Diet

Analysis and Comment (15)

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Losing just 5% of your body weight is likely to improve your health. Image from shutterstock.com

You don’t have to be the biggest loser to achieve weight loss success

By Clare Collins, University of Newcastle

Weight-loss ads and television shows regularly profile people who have transformed their lives through major losses of 30 kilograms or more. These weight-loss ambassadors try to inspire us to do the same…
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Children involved in practical food activities, such as growing food, tend to eat a wider variety of fruits and vegetables. wamblicious/Flickr

Food and nutrition absent from draft national curriculum

By Heather Yeatman

Selecting the right mix of foods and preparing them safely doesn’t come naturally to humans – we need to be taught. But lessons about food and nutrition are glaringly absent from the new draft national…
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At around 200 pages, the new Australian Dietary Guidelines aren’t easily translated into day-to-day practice. Flickr/Darren131

In the ‘O-zone’: trying to follow the Australian dietary guidelines

By Penny Wilson

We’re just back from holidays. Nothing fancy, just a trip to post-flood ravaged Queensland: sun, sand, surf and every meal bar breakfast eaten out. But unfortunately, a stroll along the beach, a ramble…
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Few recommendations have changed since 2003 but the evidence has strengthened. Image from shutterstock.com

New dietary guidelines – evidence for healthy choices more certain

By Warwick Anderson, National Health and Medical Research Council

After nearly four years in the making, around 55,000 research publications reviewed, nutrients modelled into food and food groups, independent expert review and several rounds of consultations, the National…
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Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit, choose mostly unprocessed grains and cereals, cut back on salt, fat and sugar, and get more active. jamesjyu.

New Australian dietary guidelines: experts respond

By Tim Crowe, Deakin University; Chris Forbes-Ewan, Defence Science and Technology Organisation; Clare Collins, University of Newcastle; Gary Sacks, Deakin University, and Peter Clifton, University of South Australia

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) today released its updated Australian Dietary Guidelines to advise Australians about the types and amounts of foods needed to maintain a healthy…
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Excess kilojoules, rather than dietary fat, leads to weight gain. Image from shutterstock.com

Monday’s medical myth: low-fat diets are better for weight loss

By Clare Collins, University of Newcastle

If food is labelled low fat, it’s got to be better for weight loss, right? Wrong – it’s the total kilojoules that matter most for weight loss. Looking solely at fat content only gives you part of the picture…
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Too much sugar is harmful to your health but it’s not the only driver of obesity. joshbousel

Silent killer or occasional treat? Settling the debate on sugar

By Chris Forbes-Ewan, Defence Science and Technology Organisation

Forty years ago, British nutritionist John Yudkin wrote a book about sugar. Titled Pure, White and Deadly, Yudkin argued that consumption of sugar, not fat, was driving the epidemic of heart disease…
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Most pregnant women only need to eat the equivalent of an extra two pieces of fruit and half a glass of milk a day. Flickr/flequi

Monday’s medical myth: eat for two during pregnancy

By Susie de Jersey, Queensland University of Technology

We’ve all heard people sprout the phrase, “go on, you’re eating for two now” at barbecues, dinner parties and wherever food is being served, forcing pregnant women to decline offers of more and more food…
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Detox diets may do little harm, except to your bank balance, but neither do they do a lot of good. katstan

Monday’s medical myth: detox diets cleanse your body

By Tim Crowe, Deakin University

Detox diets make amazing promises of dramatic weight loss and more energy – all achieved by flushing toxins from the body. Toxins have very little to do with it; detox diets “work” because of the very…
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Men generally prefer higher concentrations of sweet compared with women. Ethan

Monday’s medical myth: blame it on my sweet tooth

By Merlin Thomas, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute

My wife says she has a sweet tooth. But doesn’t everyone? It’s universal to the human condition (as well as the human palate) to like something sweet. It may even be an evolutionary advantage to seek…
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There’s no evidence to show chocolate causes acne but milk may play a role. anjuli ayer

Monday’s medical myth: chocolate causes acne

By Clare Collins, University of Newcastle

Outbreaks of pimples, blackheads and cysts are a cause of enormous anxiety and embarrassment among teens and young adults. If you’re part of the 20% of Australians who have experienced severe acne, you…
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White rice has been a staple in Asian countries for centuries. EPA/Luong Thai Linh

White rice increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes

By Justin Norrie, The Conversation

Eating white rice on a regular basis could substantially increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to an assessment that reports a greater prevalence of the condition in Asian studies…
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You can use all kinds of iPhone apps to track and improve your health. chunghow33

Reviewing the top medical iPhone apps … what’s the diagnosis?

By Merlin Thomas, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute; Daniel Quintana; Gary Sacks, Deakin University; Harrison Weisinger, Deakin University; Karen Simmer, University of Western Australia; Nasser Dhim; Neale Cohen, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute, and Sally Ferguson

Want to quit smoking, lose weight, manage your diabetes or get a good night’s sleep? No worries. There’s an app for all of that. But it’s not always clear which medical apps are based on solid evidence…
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Media messages about food and portion size are confusing and aren’t always based on sufficient evidence. Floodkoff

Confused about what to eat for better health? NHMRC’s dietary guidelines might set you straight

By Warwick Anderson, National Health and Medical Research Council

When it comes to diet-related health claims, even the “good” newspapers are usually wrong, making recommendations about which foods people should eat (and avoid) that aren’t based on sufficient evidence…
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It looks delicious, but is a diet free of red meat better for the planet? stu spivack

Could your diet save the planet?

By Richard Eckard, University of Melbourne

By now most of us have read articles suggesting we “eat less red meat and save the planet”. Some may also have heard statements by the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Dr Rajendra…

Research and News (9)

Research Briefs (14)

Aspirin may lower stroke risk

University of North Carolina

The risk of stroke associated with high trans fat intake is lower among women taking aspirin, a study shows. The risk of…

All hail the humble, healthy potato

Science Daily

Researchers have found that a couple servings of potatoes a day reduces blood pressure almost as much as oatmeal without…

Yo-yo dieting may not damage your health

Ohio University

Yo-yo dieters may be healthier and live longer than those who stay obese, a new Ohio University study finds. “If the conventional…

Tax sugary drinks to reduce demand

Yale University

Taxing sugary drinks could reduce the amount consumed by almost a quarter, according to an America study. Yale University…

Participants (78)