/oss/taxonomy/term/337/all en /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/are-sex-and-pickleball-keys-longevity <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article745632.html">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>Want to lead a long life? Play pickleball and have sex. Who says so? Dan Buettner, a guy who knows something about longevity. After all, he is responsible for popularizing the concept of “blue zones,” regions of the world where people apparently have exceptionally long lives. And therein lies an interesting and somewhat controversial story.</p> Fri, 14 Feb 2025 22:44:36 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10262 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-did-you-know/truth-about-oysters-valentines-day-aphrodisiac <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article746035.html">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>As you are reading this you have just enough time left to make Valentine’s Day plans and salvage the looming disaster brought on by your forgetfulness. The premium you will pay on flowers purchased at this late date should be a learning experience. You may try to be creative and bring some fresh oysters as a surprise. But lest you delude yourself into thinking they are an aphrodisiac, they are not.</p> Fri, 14 Feb 2025 22:18:26 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 10261 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/mitochondrial-dysfunction-bit-fad <p>There is a shell game at the heart of Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s <u><a href="/oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-pseudoscience/kennedys-coalition-quacks-wants-feed-america-diet-lies" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="/oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-pseudoscience/kennedys-coalition-quacks-wants-feed-america-diet-lies">Make America Healthy Again campaign</a></u>, and it has to do with the mitochondrion.</p> Fri, 14 Feb 2025 22:06:49 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10260 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-did-you-know/ode-chocolate <p>I have always liked chocolate. I grew up on it. Every morning my mother blended a heaping spoonful of cocoa powder with a little milk, some sugar and a touch of salt (to decrease the bitterness). She then stirred the mix into gently boiling milk. This was my breakfast beverage. I was told it was “good for me.” I never questioned that fact. Why should I? It tasted great. I really didn’t see the need to put up a fuss, like say, for spinach. As I got older, the love of hot chocolate naturally paved the way towards chocolate bars. Mostly Lindt and Suchard.</p> Wed, 12 Feb 2025 17:45:15 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10254 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-did-you-know/dark-chocolate-reduces-risk-diabetes-dont-count-it <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article727996.html">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>Valentine’s Day is rolling around and we can expect a flood of articles about chocolate. Some will trot out the tired old trope about phenylethylamine in chocolate stimulating amorous adventures by enhancing the release of dopamine, the “feel good chemical” in the brain. Don’t bank on it! While chocolate does contain phenylethylamine, it is metabolized before it can reach the brain.</p> Fri, 07 Feb 2025 21:12:38 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10251 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-pseudoscience/medicinal-garden-kit-will-probably-not-save-you <p>The ad is quite confrontational. “The Plants That Will Disappear First in a Crisis.” Given the disaster that is unfolding in the United States right now, it caught my attention. In a crisis, the ad continues, people will turn to plants to nourish and heal themselves, as their ancestors used to do. With this Medicinal Garden Kit, you can grow a whole pharmacy in your backyard and be self-sufficient in an emergency.</p> Fri, 07 Feb 2025 18:58:10 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10249 at /oss /oss/article/medical-health-and-nutrition/confronting-bulimia <p>Bulimia nervosa, or more commonly known as bulimia, is an eating and psychiatric disorder characterized by binge eating followed by intentional purging. The latter is usually done in order to compensate for the excessive intake of food and to prevent weight gain. Purging can take the form of vomiting, inappropriate use of laxatives, enemas, diuretics or other medication; or excessive physical exercise. This disease was first described by Dr. Gerald Russel in 1977 when he was working at the Royal Free Hospital in London.</p> Wed, 29 Jan 2025 19:02:54 +0000 Melody Ko MD 10240 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/red-dye-3-isnt-felon-lurking-food-supply <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article690801.html">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>In the late 19th century, Germany was at the forefront of chemical research and it was an ideal place for Purdue University chemistry professor Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley to spend a sabbatical to broaden his horizons.</p> Fri, 24 Jan 2025 22:13:58 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10238 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/benefits-backward-walking-are-not-solid-ground <p>According to <u><a href="https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fweb.archive.org%2Fweb%2F20241217121253%2Fhttps%3A%2Ftime.com%2F6975058%2Fbackward-walking-health-benefits%2F&data=05%7C02%7Chaleh.cohn%40mail.mcgill.ca%7C402414f0782d42d1230508dd3bd5425a%7Ccd31967152e74a68afa9fcf8f89f09ea%7C0%7C0%7C638732509326710509%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=s1d170iRSFJhJR1TrdE9E%2BVKrfb%2BGpygNLtOEX4wGPo%3D&reserved=0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" ti=""></a></u></p> Fri, 24 Jan 2025 06:38:51 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10234 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-history-did-you-know/vitamins-are-vital-life <p>The term “food accessory factor” was coined by British biochemist Frederick Gowland Hopkins in 1906 after he demonstrated that rats fed a diet of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and minerals failed to grow. Although these substances were known to be the major components of the food supply, they were not sufficient to maintain health. Something was missing. When Hopkins supplemented the diet with minute amounts of milk, the rats thrived. There was something in the milk in addition to the usual nutrients, some “food accessory factor” that was necessary for growth. </p> Thu, 23 Jan 2025 13:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10233 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/can-glass-milk-day-reduce-risk-colon-cancer <p>The dairy industry is smiling because a study published in the prestigious journal, Nature, concluded that “dairy products help protect against colorectal cancer, and that this is driven largely or wholly by the calcium they contain.” The study triggered headlines about how drinking a glass of milk a day can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 17%. That isn’t quite correct. It may be true for women who consume less than the recommended 1000 mg of calcium a day, but may not apply to those who already consume the recommended amount.</p> Wed, 15 Jan 2025 17:08:49 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10230 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/evidence-mounts-against-ultra-processed-foods <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article647194.html">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> Fri, 10 Jan 2025 19:13:55 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10225 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-pseudoscience/magnesium-necessary-nutrient-it-does-not-perform-miracles <p>The year was 1618, the place, Epsom, England. The farmer had just dug a well for his cows but the animals refused to drink the water. On tasting the water, he quickly discovered why. It was bitter! The water was undrinkable, but it would do for washing, he figured. That’s when he discovered that rubbing his body with the bitter water had a therapeutic effect. A skin rash disappeared, and his aching muscles stopped aching. When the water evaporated, it left behind some white crystals.</p> Thu, 09 Jan 2025 01:10:31 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10221 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-did-you-know-general-science/lactose-free-milk <p>Ice cream, milk, cheese, yogurt, cream, butter and all other dairy products haunt the dreams of people with lactose intolerance. Over 68% of the world’s population has some degree of lactose malabsorption which is the inability to properly digest lactose, the sugar found in dairy products. Until the introduction of lactose-free milk, these unfortunate souls had to take Lactaid pills just to be able to indulge in some of their favourite treats.</p> Fri, 03 Jan 2025 02:08:44 +0000 Angelina Lapalme 10218 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-did-you-know/why-do-fruitcakes-last-so-long <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/are-all-snowflakes-really-unique-is-nutmeg-a-hallucinogen-why-do-fruitcakes-seem-immortal-and-other-festive-science-questions/#:~:text=Why%20Do%20Fruitcakes%20Last%20So%20Long%3F">The Skeptical Inquirer.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>It comes down to the high sugar content of fruitcake and the not insignificant amount of booze included in many recipes.</p> Fri, 27 Dec 2024 18:52:33 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 10215 at /oss