1.Exercise curbs your risk of cancer, especially colon cancer and breast cancer.
2.Exercise creates new brain cells. Older adults who exercise are able to mentally perform as well as young adults.
3.Exercise boosts insulin sensitivity. This makes it ... [read the full topic]

The link between joint flexibility and stretching has been known for a long time. Now we also know that stretching keeps your arteries and blood vessels flexible, too. This is an advantage for two reasons: 1)people with stiffer arteries are more likely ... [read the full topic]

There's an inverse relationship between the fat around your waist and the amount of brain tissue you have. So, the bigger your waist, the less brain tissue. A study of 100 people in their 70's published by Human Brain Mapping found that obese people had ... [read the full topic]

Agave (pronounced uh-gah-vay) syrup comes from a Mexican cactus-like plant and is used as a supposedly healthier alternative to sugar. It can be purchased in your local health food store as a table top sweetener that you add to food on your own, and it's ... [read the full topic]

At long last the scientific and medical community is catching on to the idea that fullness makes a big difference in the ability to take off weight and keep it off. [Editor's note: I have been saying this all along] Fullness makes you less likely to ... [read the full topic]

In 2003 the FDA issued a "qualified" health claim that eating 1.5 ounces of nuts per day will improve health. The word "qualified" means that the evidence is still inconclusive. It suggests rather than proves a certain result. That said, here's what's ... [read the full topic]

Back in 1989 a study got started on 76 adult rhesus monkeys to find out if reducing caloric intake over a long period of time had a beneficial or detrimental impact on the monkeys. After 20 years, researchers discovered that the monkeys with the lowest ... [read the full topic]

Research presented at the most recent International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease suggests that lifestyle (exercise, diet and alcohol intake) has the strongest and most direct influence on preventing and/or delaying mental decline. In terms of ... [read the full topic]

Diets that contain a lot of plant protein and that als don't contain a lot of starchy carbohydrates have been shown to lower LDL (the lousy cholesterol) and blood pressure. In addition, there are other benefits to cutting back on animal protein and ... [read the full topic]

According to a study in the July 8 Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, researchers found that mice who were fed a high fat diet and at the same time given acetic acid (the main component of vinegar), gained 10% less body fat than mice who weren't ... [read the full topic]

The easiest, most affordable, most convenient form of exercise is walking. Almost everyone can do it and the only equipment you need is a pair of shoes with decent cushioning and a pedometer. Pedometers provide motivation by giving users a simple, ... [read the full topic]

People who eat the most red meat and the most processed meat (deli meat, sausages, hot dogs) are more likely to die younger. Overall men had an 11% increased risk of death and women had a 16% risk of death, which is categorized as a "modest" increase in ... [read the full topic]

A study published in the February American Journal of Clinical Nutrition addressed the worldwide epidemic obesity. It suggested that one of the secrets to success might be to start "small". For example, instead of making a big goal to lose 50 pounds, ... [read the full topic]

Here are five proven ways that help you to start an exercise program. 1) Make it easily accessible. Find a gym, yoga or dance class that's close to where you live or work. 2) Choose an activity you like. Think about alternatives to traditional ... [read the full topic]

The American Institute for Cancer Research says that frequent intake of "processd" meats including bacon, sausage, ham, hot dogs and lunch meats is linked to a 12% increase in colorectal cancer for every ounce of processed meat eaten per day. The risk is ... [read the full topic]

The new Pepsi Natural soda label says it's sweetened with "natural sugar" or sucrose. Sugar is sugar, and one 12-ounce container of this Pepsi product has 10 teaspoons of sugar, which is about 150 useless calories. The word "natural" is very misleading ... [read the full topic]

Studies show that organic produce contains higher levels of many important nutritients like chromium, selenium and calcium, and non-organic produce has fewer anti-oxidants that help reduce the risk heart disease and cancer. Toxins in foods lead to a ... [read the full topic]

A 21-year study conducted by researchers at Stanford Universty in California showed that runners from age 50 to 72 experienced a 40% reduction in risk of disabilities associated with aging; had fewer incidences of Alzheimer's disease, fewer incidences of ... [read the full topic]

Stevia is a South American plant/shrub with very sweet leaves that's used as a non-caloric alternative to sugar. After much lobbying and anticipation, the FDA just approved stevia as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS)"food additive," which means that it ... [read the full topic]

A survey conducted by the USDA found that dietary fiber is one of the most important ingredients that consumers look for on nutrition food labels. 52% of survey participants said fiber content was an important consideration when selecting a product. Yet ... [read the full topic]

The CDC says that about 25 million Americans have type 2 diabetes (formerly called adult onset diabetes) and another 54 million Americans have pre-diabetes (mildly elevated blood sugar). That's a total of 79 million people with too much sugar in their ... [read the full topic]

The process of converting food and other substances into energy and other usable resources is called "metabolism." Metabolism takes place in the cells, tissues and organs, and is always running. While it's true that some people have a naturally fast ... [read the full topic]

Inflammation is the body's normal response to injury. When your arteries get clogged, it's because of damage or injury to the blood vessels. This damage is thought to be caused by high blood sugar, high LDL (the lousy cholesterol), high blood pressure, ... [read the full topic]

It's never too late to break a bad eating habit and develop a new one. Here are five to work on: 1) Eat less than you did 20 years ago. Caloric requirements drop as we get older, which means there's less room for splurging and indulging yourself with ... [read the full topic]

Take this quick, two-question quiz. 1) Did you know that Post Golden Crisp made by Kraft Foods Inc and Kelloggs Honey Smacks are 50% sugar by weight, and at least nine of the top cereal brands for kids are 40% sugar by weight? In fact, Kelloggs Honey ... [read the full topic]

The newest artificial sweetener, NEOTAME, was approved by the FDA in 2002. It's 7,000 to 13,000 times sweeter than regular sugar and has no calories. There is no brand name associated with it. The chemical formula for NEOTAME is so similar to ... [read the full topic]

You know all those small snack packages that are showing up on the grocery shelves now? Well, as it turns out, you're much more likely to eat twice as much food when you eat those mini-snacks than when you eat snacks out of regular-sized packaging. A ... [read the full topic]

Who knew that coffee would turn out to be good for you? Two huge coffee-drinker studies were conducted on 125,000 Americans over an 18-24 year period which found NO LINK between increased coffee consumption and an increased risk of death, even when ... [read the full topic]

Exercise is a preventer of heart disease regardless of your body weight. It doesn't matter if your weight is proportional to your height or if you're technically obese --regular exercise will directly combat heart disease. According to a study done on ... [read the full topic]

Foods that are rich in omega-3 fats have remarkable health benefits, but here's the deal. You MUST eat them to reap the benefits. Omega-3's are called "essential fats" because your body can't make them, that's why they have to be included in the diet. ... [read the full topic]

Sunlight makes it possible for us to create Vitamin D in our bodies, which is now being recognized as a "powerhouse" vitamin. But there's good and bad news about the risks and rewards associated with sunlight. First the bad. As everyone knows, exposure ... [read the full topic]

Recent research indicates that large quantities of fructose pose special health problems. Fructose appears naturally in fruit and honey. However, the bulk of our fructose consumption comes as a man-made caloric sweetener that's been ADDED to our foods in ... [read the full topic]

Here's the bottom line. If your waist is thick, you're putting yourself at increased risk for heart disease, stroke and cancer. For women the magic or tragic measure is a waist that's 35 inches or greater. For men it's 37 inches. And there's serious ... [read the full topic]

Are you ready for this? "No single study...shows that people need to drink eight eight-ounce glasses of water a day." There is absolutely no scientific evidence to support the 8x8 water-drinking rule that everyone thinks is Gospel. Tufts reminds us ... [read the full topic]

Legumes are a fancy word for beans. This food category includes black beans, navy beans, white beans, kidney beans, fava beans, lima beans, lentils, peas and chickpeas (or garbanzos). Legumes contain a high amount of protein and can be eaten as a meat ... [read the full topic]

Superfoods are foods that have one or more ingredients that provide a strong health benefit such as "boosting your immune system, reducing cholesterol, fighting cancer, or lowering your risk of heart disease." Superfoods are found in ALL grocery stores ... [read the full topic]

Food manufacturers that put high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in their products have been allowed to call it a natural sweetener because it's made from corn. However, keep in mind that the FDA never officially defined what "natural" means, and it's ... [read the full topic]

Last year One-A-Day paid a $3.2 million dollar fine to the Federal Trade Commission rather than substantiating it's claim that Weight Smart's Advanced formula helps to manage your weight by enhancing your metabolism due to higher levels of chromium and B ... [read the full topic]

A study conducted by Penn State University (and published in the scientific journal Appetite) on 60 volunteers showed that eating veggie soup at lunch decreased total caloric intake for lunch by 135 calories. On some days the researchers served soup, and ... [read the full topic]

According to Stephen Hooker, PhD, and director of the Prevention Research Center at the University of South Carolina, "Stroke risk dropped dramatically at an aerobic fitness level that was actually very modest...Fitness has a protective effect regardless ... [read the full topic]

Researchers at Penn State found that dieters who consume more whole grains and less refined grains lose more abdominal fat and reduce the risk of "metabolic syndrome," a cluster of inflammation markers linked to diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular ... [read the full topic]

New research shows that eating nuts helps with weight control. In general, people who eat nuts on a regular basis tend to weigh less than people who don't eat nuts. A Spanish study involving 9,000 people (which was reported in Obesity in 2007) ... [read the full topic]

Fiber keeps us regular, lowers cholesterol, lowers blood sugar, fills us up and prevents colon cancer. But most of us don't get the recommended 20 grams of fiber per day. (That is, unless you happen to be on The Sugar-Free Miracle Diet, and then you ... [read the full topic]

Findings from the Shanghai Women's Health Study, a new research project involving 64,227 middle-aged Chinese women, revealed that women who consumed the most legumes had a significant risk reduction for developing Type 2 diabetes. Results of the study ... [read the full topic]

Omega-3 is a type or sub-category of polyunsaturated fats, and fish oil is one of many different sources where Omega-3's can be found. Other sources of Omega-3's include flaxseed, walnuts and dark leafy greens. However, fish oil and fish like salmon and ... [read the full topic]

Egg yolks have a bad health rep because they contain 210 milligrams of dietary cholesterol, but the good news is that eating eggs DOES NOT result in an increase in blood cholesterol in most people and do not lead to an increased risk of heart disease. A ... [read the full topic]

"In study after study whole grains have been credited with helping to lower your risk for a host of ailments including stroke, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease, as well as enhancing weight maintenance. Now add another reason to make your grains whole: ... [read the full topic]

A large clinical study shows that monthly personal counseling, just 5 to 15 minutes by phone, can help people keep weight off for two years. A team of scientists led by Dr. Laura Svetkey of Duke Universty compared the success rate of three low-cost ... [read the full topic]

A Stockholm University research team analyzed the study results of 411 healthy people to determine the impact (if any) that high blood sugar levels have on memory. The findings indicate that elevated blood sugar levels (especially in women) affect the ... [read the full topic]

There is broad Hawaiian support to ban aspartame from human consumption or sale. If the bill is signed by Hawaiian Gov. Lingle, it's hoped that it will force FDA commissioner, Dr. Von Eschenback, to revoke nationwide approval for aspartame.

G.D. ... [read the full topic]

Dr. Feinman is a professor of Biochemistry at SUNY Downstate Medical Center; co-editor-in-chief of the journal Nutrition & Metabolism, and Director of the Nutrition and Metabolism Society. His extensive training and expertise empowers him to strongly ... [read the full topic]

Coca-Cola and Cargill are teaming up and getting into the "natural" foods and beverages market with the introduction of Rebiana, their new stevia product. Stevia comes from a South American bush that has very sweet leaves. It's already approved for use ... [read the full topic]

Sugar alcohols are the substances used in many "sugar free" or "no added sugar" products. The most common sugar alcohols are maltitol, sorbitol, xylitol (used in gum) and isomalt. You can easily recognize them by the "ol" suffix. Technically, a sugar ... [read the full topic]

Hopefully, brazzein will turn out to be a tasty, healthy alternative to artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose. It's derived from an African plant and is supposed to be 1,000 times sweeter than ordinary sugar. Because of the exceptional ... [read the full topic]

A study done on 5,073 adult (over age 18) men and women showed that men who drank the most calorically sweetened drinks had the highest levels of uric acid. Excess uric acid causes gout and "may play a role in chronic conditions like high blood pressure." However, caloric sweeteners did not increase uric acid levels in women. It's theorized that women may be protected by estrogen. ... [read the full topic]

"..some researchers now believe that low-grade inflammation is associated with everything from heart disease and diabetes to Alzheimer's and arthritis, and may even by the cause of most chronic diseases." Inflammation is a normal immune system response ... [read the full topic]

This article features comments about our environmental exposure to cancer from Devra Davis, a "blue-chip cancer epidemiologist, director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, and PhD from the University ... [read the full topic]

Michelle Schoffro Cook is the author of The Ultimate Ph Solution. She claims that "refined sugar is one of the worst poisons we put in our bodies." Cook makes three compelling points: 1) The presence of sugar blocks our immune response for up to 4-6 ... [read the full topic]

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA) recently published new recommendations for minimum levels of physical activity. For the first time, these reoommendations are organized into two categories: people ... [read the full topic]

To display the "organic" seal, the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Organic Program "requires that a product contain at least 95% organically produced ingredients." Most consumers mistakenly think that anything labeled "organic" is 100% organically produced. Some people try to avoid the issue and confusion by purchasing locally grown food. ... [read the full topic]

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors that double the risk of heart disease and stroke and increase the risk of diabetes. It includes the following factors:
- A waist of 35 inches or more for women; 40 inches or more for men
- Fasting blood ... [read the full topic]

A recent study, published in the Journal of Obesity, reveals that a condition known as "fatty liver" is caused by high consumption of starchy refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white potatoes, white rice, pasta and breakfast cereal. These types ... [read the full topic]

The European Ramazzini foundation (ERF) in Italy recently published the results of the effects of a lifetime of high aspartame intake on more than 4,000 rats, which linked high doses of the artificial sweetener to increased leukemia, lymphoma and breast ... [read the full topic]

Many (but not all) researchers believe that the high usage of HFCS as a sweetener in a wide range of drinks and food products is directly linked to and parallels the rise in our national obesity rate. But even worse, there is a new study concerning ... [read the full topic]

Dr. Huber is the Director of the Texas Nutrition Institute, a not-for-profit program serving the needs of the people in East Texas. His article summarizes the findings concerning diet sodas and caloric sodas from the ongoing and now very famous ... [read the full topic]

It's FINALLY official. "Scientists at the Medical Research Council (in the UK) have found that eating more sugar is associated with obesity." This unsurprising finding was made possible because researchers from the Council and from the University of ... [read the full topic]

The initial results of a study on mice conducted by Children's Hospital Boston suggest that excess insulin production shortens your lifespan and leads to cellular damage and disease. "For a long time researchers thought that more insulin was good," says ... [read the full topic]

The International Journal of Obesity just published a study concluding that food cravings and binge eating are more likely linked to low calorie intake than to foods that are rich in carbohydrates. "Now it's official. Dieters crave calories....The most ... [read the full topic]

The University of Austin recently conducted an eating study of 100 people. Half the people in the study were overweight and half were normal weight. Surprisingly, they discovered that both groups ate similar volumes and types of foods. But, there was ... [read the full topic]

Tufts summarized the results of a 12-month study (originally published in the March 7, 2007 Journal of the American Medical Association) which compared Atkins, Zone, Ornish and LEARN diets. The Atkins participants ate foods with a fat content of 44%, yet ... [read the full topic]

Pick up any sugar-free chocolate candy product and look at the list of ingredients on the label. It’s highly likely that the very first substance you’ll see is MALTITOL. Maltitol is a sugar substitute in a family of sweeteners known as sugar alcohols or ... [read the full topic]

Swedish researchers at the Karolinksa Institute recently conducted a very large study of more than 75,000 men and women without cancer or diabetes and followed them for more than 7 years. They discovered that people who took in five or more teaspoons of ... [read the full topic]

The results of a Swedish study of 65,000 adults recently published in "Diabetes Care" suggests that there's an association between high blood sugar and an increased risk of cancers of the urinary tract, pancreas, endometrium and malignant melanoma. For ... [read the full topic]

There’s a new and exciting theory regarding the role of insulin and the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Insulin is a normal and important hormone (chemical messenger) that directs the sugar that’s in your bloodstream into bodily cells. In the brain, ... [read the full topic]

A study of 7,356 adults conducted by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that those who ate 4.5 cups of produce (vegetables) or more on a daily basis were less likely to be obese, even if they ate a diet high in fat!!! Vegetables take up ... [read the full topic]

The healthiest thing that you can do for yourself is to get your weight into a normal range and keep it there..."two hefty new studies" are providing scientific evidence that it's "better not to be too fat or too thin." Both studies were published in the ... [read the full topic]

The one and only type fat that The Great American Sugar-Free Miracle™ Diet strongly recommends that you do not eat is trans fat. Trans fats are man-made (which means they are not a naturally-occurring fat) and are only found in processed and/or packaged ... [read the full topic]

The Great American Sugar-Free Miracle™ Diet IS NOT A LOW-CARB DIET because over 50% of everything you put in your mouth is a vegetable, and vegetables are carbohydrates. But, that said, most sugar-free and white-flour free recipes from Low-Carb cookbooks ... [read the full topic]

Calorically-sweetened sodas and other beverages are major contributors to the spiraling obesity epidemic in our country and to personal weight gain. Just one 12-ounce soda contains 140 to 150 calories, and those calories are all from sugar and/or HFCS ... [read the full topic]

The results of a recent multi-ethnic Canadian study showed that people who consumed the most foods made with sugar and/or other caloric sweeteners had lower HDL (healthy cholesterol) and higher triglycerides. ... [read the full topic]