Nearly half of all American children and teens are overweight or obese, according to government statistics, and a large part of the problem may be lack of access to healthy foods in kids’ environments.
Diet & Fitness
Among Tai Chi’s Many Benefits: Raising Quality of Life in Heart Failure Patients
Previous studies have linked the practice of tai chi with a host of health benefits. It may help reduce blood pressure, lessen pain from arthritis and fibromyalgia, improve sleep, and ease depression in the elderly. Now add to …
Diet Food: Red Hot Chili Peppers May Help You Eat Less
It’s long been known that spicy red peppers can help suppress appetite and burn calories. But most scientific studies of red peppers’ properties used quantities of the stuff that were too large to be applicable to Americans. Now, …
Q&A: Talking Body Image Secrets With Author Diana Spechler
“My least favorite feeling in the world is feeling too fat to be seen. I want to lock myself up until I’m thin again.” That’s a typical comment on the website Body Confessions, recently launched by novelist Diana Spechler.
5 Highlights From the ‘Toxic Sugar’ Video
In case you haven’t seen it yet, there’s a video on YouTube of a lecture called “Sugar: The Bitter Truth,” delivered by Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of California, San Francisco. The lecture, which runs some 90 minutes and delves into the details of the professor’s clinical observations and research, …
Study: Diet Soda May Not Raise Risk of Diabetes After All
Previous studies have linked drinking diet soda with a higher risk of diabetes, among other health problems. But a large, long-term study bucks the trend, suggesting that diet sodas and other artificially sweetened drinks won’t …
When Is a Salad Not a Salad? Why Dieters Are Easily Confused by Labels
Dieters are a focused bunch: they calculate calories, sugar and fat content and conscientiously ask for salad dressing on the side. Right? Not exactly. According to a new study, dieters actually tend to make snap judgments about …
Why Looking at Overweight People Makes Us Want to Eat More, Not Less
Viewers of The Biggest Loser would probably agree that watching the weight-loss show fills them with inspiration. Seeing the obese contestants struggle should motivate us to eat better, exercise and lose weight too. Turns out, …
Can a Mother’s Pregnancy Diet Influence Her Child’s Future Weight?
Adding to the evidence that your baby’s health may be influenced by the nine months it spends in the womb, a new study finds that a pregnant mother’s diet may be associated with her child’s later risk of obesity.
A Bad Mix: Why Alcohol and Energy Drinks Are Dangerous
Mixing alcohol with other substances is never really a good idea, and pairing it with energy drinks may be especially hazardous.
What’s Lurking in Your Meat and Poultry? Probably Staph
It’s a kitchen credo that you should wash your hands and utensils thoroughly, especially after they’ve touched raw meat or poultry, which may contain a host of bacteria — salmonella, listeria, E. coli — that can make you …
An Apple a Day Keeps Cholesterol at Bay?
Lending credence to the old adage about eating an apple a day, a new study finds that women who ate the fruit daily saw improvements in cholesterol levels and markers of inflammation — suggesting a lower risk of heart disease …
Beware the Office Candy Bowl
Every office has at least one: a giant bowl of bite-size candy bars, peppermints, chocolate Kisses and other high-sugar treats. It’s hard to resist its gravitational pull, especially when you’re suffering from a post-lunch …