Diet

Candidates’ aging brains are factors in the presidential race − 4 essential reads

Retrieved on: 
Friday, February 16, 2024

The leading contenders in the 2024 presidential election are two of the three oldest people ever to serve as president.

Key Points: 
  • The leading contenders in the 2024 presidential election are two of the three oldest people ever to serve as president.
  • Both Biden and Trump have faced criticism about what can appear to be obvious signs of aging, including questions about their memory and cognitive abilities.
  • Scholars writing for The Conversation U.S. have discussed various aspects of how aging affects people’s brains.
  • Key factors include the strength of a person’s social connections, as well as their sleeping habits, water consumption, exercise and diet.

Herbal medicinal product: Plantaginis ovatae seminis tegumentumArray, C: ongoing call for scientific data

Retrieved on: 
Friday, February 16, 2024

Herbal medicinal product: Plantaginis ovatae seminis tegumentumArray, C: ongoing call for scientific data

Key Points: 


Herbal medicinal product: Plantaginis ovatae seminis tegumentumArray, C: ongoing call for scientific data

Tate & Lyle Partners with Cryptobiotix: New ex-vivo study on low and no calorie sweeteners finds positive impact or no impact on human gut microbiota

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 15, 2024

Tate & Lyle PLC (Tate & Lyle), a world leader in ingredient solutions for healthier food and drink, partnered with Cryptobiotix, pioneers in preclinical gastrointestinal research, on the study.

Key Points: 
  • Tate & Lyle PLC (Tate & Lyle), a world leader in ingredient solutions for healthier food and drink, partnered with Cryptobiotix, pioneers in preclinical gastrointestinal research, on the study.
  • The doses of low and no calorie sweeteners used were based on actual intakes, regulations and amounts that are generally included in foods and beverages during different timepoints.
  • Assessments of additional low and no calorie sweeteners, including allulose and erythritol, are being completed and details will be shared in due course.
  • The low and no calorie sweeteners studied for this paper included: Acesulfame potassium (aceK), maltitol, sorbitol, stevia, sucralose and tagatose.

Embrace Heart Health and the Power of Walnuts During American Heart Month

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 15, 2024

FOLSOM, Calif., Feb. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey1 from California Walnuts just revealed that only one-fifth of Americans (19%) say they eat enough walnuts to support a diet for heart health. With their exceptional nutritional profile, Americans are missing out on a delicious and easy way to support a healthy heart.

Key Points: 
  • Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S.,2 but research has shown that simple dietary changes can have a significant impact on heart health.
  • In recognition of American Heart Month, California Walnuts encourages Americans to embrace heart health by including walnuts in their daily diet.
  • Over the past three decades, studies have demonstrated the cardiovascular benefits of walnuts, exploring how eating walnuts affects various factors related to heart health such as cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammation and blood vessel function.
  • Visit walnuts.org/american-heart-month for heart-healthy recipe ideas, tips for maintaining freshness and more information about walnuts and heart health.

Associations Between Mango Eaters and Moms-to-Be: Better Diets and Improved Nutrient Intakes

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 15, 2024

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Women trying to conceive, currently pregnant or lactating have unique nutritional needs often unmet by current dietary choices. A recent study, published in Nutrients, shows a significant finding: when mangos are incorporated into the diets of women of childbearing age (WCA), both overall diet quality and the intake of vital nutrients crucial for a healthy pregnancy markedly improve. These nutrients, often under consumed by 10 – 30% in the diets of pregnant women, see a significant boost in intake when mangos are consumed.

Key Points: 
  • Findings among mango eaters versus non-mango eaters show a 13% higher HEI score; higher intakes of fiber and vitamin C; and lower intakes of cholesterol, niacin, phosphorus, protein, riboflavin, saturated fat and vitamin B12.
  • "These findings add to a growing body of research showing the positive impacts of adding mangos to diverse diets," says Leonardo Ortega, PhD, Research Director, National Mango Board.
  • Food and nutrient intakes were determined based on two 24-hour dietary recalls using dietary components from NHANES and What We Eat in America surveys.
  • Nutrient intakes were obtained from both interviews, and usual intake was determined by using the National Cancer Institute method.

Affordability and Gut Health Predicted as Leading Food Purchase Drivers in 2024

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 15, 2024

NEW YORK, Feb. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In the ever-evolving food and nutrition space, affordability and gut health are positioned to take center stage as leading drivers of consumer purchasing decisions in 2024. These insights come from the annual Today's Dietitian and Pollock Communications "What's Trending in Nutrition" survey of 564 Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs), offering a glimpse into the shifting landscape of what we eat and why as consumers increasingly prioritize both their well-being and their wallets.

Key Points: 
  • NEW YORK, Feb. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In the ever-evolving food and nutrition space, affordability and gut health are positioned to take center stage as leading drivers of consumer purchasing decisions in 2024.
  • Call It a Gut Feeling: Gut Health Climbs the List While Affordability & Convenience Maintain Top Spots as Consumer Purchase Drivers
    As consumers navigate recent increases in grocery prices, RDNs predict that affordability will be an important driver of consumer purchases.
  • Research into the benefits of a healthy microbiome, from mood to weight management has sparked interest in foods that support gut health.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated a need to regularly protect immune health, and consumers continue to shop for foods that support immunity.

Internist Shirin Peters, M.D. of Bethany Medical Clinic, Shares Top Tips for the Challenges of Winter Allergies

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 15, 2024

has identified at-home recommendations to combat winter allergy symptoms, helping allergy sufferers manage triggers, ease concerns, and avoid future flare-ups.

Key Points: 
  • has identified at-home recommendations to combat winter allergy symptoms, helping allergy sufferers manage triggers, ease concerns, and avoid future flare-ups.
  • “Many associate seasonal allergies just with spring but winter presents a different challenge to allergy sufferers.
  • Moreover, simple lifestyle changes and at-home tips can help manage symptoms and bring some relief during these cooler months,” says Dr. Peters, with Bethany Medical Clinic.
  • Dr. Peters shares preventative measures to decrease your chances of winter and indoor allergies and lower your risk of developing sinusitis and nasal polyps.

‘It is hijacking my brain’ – a team of experts found ways to help young people addicted to social media to cut the craving

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 15, 2024

Others say the unease over social media is just the next round of moral panic about new technologies.

Key Points: 
  • Others say the unease over social media is just the next round of moral panic about new technologies.
  • We are a pair of researchers who investigate how social media affects the mental health of young people.
  • More than 75% of teens check their phone hourly, and half say they feel like they’re addicted to their devices.
  • Just as there are many ways to have a healthy diet, there are also a variety of ways to develop healthy and personalized social media habits.

The search for answers

  • Conversely, other studies point to the mental health benefits of social media, including social well-being, strong friendships and exposure to diverse perspectives.
  • In fact, inconclusive or mixed results seem to be a recurring pattern when researching this subject.
  • The inconsistencies in these studies highlight the very hard problem of characterizing healthy interaction between two complex systems – social media technologies and human behavioral psychology.
  • That’s why researchers are trying to distinguish between the active and passive use of social media.

A four-week intervention

  • Our initial analysis indicates that the four-week intervention significantly reduces social media addiction for those who started with problematic or clinical levels of social media addiction.
  • Problematic social media addiction is associated with a host of negative effects including moodiness, anxiety and an excessive amount of time and energy spent on or thinking about social media.
  • Those with problematic social media addiction scores at the start of the intervention showed a mean reduction of 26%, and scores for participants who began with clinical social media addiction scores fell by 35%.
  • These reductions brought both groups into a healthy range of social media use by the conclusion of the intervention.

Positive change takes time

  • Much like any behavior change, adopting healthier media consumption habits requires time, dedication and self-reflection.
  • That said, there are practical steps you can take right now to reduce your dependence on social media.
  • Similarly, our research shows that spending some time setting goals and engaging in self-reflection can change your relationship with social media – for the better.


Annie Margaret founded a non-profit called Post-Internet Project that aims to empower youth, educators, parents, and communities with a holistic understanding of the digital landscape, fostering emotional resilience, mindfulness, and compassionate leadership in the face of evolving technologies. Nicholas Hunkins is a data science consultant with Post-Internet Project, a non-profit organization founded by Annie Margaret that focuses on empowering youth to develop intentional engagement with modern technologies.

Israeli siege has placed Gazans at risk of starvation − prewar policies made them vulnerable in the first place

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 15, 2024

The numbers involved are just as despairing.

Key Points: 
  • The numbers involved are just as despairing.
  • The world’s major authority on food insecurity, the IPC Famine Review Committee, estimates that 90% of Gazans – some 2.08 million people – are facing acute food insecurity.
  • Indeed, of the people facing imminent starvation in the world today, an estimated 95% are in Gaza.
  • As an expert in Palestinian public health, I fear the situation may not have hit its nadir.

Putting Palestinians ‘on a diet’

  • But food insecurity in Gaza and the mechanisms that enable it did not start with Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attack.
  • Multiple factors contributed to this food insecurity, not least the blockade of Gaza imposed by Israel and enabled by Egypt since 2007.
  • Basic foodstuff was allowed, but because of delays at the border, it can spoil before it enters Gaza.
  • By placing restrictions on food imports, Israel seems to be trying to put pressure on Hamas by making life difficult for the people in Gaza.
  • In the words of one Israeli government adviser in 2006, “The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger.” To enable this, the Israeli government commissioned a 2008 study to work out exactly how many calories Palestinians would need to avoid malnutrition.
  • The blockade also increased food insecurity by preventing meaningful development of an economy in Gaza.

Hampering self-sufficency

  • Gaza’s fishermen are regularly shot at by Israeli gunboats if they venture farther in the Mediterranean Sea than Israel permits.
  • Because the fish closer to the shore are smaller and less plentiful, the average income of a fisherman in Gaza has more than halved since 2017.
  • By early December 2023, an estimated 22% of agricultural land had been destroyed, along with factories, farms, and water and sanitation facilities.

Starvation as weapon of war

  • The use of starvation is strictly forbidden under the Geneva Conventions, a set of statutes that govern the laws of warfare.
  • Human Rights Watch has already accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war, and as such it accuses the Israeli government of a war crime.
  • Yet untangling what Israel’s intentions may be – whether it is using starvation as a weapon of war, to force mass displacement, or if, as it claims, it is simply a byproduct of war – does little for the people on the ground in Gaza.


Yara M. Asi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Herbalife Reports Year-Over-Year Net Sales Growth in Fourth Quarter 2023

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE: HLF) today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2023.

Key Points: 
  • Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE: HLF) today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2023.
  • Herbalife reported full-year 2023 net sales of $5.1 billion, down 2.7% year-over-year.
  • For the year ended December 31, 2023, capital expenditures, including spending related to the Herbalife One digital technology platform, were approximately $135 million.
  • Fourth quarter 2023 net sales were $1.2 billion, up 2.9% year-over-year, marking the fourth consecutive quarter of improved year-over-year net sales trends.