When the 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines were released, they included details for following the Mediterranean-style diet. That’s the way of eating in countries that border the Mediterranean Sea and has been associated with many health benefits, from a sharper mind to a healthier heart. The eating plan includes more fruit and seafood and less dairy than traditional healthful diets. And this way of eating is as tasty as it is healthy and easy to follow. The first guideline of the Mediterranean diet is to eat mostly plant-based foods — a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts. Next, is to replace butter with healthy fats, such as olive oil. Also, use herbs and spices instead of salt, eat fish and poultry at least twice a week, and limit red meat to just a few times a month. In terms of exact portions, for a daily diet of 1,200 calories, start with 1.5 cups of vegetables and increase from there. Over the course of every week, get a mix of dark green, red and orange veggies for their range of micronutrients, and include some legumes, great sources of fiber and some protein as well as carbs. Other amounts of daily foods to include are 1 cup of fruit; 4 ounces of grains — at least half of which are whole grain; 2.5…  read on >

No one thinks of a piece of layer cake as a diet item. But it turns out that even conscientious label readers may overestimate the size of a single serving and underestimate the number of calories they’re eating. Researchers at Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab looked at dozens of packages of dry cake mixes. They found that, while nutritional labels give the calorie count of a specific amount of unfrosted cake, the photo on the front often shows a larger piece plus enough frosting to more than double the listed calories. The researchers also surveyed different groups of women for their study and even those who work in the food industry overestimated serving size because of photos on the packages. Can you have a reasonably sized slice of cake while on a diet? It’s possible when you make your own simple cake from scratch. For instance, light and airy angel food cake is made with egg whites and has just 150 calories for one-twelfth of a 10-inch cake. A drizzle of pureed berries with or without a dollop of thick Greek yogurt makes a healthy alternative to frosting. When you want something sweeter, keep in mind that a thin glaze has fewer calories and none of the fat of a frosting. Another option is baking a meringue-based cake called a dacquoise, made from stiffly…  read on >

After infections tied to unapproved stem cell treatments sent 12 people to hospital this past year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday issued a stern warning about the products. “The letters we’re issuing today to manufacturers, health care providers and clinics around the country are a reminder that there’s a clear line between appropriate development of these products and practices that sidestep important regulatory controls needed to protect patients,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said in a statement. At issue are stem cell treatments — so-called “cell-based regenerative medicine.” Because stem cells have the potential to generate any type of cell, these treatments have long been marketed as a cure-all for a range of illnesses. Hundreds of clinics touting the unapproved treatments have sprung up across the United States. However, shoddy oversight may have led some hopeful patients to be seriously harmed, not helped, by these therapies, the FDA said. In a report published Thursday, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say 12 stem cell therapy patients developed infections so severe they required hospitalization, although none died. Seven of the cases occurred in Texas, four in Florida and one in Arizona, according to a team led by CDC investigator Kiran Perkins. Between February and September of 2018, these patients sought the treatments for a variety of complaints, including chronic…  read on >

Researchers say they’ve identified a potential link between food allergies and flare-ups of multiple sclerosis. “Our findings suggest that MS patients with allergies have more active disease than those without, and that this effect is driven by food allergies,” said study author Dr. Tanuja Chitnis, an MS specialist, and colleagues. Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system that can affect balance and mobility. Exactly how food allergies might exacerbate MS isn’t clear. But the researchers said the results suggest they might boost MS-related inflammation. Allergies may also alter gut bacteria, which can produce chemicals that affect the central nervous system, the study authors said. Because this is an observational study, it can’t prove cause and effect. Further research is needed to confirm the findings, said Chitnis, an associate neurologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and her co-authors. The study was published online Dec. 18 in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. It included more than 1,300 MS patients in the United States. The participants provided details about food, drug, or environmental allergies and symptoms between 2011 and 2015. More than 900 had one or more allergies, while the rest had no known allergy. Of the patients with allergies, almost 600 had an environmental allergy — such as pollen, dust mites, grass or pets. More than 200 had a food…  read on >

High cholesterol, a serious risk factor for heart disease, can affect both men and women, and it’s common for cholesterol levels to rise with age. But it’s often a problem for men earlier in life than for women. A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that men with less-than-optimal aerobic fitness are at greater risk of developing high cholesterol in their early 30s, while men with higher aerobic fitness are likely to avoid this until their mid-40s. This underscores the importance of a regular fitness program with cardio exercise. Just 150 minutes a week can lower your high cholesterol risk. Fast Stats on Cholesterol: Nearly one-third of U.S. adults have high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or bad) cholesterol and 31 million have high total cholesterol. Less than half of adults with high LDL cholesterol are getting treatment and fewer than 30 percent have it under control. High total cholesterol doubles heart disease risk. Research also points to genetics as a factor in who might develop high cholesterol. More than 80 percent of the cholesterol circulating in your body is made by your liver, and doesn’t come from food. That being said, you do want to avoid trans fats because trans fat does tend to raise cholesterol and increase heart disease risk. Starting at age 20, you should know…  read on >