July 2003
Coral Calcium: No Cure for Cancer; Lead Risk
Subscribers Only Steer clear of coral calcium. The Federal Trade Commission has charged the promoters of a heavily marketed product called Coral Calcium Supreme with making false and unsubstantiated claims in a 30-minute infomercial that it can cure cancer and other diseases.
Vitamin E, Beta-Carotene Supplements Fail Again
Subscribers Only Vitamin E and beta-carotene supplements failed to protect against heart disease in new research from the Cleveland Clinic. Moreover, the results suggest beta-carotene might even be harmful in some cases.
Research Roundup
Subscribers Only • Drinking tea may enhance your ability to resist infection, possibly even cancerous tumors. . . • Eating high-fiber cereal and whole-grain bread may decrease your risk of stroke and heart attack. . . • Being depressed may compromise your folate status. . . .
Sweet, Colorful “Cantaloupe”: Low-Cal, Nutritious
Subscribers Only The Folklore : According to some sources, melons were first cultivated by Arab civilizations after the fifth century and then spread through Europe. Columbus is said to have brought melon seeds to Haiti on his second voyage to the New World in 1493, though they didn’t reach North America until the late 19th century. True cantaloupes hail from . . .
Melatonin’s Sleep and Jet Lag Claims: Well-Grounded or Up in the Air?
Subscribers Only Q . I’ve heard melatonin can improve sleep quality, eliminate jet lag and maybe reverse aging. Is any of this true?
No Fish Tale: Canned Fish Offers Healthful and Eco-Safe Fish
Subscribers Only Q . I liked your feature story on fish in the April issue, but I’m confused. You said to choose domestic farmed fish, yet farmed salmon was on your “Worst Wagers” list. What should I buy?
Yogurt Gets Even More Cultured—With Probiotics and Prebiotics
Subscribers Only It’s no secret yogurt is a nutritional powerhouse. Milk’s cultured cousin is rich in calcium and riboflavin and is a good source of protein. Yogurt’s cultures produce the enzyme lactase, which predigests lactose (the natural sugar found in milk), so even lactose-intolerant people can eat it.
Taking Proactive Cancer Protection Against Nuclear Threat
Subscribers Only One of the risks of exposure to radiation is thyroid cancer. For people living near a nuclear power plant, potassium iodide can reduce the risk of thyroid cancer in the once-unthinkable scenario of a terrorist attack (or even simply a disastrous accident).
Frito-Lay’s New Natural and Organic Snacks: Definitely Less Bad for You Than Regular Varieties
Subscribers Only The Buzz : Some of America’s favorite salty snacks—Frito-Lay’s Ruffles, Lay’s, Cheetos and Tostitos—have recently jumped on the natural and organic bandwagon. And why not, with a growing consumer demand for more healthful choices. But are they?
Bold New Blood Pressure Guidelines: How Diet Can Help
Subscribers Only Tens of millions of Americans, once considered to have normal or “high normal” blood pressure, suddenly find themselves in a new category of concern called “prehypertension.”
Juices: Full Of Phytonutrients, But You Can Get Too Much Of A Good Thing
Subscribers Only To help protect against chronic diseases likes cancer, obesity, diabetes and heart disease, we’ve been encouraged to eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily. This goal, while seemingly simple, is one that many find difficult to achieve. In the quest for 5 A Day, we often turn to juice. Is that a good thing? Yes and no.
The “Diabetic Diet” Comes of Age: New Research Focuses on Foods
Subscribers Only The incidence of type 2 diabetes is soaring in all age groups, though it is especially prevalent in older people. Between 1990 and 2001, there was a 62% increase in diabetes; 17 million Americans now have the disease. And experts estimate that nearly six million have it and don’t know it.