Todays Newsbites

According to a recent analysis, 97% of studies that were independently funded (not sponsored by beverage makers) have reported that drinking sugary sodas is linked with obesity and diabetes.

Cranberry juice is touted for fending off urinary tract infections (UTIs), typically signaled by frequent, burning urination. However, results from clinical trials have been inconsistent. A new study published in JAMA failed to find a benefit.

What's in your sandwich? A new analysis of national nutrition survey data on more than 27,000 Americans suggests not paying attention to the nutrient facts on sandwiches could contribute to less-healthy eating.

Just 30 minutes of walking, five days a week, can save you $2,500 a year in medical costs, according to a new study of more than 26,000 people.

The US Department of Agriculture has made it easier for scientists and consumers to check out the nutritional characteristics of popular foods. The agency added a database of 80,000 name-brand packaged and prepared foods sold at supermarkets and restaurants to its existing almost 9,000-item National Nutrient Database.

Don't count on the "five-second rule" to keep dropped food free of bacteria. An exhaustive test of the notion that food touching the floor for no more than five seconds is still safe to eat debunked it with more than 2,500 measurements.

Recently discovered internal documents from the 1960s reveal that the sugar industry paid scientists to play down the cardiovascular risks of sugar consumption and instead blame saturated fat.

Plant geneticists at the USDAs Agricultural Research Service may have found ways to prolong the shelf life of fresh-cut peppers and lettuces in supermarkets.

So much for the notion that Americans had hit "peak meat" and are beginning to eat less. After US meat consumption dropped in 2014, led by lower intake of red meat, some industry observers speculated that our taste for meat had topped out.

The longer the time between ordering food and expecting to eat it, the healthier that food tends to be. That's the finding of a trio of Carnegie Mellon University studies published in the Journal of Marketing Research.