Beware the Label!

Think you know which packaged foods are good for you? Think again, because researchers have found that terms such as “no-fat,” “low-fat,” “no-sugar, or “reduced salt” on food packaging rarely reflect the actual nutritional quality of the food they contain. The research, led by experts at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, appears… Continue reading Beware the Label!

Bright Lights in Restaurants Linked to Healthy Food Choices

If you want to make healthier choices while dining out, you might want to go to a brightly lit restaurant, researchers say. On the other hand, eating in restaurants that are dimly lit encourages slower eating and, ultimately, eating less. It’s a problem. But caffeine, or just making yourself feel perkier, may be part of… Continue reading Bright Lights in Restaurants Linked to Healthy Food Choices

Needed: An Accurate Determination of Life Expectancy

Because older adults often don’t accurately predict their own prognosis, health-care providers should have detailed discussions with them to determine their real life expectancy and what they want to do about health interventions, according to new research. The findings, from investigators at UC San Francisco and San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, were published inJAMA… Continue reading Needed: An Accurate Determination of Life Expectancy

Developing Better Clinical Trials

Although double blind randomized controlled trials (DBRCTs) are considered the gold standard in evaluating a drug or therapy, it may be time for a new model, according to researchers. They say that DBRCTs don’t factor in patient behaviors, such as diet and lifestyle choices, that can affect the drug or treatment being tested. A recent… Continue reading Developing Better Clinical Trials

This Is Your Brain in the Supermarket

Say you’re out shopping for basic household goods — perhaps orange juice and soup. Or light bulbs. How do you choose the products you buy? Is it a complicated decision, or a simple one? According to research done at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and published in the journal Marketing Science in March 2015, It… Continue reading This Is Your Brain in the Supermarket