Ever have the burger vs. salad debate at your favorite local fast-food joint? When it comes to your health, this seems like a simple decision. But a deeper look at the Nutrition Facts statements in each restaurant could change your…
Tag: Lifestyle
How Does Sugar Affect the Brain?
Satisfying sweet tooth cravings are notoriously hard to ignore, but recent research offers one more motivational push to pass on those chocolate-chip cookies and Snickers bars. A new study has linked sugar to side-effects outside the realm of diabetes and…
Vitamin D and Race
Vitamin D3 is synthesized in human skin upon exposure to sunlight, when ultraviolet (UV) rays convert 7-dehydrocholesterol to previtamin D3 (which is subsequently modified in the liver and kidneys to form the biologically active compound). However, not everyone synthesizes vitamin…
How Body Mass Index (BMI) Affects Longevity
Body-mass Index (BMI), a measure of body fat based on height and weight, has long been thought to be a reliable predictor of disease risk and, by extension, longevity. According to the CDC, scoring in the ‘Obese’ category puts you…
Fish Oil and Oxidation: Causes and Effects
How does oxidation occur? Oxidation occurs when unsaturated fats—such as the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA—are exposed to heat, light, or oxygen. The greater the degree of unsaturation (the more double bonds present), the more susceptible the fatty acid…
Can Probiotics Lead To Weight Loss?
We’ve all heard that probiotics, the so called “good” bacteria, benefit our well-being beyond just our digestive health. Probiotics keep the proliferation of harmful bacteria (pathogens) in check, aid in nutrient absorption, and support healthy immunity. A recent study links…
Caramel Color: an Overview
Not quite the same as the tasty caramel we get when we melt sugar, caramel color—seen on the ingredient labels of many popular soft-drinks—is an artificial coloring agent recently brought into the public spotlight for its suggested negative health effects.…
Weight Loss Aid Causes Hepatitis Outbreak
OxyElite Pro, a popular dietary supplement claimed to help burn fat, led to an outbreak of severe inflammatory liver disease in nearly 100 people across 16 states as of February of this year. The liver plays central roles in digestion,…
The Weight Loss Effects of Drinking Water
Drinking a few cups of water before a meal has been shown to be a safe and easy way to avoid consuming those extra calories responsible for growing our waist lines. The effect is simple: water helps increase satiety, effectively…
Green Coffee Extract as a Weight-Loss Aid: the Facts
The weight loss industry has seen its fair share of short-cut laden fads, promising results after minimal effort. These marketing tactics often work—raspberry ketone product sales, for example, grew by triple digits in 2013, a year after they first received…