Adolescents who eat unhealthily are more likely to develop mental health problems than those with good diets, a new study has found. However, switching to a better diet could improve mental health, according to the Deakin University study, which was published today in the journal PLoS One. The researchers analysed the diets and mental health […]
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Eating well before pregnancy linked to lower birth defect risk
Women who stick to a healthy diet in the year before falling pregnant may be less likely to have a baby with birth defects, a new study has found. Doctors have long counseled pregnant women to consider taking multi-vitamins containing folic acid to reduce the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) like spina bifida and […]
Fat free and 100% natural: seven food labelling tricks exposed
If you’re confused by food labels, you’re not alone. But don’t hold your breath for an at-a-glance food labelling system that tells you how much salt, fat and sugar each product contains. Australia’s proposed “health star rating” labelling scheme was put on hold in February, following pressure from the food industry. And it’s unclear whether […]
Vitamin supplements for kids: what are we really treating?
Australian parents spend $40 million each year on vitamin supplements for their children. It’s a big number; much smaller is the number of children who actually need them. In 2009, a large American research survey found that, in industrialised countries, the children most likely to be given vitamin supplements were the ones least likely to […]
There’s no debate: lowering salt cuts strokes and heart attacks
The salt debate has filled the pages of health magazines and newspapers for years. From John Swales’ original scepticism in 1988 to the Godlee’s sharp call to reality in 1996, the debate has transcended the scientific arena into public opinion and media campaigns with increasingly passionate tones. Now a new study, published in BMJ Open, […]
Health check: do bigger portion sizes make you eat more?
Faced with a portion of food twice as big as what you normally consume will lead you to eat about a third more food than usual. This portion-size effect helps explain how growing serving sizes may be contributing to the growing prevalence of obesity. There’s a lot of research showing larger portion sizes lead people […]