Latest articles on Nutrition

Alcohol and cancer - how big a problem is it? It is well known since 1988 that alcohol causes cancer when it was classified as a group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research into Cancer (1). This means there is convincing evidence that alcohol causes cancer in humans. Drinking alcohol can increase the risk of 7 different types of cancer including cancer of the mouth, upper throat (pharynx), voice box (larynx), food pipe (oesophagus), bowel, liver and breast. 4% of cancer cases...

What's wrong with sugar? Evidence from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey shows that most adults and children eat more sugar than is recommended as part of a healthy balanced diet. Sugar delivers “empty calories” — calories unaccompanied by fibre, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Eating foods that contain added sugar is linked to weight gain and increases the risk of dying of heart disease. Being overweight can also increase your risk of type 2 diabetes. Sugary...

The research was run by the Harvard School of Public Health, scientists found that regular drinkers of fizzy drinks showed increased risks of developing type 2 diabetes at 26 per cent, heart attack or heart disease at 35 per cent and stroke at 16 per cent.

The study is the most comprehensive review of sugary drinks and their effect on health and follows the recent UK advice suggesting adults restrict their sugar intake to just seven teaspoons (30 grams) a day.

The current adult daily...

We are all fully aware that a high-salt diet is linked to an increased risk of health problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease, but new research shows it has more negative effects on our health than we realised.

Research from Yale, Harvard and other leading institutions has found that a diet high in salt worsens symptoms of autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis (MS).

This new finding has surprised experts, even those who first identified...

Recent findings published in the Journal of Neuroscience show that a high-fat and carbohydrate diet has the potential to destroy a person's sense of smell.

Experiments carried out at Florida State University on mice over a six-month period found those consuming foods high in fat were less able to recognise particular smells.

This is because they had lost 50% of the neurons in their brains that are responsible for encoding odour signals.

As a result the mice also took longer to...

Around two-thirds of British women are not looking after their hearts as well as they should, according to a survey conducted by MegaRed Omega-3 Krill Oil.

It isn’t until they reach the big 5-0 that many women start thinking about their heart health, while 15% of the 2000 women surveyed admitted they don’t expect to have to worry about it at all in their lifetime.

This research comes to light after recent figures showed that heart conditions now affect women just as much as they do men....

A recent study found that a healthy intake of nuts could reduce your risk of dying from all causes.

While some people try to avoid nuts because of their calorific content, recent research offers a major health benefit of nuts that could outweigh any pitfalls - they could make you live longer.

Research published in the New England Journal has added to evidence that's been building over 20 years proving the health benefits of nuts. The latest study followed 118,962 people for almost 30...

When it comes to lowering your risk of heart disease, what you eat and don't eat can go a long way.

Heart disease remains a real threat within the UK and anything we can do to promote heart health is essential. For many of us, making dietary changes can help us do just that. Certain food groups are known for their heart-health-boosting properties, while others are known for the opposite.

Take a look at our list below to discover foods to eat and foods to avoid to keep your heart...