Nutrition, Study | featured news

The menus offered to children by most U.S. restaurant chains have too many calories, too much salt or fat, and often not a hint of vegetables or fruit, according to a study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The group, which has agitated for everything from healthier popcorn at the movies to calorie labeling in supermarkets, found that among almost 3,500 combinations surveyed, kids' meals failed to meet nutritional standards 97 percent of the time.

Kids with higher levels of the widely used substance BPA in their bodies are more likely to be obese, according to the first large-scale, nationally representative study to link an environmental chemical with obesity in children and teens.

Thanks to new research released this week by Stanford University, consumers now know that all of those sweet, red pieces of fruit – no matter how naturally or conventionally they were grown, and no matter how they are labeled – carry the exact same nutritional value. Forget: "Paper or plastic?" The question now: Will this revelation take a bite out of the $31 billion organic food industry?

A long-term study finds that eating any amount and any type increases the risk of premature death. Eating red meat — any amount and any type — appears to significantly increase the risk of premature death, according to a long-range study that examined the eating habits and health of more than 110,000 adults for more than 20 years.

A new study to be published in the October issue of the journal Appetite shows just how simple cutting calories, without the hunger, can actually be. The secret is portion-controlled meal replacements.

A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation shows that consuming food with saturated fat may help fend off negative emotions. In the study, the participants were fed through an unmarked stomach tube of either a solution of saturated fatty acids or a simple saline solution. They then listened to sad music and looked at photos of sad faces.

The results run counter to the idea that more supermarkets can curb obesity in low-income neighborhoods. Better access to supermarkets — long touted as a way to curb obesity in low-income neighborhoods — doesn't improve people's diets, according to new research.

Study finds that breast-fed babies who are fed solids before 4 months are not at increased risk later on.

An essential nutrient found in fish oil does not appear to slow the mental decline associated with Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Pregnant women could -- and probably should -- consume 10 times more vitamin D than experts currently recommend, according to a new study.