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Q. I take 50 milligrams of zinc daily, but it looks like you should take only 40 milligrams per day. Is it OK to continue? What are the consequences of too much zinc?

Amid the hoopla and distractions of the 2016 elections, real issues have been raised and discussed. Questions have been posed, and answers proffered, on wide-ranging topics including jobs, Syria, tax policy, immigration, healthcare, education, the courts, banking, our relations with China, Russia and Europe, and many more. While the replies may not always have been satisfying, at least these many subjects, from large to small, global to local, have been raised and considered.

Are foods containing genetically modified (GMO) ingredients safe to eat? Even as a new Vermont law and food giants including General Mills and Campbell Soup push to label GMO products, a sweeping new scientific report concludes that genetically engineered crops are as safe as conventionally grown foods.

Amid the hoopla and distractions of the 2016 elections, real issues have been raised and discussed. Questions have been posed, and answers proffered, on wide-ranging topics including jobs, Syria, tax policy, immigration, healthcare, education, the courts, banking, our relations with China, Russia and Europe, and many more. While the replies may not always have been satisfying, at least these many subjects, from large to small, global to local, have been raised and considered.

More evidence that coffee - once thought of as bad for you - is not only safe in typical amounts but might actually help protect your health comes from a new study of colorectal cancer risk. Researchers compared 5,145 patients who had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer within the past six months with a control group of 4,097 men and women with no history of the cancer. Drinking one or two cups of coffee a day was associated with a 26% lower risk of developing colorectal cancer, with risk dropping even more as consumption increased.

While losing weight can protect you against chronic diseases, it does come with a downside - especially for postmenopausal women: Studies have shown that obese older women who lose weight also lose lean muscle mass and bone mineral density (BMD), particularly if they are inactive, potentially putting them at greater risk of frailty and falls.

Don't count on green-tea pills to help you lose weight or keep your bones strong. A new clinical trial testing year-long supplementation of green-tea extract reports no difference between the pills and placebo in changes in body mass index, total fat mass or percentage of body fat, or bone-mineral density.

Q. I keep reading about the health benefits of spicy peppers, but I can't eat spicy foods. Is there any way I can get these benefits without eating hot peppers?

Every cell in your body needs water to function. Water transports nutrients and oxygen throughout the body, and carries away waste materials. Water makes up most of your body, ranging from about 75% of body weight in infancy to 55% of body weight at older ages. Your brain and heart are almost three-quarters water, your muscles and kidneys are almost 80% water, and even your bones are about 30% water.

Q. Are the nitrates/nitrites in celery juice, used in some processed meat products, really safer than products containing regular additives?