Salmonella-tainted tomatoes in three southern states could cause severe illness or even death, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns. The FDA has updated an ongoing recall of tomatoes distributed in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina to Class I — its highest warning level, The New York Times reported. A Class I recall means there is a reasonable chance that using the product could lead to “serious adverse health consequences or death.” The tomatoes were distributed under the H&C Farms label between April 23 and 28 and were sold in packages ranging from a small three-pack to 25-pound boxes. The tomatoes were first recalled voluntarily in early May, The Times reported, with no reported illnesses at the time. But the FDA says the risk is now considered more severe. It’s not likely that shoppers will come across any fresh tomatoes from the recalled batch, according to the FDA. However, the salmonella bacteria can survive for weeks in dry places and for months in wet or frozen environments, meaning the tomatoes could still pose a danger if stored, The Times said. The exact source of the contamination is still unknown. Williams Farms Repack, the South Carolina company that distributed the tomatoes, has not commented. H&C Farms has also declined to comment. Each year, Salmonella sickens more than 1 million people in the U.S. and…  read on >  read on >

It’s never too late to start eating right as a means of protecting your brain health, a new study says. People who improved their healthy eating in middle-age had a 25% lower risk of dementia, compared to those whose diets got worse, according to findings reported today at a meeting of the American Society for Nutrition (ASN). “Our study findings confirm that healthy dietary patterns in mid to late life and their improvement over time may prevent Alzheimer’s and related dementias,” researcher Song-Yi Park, an associate professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, said in a news release. “This suggests that it is never too late to adopt a healthy diet to prevent dementia,” she added. For the study, researchers analyzed data from nearly 93,000 adults taking part in a long-term health study. Participants were between 45 and 75 when the study started in the 1990s, and more than 21,000 developed Alzheimer’s disease or dementia in the years that followed. Study participants filled out diet questionnaires, and researchers assessed their responses to gauge their adherence to the MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet. The MIND diet combines the Mediterranean diet with the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, two eating patterns that have been shown to improve people’s health. It emphasizes whole grains, vegetables, nuts, beans, berries, poultry and fish, while recommending…  read on >  read on >

It’s never too late to start eating right as a means of protecting your brain health, a new study says. People who improved their healthy eating in middle-age had a 25% lower risk of lower risk of dementia, compared to those whose diets got worse, according to findings reported today at a meeting of the American Society for Nutrition (ASN). “Our study findings confirm that healthy dietary patterns in mid to late life and their improvement over time may prevent Alzheimer’s and related dementias,” researcher Song-Yi Park, an associate professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, said in a news release. “This suggests that it is never too late to adopt a healthy diet to prevent dementia,” she added. For the study, researchers analyzed data from nearly 93,000 adults taking part in a long-term health study. Participants were between 45 and 75 when the study started in the 1990s, and more than 21,000 developed Alzheimer’s disease or dementia in the years that followed. Study participants filled out diet questionnaires, and researchers assessed their responses to gauge their adherence to the MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet. The MIND diet combines the Mediterranean diet with the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, two eating patterns that have been shown to improve people’s health. It emphasizes whole grains, vegetables, nuts, beans, berries, poultry and…  read on >  read on >

A dad’s eating habits can have a profound effect on their kid’s diets, even when those children are nothing but a twinkle in his eye, a new study says. Men who established a healthy diet as teens were more likely to model healthy eating for their kids, and to keep a sharp eye on what their kids eat, researchers reported Saturday at a meeting of the American Society for Nutrition in Orlando, Fl. “Our study found that fathers who ate healthier as teenagers were more likely to encourage positive food habits in their children,” lead author Mariane De Oliveira, a postdoctoral research fellow at Boston College, said in a news release. “These fathers were better at modeling healthy eating — actively demonstrating good dietary habits — and monitoring their child’s intake of unhealthy foods, such as certain sweets and snack foods,” she  added. For the study, researchers analyzed data from 669 men who answered questionnaires about their teenage eating habits, and years later answered questions about their kids’ diet. The men, who themselves were the children of nurses, entered the study in the 1990s and 2000s and completed at least two diet questionnaires during their teen years. They were grown up and had kids ages 1 to 6 when researchers contacted them in 2021 and 2022 to participate in a follow-up study specifically for fathers.…  read on >  read on >

A dad’s eating habits can have a profound effect on their kid’s diets, even when those children are nothing but a twinkle in his eye, a new study says. Men who established a healthy diet as teens were more likely to model healthy eating for their kids, and to keep a sharp eye on what their kids eat, researchers reported Saturday at a meeting of the American Society for Nutrition in Orlando, Fl. “Our study found that fathers who ate healthier as teenagers were more likely to encourage positive food habits in their children,” lead author Mariane De Oliveira, a postdoctoral research fellow at Boston College, said in a news release. “These fathers were better at modeling healthy eating — actively demonstrating good dietary habits — and monitoring their child’s intake of unhealthy foods, such as certain sweets and snack foods,” she  added. For the study, researchers analyzed data from 669 men who answered questionnaires about their teenage eating habits, and years later answered questions about their kids’ diet. The men, who themselves were the children of nurses, entered the study in the 1990s and 2000s and completed at least two diet questionnaires during their teen years. They were grown up and had kids ages 1 to 6 when researchers contacted them in 2021 and 2022 to participate in a follow-up study specifically for fathers.…  read on >  read on >

Your morning cup of coffee might help you power through the day — but could it be keeping your brain too alert at night, even while you sleep? A new study suggests that caffeine doesn’t just affect your energy levels. It may also change how your brain functions during sleep, especially in 20-somethings. Researchers in Canada found that drinking caffeine before bed may keep the brain in a more active state overnight, a news release shows.  Published in the journal Nature Communications Biology, the study used electroencephalography (EEG) and artificial intelligence to examine how caffeine changes the brain’s behavior during rest. “We used advanced statistical analysis and artificial intelligence to identify subtle changes in neuronal activity,” said lead author Philipp Thölke, a research trainee at the University of Montreal. “The results showed that caffeine increased the complexity of brain signals, reflecting more dynamic and less predictable neuronal activity, especially during the non-rapid eye movement (NREM) phase of sleep that’s crucial for memory consolidation and cognitive recovery,” he said in a news release. Researchers found that caffeine increased the complexity of brain signals. It also boosted something known as “criticality.” “Criticality describes a state of the brain that is balanced between order and chaos,” said study co-author Karim Jerbi, a University of Montreal psychology professor and director of its Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience Lab.  “In this…  read on >  read on >

Your morning cup of coffee might help you power through the day — but could it be keeping your brain too alert at night, even while you sleep? A new study suggests that caffeine doesn’t just affect your energy levels. It may also change how your brain functions during sleep, especially in 20-somethings. Researchers in Canada found that drinking caffeine before bed may keep the brain in a more active state overnight, a news release shows.  Published in the journal Nature Communications Biology, the study used electroencephalography (EEG) and artificial intelligence to examine how caffeine changes the brain’s behavior during rest. “We used advanced statistical analysis and artificial intelligence to identify subtle changes in neuronal activity,” said lead author Philipp Thölke, a research trainee at the University of Montreal. “The results showed that caffeine increased the complexity of brain signals, reflecting more dynamic and less predictable neuronal activity, especially during the non-rapid eye movement (NREM) phase of sleep that’s crucial for memory consolidation and cognitive recovery,” he said in a news release. Researchers found that caffeine increased the complexity of brain signals. It also boosted something known as “criticality.” “Criticality describes a state of the brain that is balanced between order and chaos,” said study co-author Karim Jerbi, a University of Montreal psychology professor and director of its Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience Lab.  “In this…  read on >  read on >