouble recalling a common word, and the frequency of these lapses almost universally increases with age. On top of this normal cognitive decline of aging are the risk for dementia and stroke. Fortunately, there are concrete steps we can take to help protect […]

Simple swaps—like choosing foods with unsaturated fats to replace those with saturated, unprocessed or reduced sodium foods over typical high-sodium processed products, fruits instead of foods with added sugars, and whole grains in place of refined—have been identified as important steps for improving the diet quality of the U.S. population. These easy exchanges are practical […]

Some people feel a drink at the end of a tough day helps them unwind and relax. Others may see a daily glass of red wine as a way to boost heart health. This kind of moderate drinking has been associated in some studies with positive health effects, but cause-and-effect evidence is lacking, and alcohol […]

In 1953, the same year Watson and Crick reported the discovery of DNA, Jean Mayer, former president of Tufts University and then a professor at Harvard School of Public Heath, published an article in which he predicted that a wide variety of genes are likely to contribute to the complex mechanisms involved in obesity. Since […]

Our bones support us, literally, in everything we do. They protect our vital organs, store important minerals the body relies upon, and keep us moving. From childhood through early adulthood, our bones are busy taking up nutrients that help them grow, strengthen, and build density. By age 30, bone density has peaked, and it begins […]

Cancer is the second leading cause of mortality in the United States, accounting for one in four deaths. Lifestyle choices such as use of tobacco products, too much unprotected sun exposure, and excessive alcohol consumption are widely recognized cancer risk factors, but it may be less well known that obesity is considered an important risk […]

FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols) are a group of sugars and fibers that serve as beneficial prebiotics, feeding the gut microbes that...

Sales of meat alternatives grew 30 percent in 2018, and this rapid growth is expected to continue. In 2019, plant-based meat alternatives hit the mainstream, with the nationwide introduction of meatless meat at multiple fast-food outlets (including Burger King, White Castle, DelTaco, and some McDonalds locations.)

We all know that diet and physical activity are essential to good health, but many are unaware that getting adequate sleep is equally important, if not more so. Sleep affects everything from energy and appetite to performance, mood, attention, memory, and decision making. It is the time when the brain forms and maintains the pathways that let us learn and create new memories. Recent research suggests that the body uses sleep time to remove toxins and metabolic trash from the brain (possibly including the plaques that contribute to Alzheimers disease). Habitual short sleep duration is associated with greater risk of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, and cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, about one third of U.S. adults get less than the recommended seven hours of sleep a night.

There is lot of advice floating around these days about how to avoid gluten, but very little about how to tell if a gluten-free diet is the right choice for you.