Gov’t Shutdown Crisis Averted (Again)

Staff / Truthdig Nov 18, 2011 All right, members of the 112th United States Congress, if you keep saying you're about to have a total political meltdown and then nothing happens, we're going to stop believing you Once again, the fearsome government shutdown was avoided Thursday when squabbling factions on Capitol Hill (more). Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

News Flash: Kids Don’t Need Energy Drinks

Staff / Truthdig May 31, 2011 Energy drinks might have more serious side effects for children and teenagers than just getting them good and hyper, according to a group of doctors who released a cautionary report in the journal Pediatrics, warning that the amped-up beverages might trigger seizures and other highly undesirable reactions in rare cases. As it happens, they should also lay off the Gatorade. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Sugar: It Could Be Worse Than You Think

Staff / Truthdig Apr 14, 2011 According to The New York Times' Gary Taubes, who isn't a scientist but is a journalist obsessed with the topic, the recent uptick in anti-sugar sentiment in nutritional (and lay) circles isn't without basis. In fact, he goes so far as to essentially answer his headline question "Is Sugar Toxic?" in the affirmative. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

You Don’t Get to Know the Calorie Count of Your Movie Popcorn

Staff / Truthdig Apr 2, 2011 Soon, Americans won't be able to hide from the sometimes dismaying nutritional readouts on menus at their favorite chain restaurants -- and even on some vending machines -- but they still can in the soothing, darkened space of their local movie theater. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Miracle Food Blues: Bolivia Trades Health for Cash

Staff / Truthdig Mar 22, 2011 The nutritional virtues of quinoa have been known since the Inca had an empire, but now that it's sent around the world to satisfy the bourgeois appetites of the Whole Foods set, some Bolivians have become malnourished although slightly better off economically. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Weight Problems Expanding in Europe

Staff / Truthdig Dec 8, 2010 Sad but apparently true: Europeans are gaining on Americans. According to a newly released study, more than half of the adult European population is overweight, and their kids aren't exactly fitness champs either. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bolivian President Says Frankenfood Threatens Men’s Manhood

Staff / Truthdig Apr 22, 2010 Bolivian President Evo Morales sure has some fanciful notions about nutrition While it's certainly possible that, say, hormone-laced chicken might cause certain side effects, Morales declared with scientific certainty (continued). Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Chocolate: Good for the Heart?

Staff / Truthdig Mar 30, 2010 The good news for chocolate aficionados is that a new study out of Germany, featuring a generous sample size of more than 19,000 people, suggests that there may be a link between chocolate consumption and lower blood pressure (continued) . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Junk Food Is the New Crack

Staff / Truthdig Mar 29, 2010 Those who have ever suspected, after apparently taking leave of their reason in the face of their favorite junk food, that their guilt-inducing pleasure contained some highly addictive substance may not be too far off the mark, according to a new study. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Science Diet: It’s in the Genes

Staff / Truthdig Mar 5, 2010 Low carb or low fat? Diet trends have led to diet debate. Luckily, some actual scientists are weighing in. The preliminary results of a small study suggest that some of us just process food differently, and picking the right diet based on a gene test could shed two to three times more weight. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Science Makes Another Play for Human Longevity

Staff / Truthdig Aug 22, 2009 Following a calorically restricted diet may be one way to extend the human life span, but this potential path to longevity comes with the built-in hitch of having to significantly scale back food intake -- and once again, the idea of popping a pill to produce the desired result is being tossed around within the scientific community. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Plumpynut’ to the Rescue

Staff / Truthdig Oct 28, 2007 The Doctors Without Borders relief organization has whipped up an ingenious (and, apparently, tasty) lifesaving food product called Plumpynut, a nutritionally enriched mixture of peanut butter, powdered milk and sugar, along with other simple ingredients -- and it's already working wonders on malnourished children around the world. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )