YOU R H E A LT H
✣FAD-FREEinsight✣DEBUNKEDfood&healthnews✣HEALTHFUL ways to eat better ✣
THE EDITOR’S VIEW
COMPILED BY SUE QUINN
H
owmanytimeswereyoutoldasa childtoeatyourspinachtogrowstrong,
nevertomissbreakfast,thatcarrotshelpyouseeinthedark...Somany
nuggetsofhand-me-down‘wisdom’aredrummedintousaschildren
thattheinfluencelingersonyearslater.Yetsomuchofthatadviceis based
onoldwives’talesand,morerecently,questionableresearchfundedbyfood
companieswitha vestedinterest.The
lattermakesgreatheadlinesbutcan
beprofoundlymisleading.Professor
TimSpector(themanbehindthekey
Covidapp– makesureyoudownload
it fromtheAppstore/GooglePlay
andreporteveryday)hasmadeit his
life’sworktounderstandmoreabout
foodandhowit affectsourgut/
digestion,metabolism,moodand
weight.Themorescienceuncovers
aboutnutrition,themorethereis to
discover:it’sa hugetopicandone
that’sbeenunderfundedand
undervaluedfordecades– tothe
detrimentofallourhealth.The
professor’slatestbookis notonly
life-changing,it’salsoa greatread.
BY K AREN BARNES
It ’s t i m e
to challenge
your beliefs
RESEARCH CORNER
It’s never too late! A US study has revealed
women who improve their diet in their 50s
can still significantly reduce their risk of
stroke. Harvard School of Public Health
researchers analysed the Nurses’ Health
Study, which includes information on nearly
60,000 women who enrolled at an average
age of 52 and were monitored for 26
years. The analysis found those who
changed their diet to include more healthy
foods, notably fish and
nuts, less red meatand
alcohol and no processed
meat, reduced theirrisk
of stroke by 23 per
cent. Exercising
more and stopping
smoking while
making the diet
changes gave
even greater
health benefits.DI D YO U
K NOW?
New research suggests that sensors
in our gut enable our brain to detect
the difference between artificial
sweeteners and sugar. This could
explain why artificial sweeteners often
fail to satisfy our cravings for sugar,
even though they taste sweet.SPOON-FED: WHY ALMOST EVERYTHING
WE’VE BEEN TOLD ABOUT FOOD IS WRONG
BY TIM SPECTOR, ON SALE NOW (VINTAGE £12.99)