It’s easy these days to see how many calories a cheeseburger will set you back, or how many added sugars are in a jar of pasta sauce. But nutrition labels haven’t been as helpful at helping people cut calories as might have been hoped, according to a new evidence review published Jan. 17 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Labels slapped on offerings at supermarkets and restaurants lead to only a small reduction in the calories people select and purchase, according to findings gathered from 25 prior studies. The average calorie reduction was just under 2%, or about 11 calories in a 600-calorie meal – the equivalent of around two almonds, researchers said. “Our review suggests that calorie labeling leads to a modest reduction in the calories people purchase and consume,” senior investigator Gareth Hollands, a principal research fellow with the University College London Social Research Institute, said in a news release. “This may have some impact on health at the population level, but calorie labeling is certainly no silver bullet,” Hollands added. The review compiled evidence from studies involving more than 10,000 people living in high-income countries like the U.S., Canada, France and the U.K., researchers said. The studies all focused on the impact of nutrition labeling on food selection and consumption, and 16 of the 25 were conducted in real-world settings like…  read on >  read on >

Could eating more fiber be the key to a healthier gut? Research suggests the answer is yes. The findings, published recently in the journal Nature Microbiology, analyzed gut microbiomes from more than 12,000 people in 45 countries. It found that individuals with higher levels of beneficial gut bacterium called Faecalibacterium also had fewer harmful bacteria such as E.coli.  “The main takeaway from our study is that our gut microbiome plays an important role in reducing the growth of potentially harmful bacteria in our gut, and it seems this effect may be modulated through diet,” lead researcher Alexandre Almeida, a fellow at Cambridge University, told NBC News.  Faecalibacterium thrives on fiber-rich foods like vegetables, beans and whole grains. It produces short-chain fatty acids, compounds known to benefit gut health. Research has linked lower levels of these bacteria to gastrointestinal conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). While the study doesn’t prove that eating more fiber directly reduces harmful bacteria, increasing fiber intake offers many health benefits, Almeida said. “There’s really solid evidence that fiber helps with diabetes, weight control and cardiovascular disease,” Dr. Walter Willett, a professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and at Harvard Medical School in Boston, said in a news release. Adults need about 30 grams of fiber daily, according to Willett, but most Americans consume about 58% of that amount.…  read on >  read on >

Most parents of a child with a food allergy opt to cut the offending food completely out of their homes. However, that strategy is tied to an emotional toll, researchers said. Parents who exclude food from their home because of their child’s allergy have a worse quality of life on average, due to worry and anxiety, researchers reported in a study published last month in JAMA Network Open. “In this study, most families chose to exclude food allergens from their household, and families engaging in this practice reported more food allergy-related psychosocial concerns than families who did not,” concluded the research team led by Hana Ruran, a research intern in immunology at Boston Children’s Hospital. About 10% of children around the world have a food allergy, researchers said in background notes. For this study, researchers surveyed more than 900 families of children with food allergies between April 2022 and November 2023. Nearly two-thirds of parents (64%) responded to their child’s allergy by excluding the offending food from their home, results showed. The most commonly excluded foods were peanut (62%), tree nut (55%) and sesame (51%), researchers found. On the other hand, only 24% of homes with an egg allergy excluded eggs from their home. Cow’s milk, soy and wheat allergies also were less likely to prompt their exclusion from the pantry or fridge. “Other studies…  read on >  read on >

It turns out, your protein powder might not be as healthy as you think. A new report from the Clean Label Project reveals that popular protein powders — especially plant-based, organic and chocolate-flavored varieties — may contain high levels of lead and cadmium. The report highlights an alarming finding: Nearly half (47%) of the 160 products tested exceeded California’s Proposition 65 regulatory limits for lead, with 21% containing levels more than twice as high as those allowed under the law. “Heavy metal contaminant is a global food safety problem,” Jackie Bowen, executive director of the Clean Label Project, told CNN. “These contaminants are basically everywhere, including in things that are being represented as health foods,” she added. An industry group, the Council for Responsible Nutrition, questioned the study’s methodology and findings. The investigation revealed that: Plant-based powders, like those made from soy, rice and peas, contained three times more lead than products based on whey, a byproduct of cheesemaking. Organic powders had three times more lead and twice as much cadmium compared to non-organic powders. Chocolate-flavored powders had four times more lead and up to 110 times more cadmium than vanilla-flavored powders. Plants naturally absorb heavy metals from soil and water, but contamination can be worse if they are grown in soil further tainted by industrial waste, mining and certain pesticides and fertilizers. Dark chocolate,…  read on >  read on >

A slice of tasty, stretchy, creamy cheese may soon be easier to come by for those on a dairy-free diet. Researchers in Canada are working to create plant-based cheeses with all the taste and texture of traditional, dairy cheese but with healthier and more sustainable ingredients, according to a new research review published Jan. 14 in the journal Physics of Fluids. Scientists from the University of Guelph and Canadian Light Source Inc. are studying plant-based proteins and their interactions to mimic the melting, stretching and oil-release qualities that make cheese so, well, delicious.  “If you wanted to strictly only eat plant-based products, you would end up eating a lot of beans and tofu, which can be little bit boring after a while,” study author Alejandro Marangoni, a professor in food, health and aging at the University of Guelph in Ontario said in a news release. “Now, consumers expect essentially the same animal product but with plant-based ingredients, which is very difficult,” he added. Marangoni’s team looked at proteins from lentils, faba beans and peas, combining them with oil blends to create a satisfying cheese-like texture. A blend of 25% coconut oil, 75% sunflower oil and pea protein provided a texture that matched, and in some cases outperformed, cheeses made entirely with coconut oil. Researchers found that the interaction between pea protein and coconut oil increased…  read on >  read on >

Steak, hamburgers, beef ribs and hot dogs are bad for the aging brain. Folks who eat lots of red and processed meat are more likely to develop dementia, researchers reported. Eating more than one serving of red meat a day — 3 ounces, about the size of a bar of soap — is associated with a 16% increased risk of cognitive decline, researchers found. And eating more than a daily quarter-serving of processed red meat — bacon, sausage, hot dogs and the like — increased dementia risk by 13% and risk of cognitive decline by 14%. What’s more, people’s brains appear to age faster with every additional serving of red meat they eat daily. On the other hand, replacing red meat with nuts and legumes reduced risk of early brain aging, results show. “Dietary guidelines tend to focus on reducing risks of chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes, while cognitive health is less frequently discussed, despite being linked to these diseases,” senior researcher Dr. Daniel Wang with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, an assistant professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a news release from the school. “We hope our results encourage greater consideration of the connection between diet and brain health,” Wang said. For the study, researchers analyzed data on nearly 134,000 nurses and health professionals participating…  read on >  read on >

Agency revokes previous authorization for color additive to be used in food and ingested drugs
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