Jan. 31, 2013 -- The risk of hospitalization or death from heart disease is almost a third lower in vegetarians than in people who eat meat and fish, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Oxford in England say the health benefits of not eating meat likely stem from having lower (More)
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Jan. 30, 2013 -- PepsiCo recently announced it would remove brominated vegetable oil (BVO) from its Gatorade drinks in response to customer concerns.

Just what is BVO? And what is it doing in your sports drink?

To learn more, we reached out to food chemists Kantha Shelke, PhD, a Chicago scientist who consults with food companies to develop new products, and Walter Vetter, PhD, who is studying BVO at the University of Hohenheim in (More)
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Jan. 29, 2013 -- Older women with heart problems may be at greater risk for mental changes that are thought to signal the beginnings of a type of dementia, a new study shows.

Called vascular dementia, it is a type of mental decline that's thought to be caused by (More)
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Jan. 22, 2013 -- Think a nightcap may help you get a better night's sleep?

Think again.

A new review of 27 studies shows that alcohol does not improve sleep quality. According to the findings, alcohol does allow healthy people to fall asleep quicker and sleep more deeply for a while, but it reduces (More)
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Jan. 22, 2013 -- Regular aspirin users are more likely to develop the "wet" form of age-related macular degeneration compared to people who rarely or never take the drug, a new study shows.

Aspirin is one of (More)
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Jan. 18, 2013 -- More than 200,000 weight loss surgeries are performed each year in the U.S.

Several recent studies have questioned the effectiveness and safety of one type, gastric banding, which has led to a decline in its use as patients (More)
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Jan. 17, 2013 -- Cancer death rates have fallen by 20% from their peak about 20 years ago, according to the latest statistics from the American Cancer Society.

This means that from 1991 to 2009, 1.2 million lives were spared, including 152,900 lives in 2009 alone.

"The big picture is that progress is steady, and for the four major cancer sites, progress is even more rapid," (More)
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Jan. 16, 2013 -- The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has announced its seventh annual Xtreme Eating Awards, and as usual, there are some eye-popping, belt-busting, and artery-clogging stats behind these oversized restaurant meals.

Some of this year's biggest offenders are dishes even savvy diners might not suspect:

• Despite healthy (More)
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Jan. 15, 2013 -- Eating less sugar is linked with weight loss, and eating more is linked with weight gain, according to a new review of published studies.

The review lends support to the idea that advising people to limit the sugar in their (More)
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Jan. 14, 2013 -- Young and middle-aged women who eat blueberries and strawberries regularly may help lower their risk of a heart attack later.

In a new study, researchers wanted to focus on whether substances known as anthocyanins are good for the (More)
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