diet

You've probably read the stories proclaiming that eating blueberries reduces your risk of dementia, or red wine is good for your heart, or coffee protects against type 2 diabetes – or, indeed, many of the other big health claims for a particular "superfood". But what is the truth in these statements?  While we – a group of nutritional scientists – have been involved in this kind of research, we are not responsible for the headlines. Underneath those attention-grabbing stories, however, there is important and serious…

Foods rich in vitamin D.Nutritional advice comes from every corner of our world. Between doctors, well-meaning family members and friends, and the all-pervasive impact of social media, we are bombarded with tips on how to add more protein, fiber, and healthy fats to our everyday menu. To top it all off, we are encouraged to throw in a multi-vitamin for good measure to fill in any gaps in our diet.The subject of popping a pill in order to get the recommended daily allowance of the various vitamins essential to overall good…

According to new research findings, reducing the amount of protein in the diet produces an array of favorable health outcomes, including an extension of lifespan, and these effects depend on a liver-derived metabolic hormone called Fibroblast Growth Factor 21.A Single Hormone Directs Body’s Responses to Low-Protein Diet.Mice live longer and lose weight while eating more when the hormone FGF21 is present.A single hormone appears to be responsible for the lifespan extension produced by a low-protein diet.A new study from…

Low-protein diets appear to have incredible benefits for the health and lifespans of rodents, fruit flies, and yeast.A new study in mice has now identified a single hormone that is essential for these curious anti-aging effects.  The hormone is called fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), and it is secreted by the liver.In recent years, studies have shown that FGF21 responds to protein restriction in male mice, improving energy expenditure and glucose tolerance while reducing body weight.Now, the same team of researchers…

The body of evidence around how diet can influence our mental wellbeing continues to build as studies demonstrate the dangers of sustained unhealthy eating habits. New research has explored this phenomenon in young men suffering from clinical depression, and shown that switching to a healthier Mediterranean diet can bring about rapid and significant reductions in symptoms.The research was carried out by scientists at the University of Technology Sydney and focused on mental health in young men. Depression is among the…

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain There has been a rapid 57% jump in the proportion of households cutting back on food or missing meals altogether in just three months, according to new data published by The Food Foundation. …

Paleolithic cuisine was anything but lean and green, according to a 2021 study on the diets of our Pleistocene ancestors. For a good 2 million years, Homo sapiens and their ancestors ditched the salad and dined heavily on meat, putting them at the top of the food chain.  It's not quite the balanced diet of berries, grains, and steak we might picture when we think of 'paleo' food. But according to anthropologists from Israel's Tel Aviv University and the University of Minho in Portugal, modern hunter-gatherers have given…