The Nutrition Source

FDA takes major step forward targeting excess sodium in processed foods

The average American consumes 3,400 milligrams of sodium, roughly 1.5 teaspoons of salt, per day. However most of our dietary sodium comes not from the salt shaker at the dinner table, but from processed and prepared foods such as breads, crackers, cheese, and even products that don’t taste “salty,” like breakfast cereals. This week, the … Continue reading “FDA takes major step forward targeting excess sodium in processed foods”

Super-Tasters and Non-Tasters: Is it Better to Be Average?

By Guy Crosby, PhD, CFS Our sense of taste and smell is clearly linked to our overall health status. Many studies have shown that the flavor of food is by far the most important factor in determining what foods we choose to eat (1).

Do GMOs harm our health?

Coverage from HSPH’s This Week in Health Podcast, featuring Walter Willett

Updated Nutrition Facts Panel makes significant progress with “added sugars,” but there is room for improvement

In the first major overhaul of the Nutrition Facts Panel in over two decades, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today numerous changes that will be implemented within the next few years. One of the most important updates will be a line disclosing “added sugars,” along with a corresponding 10 percent-Daily Value—representing a limit … Continue reading “Updated Nutrition Facts Panel makes significant progress with “added sugars,” but there is room for improvement”

Healthy lifestyle could prevent half of all cancer deaths

Coverage from HSPH News and the Washington Post, featuring Edward Giovannucci and Mingyang Song

Public health win: San Francisco law requires health warnings on sugary drink advertising

“WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. This is a message from the City and County of San Francisco.” If you live in San Francisco, you will soon be seeing this message on billboards and bus shelters, as the city is set to become the first in the U.S. … Continue reading “Public health win: San Francisco law requires health warnings on sugary drink advertising”

Does putting on a few pounds help you cheat death? No!

A recent study by Afzal et al., published in JAMA, concluded that the BMI associated with the lowest all-cause mortality (death from any cause) has shifted upwards over the course of three decades, and that optimal body weight for decreasing mortality currently falls in the overweight category (BMI 25-29.9) (1). This finding has received its … Continue reading “Does putting on a few pounds help you cheat death? No!”

Walter Willett honored for being creative, collaborative, kind

In his 25 years as chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health,Walter Willett, Fredrick John Stare Professor of Epidemiology, has left a significant mark on the field of nutrition. In a symposium on Monday, May 2, 2016 that drew a large crowd to the Joseph B. Martin Conference … Continue reading “Walter Willett honored for being creative, collaborative, kind”