Diet, Heart and Circulatory System, Nutrition

Are eggs good or bad for our health?

You might have heard that eating too many eggs will cause high cholesterol levels, leading to poor health.

Researchers have examined the science behind this myth again, and again, and again – largely debunking the claim.

A new study suggests that, among older adults, eating eggs supports heart health and even reduces the risk of premature death.

Diet, Heart and Circulatory System, High Blood Pressure, Nutrition

Why the WHO has recommended switching to a healthier salt alternative

the main lower-sodium salt substitute is called potassium-enriched salt.

This is salt where some of the sodium chloride has been replaced with potassium chloride. Potassium-enriched salt benefits our health by cutting the amount of sodium we consume, and increasing the amount of potassium in our diets.

Both help to lower blood pressure. Switching regular salt for potassium-enriched salt has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and premature death in large trials around the world.

Cancer, Colon Cancer, Diet, Fitness

Bowel cancer is on the rise in under-50s – here’s what might explain the trend

Our increasingly sedentary lifestyles and the rising consumption of highly calorific, nutritionally poor foods probably plays a critical role in the generational changes in bowel cancer incidence we’re seeing. Such diets became increasingly commonplace through the US and parts of Europe in the 1970s – before spreading to other countries as a side-effect of economic development.

Dialysis, Diet, Heart and Circulatory System, Nutrition

New Study Links Millions of Diabetes and Heart Disease Cases Globally to Sugary Drinks

A new study estimates that sugar-sweetened beverages contribute to 2.2 million new diabetes cases and 1.2 million new cardiovascular disease cases annually. The impact is particularly severe in developing countries, where sugary drinks are heavily marketed and contribute to a significant portion of new diabetes and heart disease cases. The study’s authors call for urgent interventions, including public health campaigns, advertising regulation, and taxes on sugary beverages.

Diet, Health News, Nutrition, Prevention, Public Health

Junk food and drug use cut into life expectancy gains for states

Bad habits such as junk food, smoking and illicit drug use are preventing longer lifespans even as technology brings major progress in diseases such as cancer and heart disease, according to a new study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

Nine of the 10 states (all but North Dakota) with the longest life expectancies for babies born this year are dominated by Democrats, and all 10 have expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. All 10 states with the shortest life expectancies are controlled by Republicans (though Kentucky has a Democratic governor), and they include five of the 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid.

Addiction, Diet, Drugs

Poppy Seed Brew Triggers Morphine Overdose, Drawing Attention of Lawmakers

After eating lemon poppy seed bread or an everything bagel, mothers reportedly have been separated from newborns because the women failed drug tests.

Poppy seeds come from the plant that produces opium and from which narcotics such as morphine and codeine are derived. During harvesting and processing, the seeds can become coated with the opium fluid.