by When it comes to ideas about healthy eating, there are all kinds of rules, trends and advice about what’s good for you and what’s not.
Some of the guidance may be legitimate – but some of it should be taken with a grain of salt.
Multiple experts and researchers from Mass General Brigham in Boston investigated some popular diet concepts – and separated the fact from the fiction.
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Here are the six common concepts – and a clear explanation of whether there is water or not, according to experts.
True or false?
1. ‘To live longer, women should follow the Mediterranean diet’
True. In recent studies, the Mediterranean diet has been shown to be beneficial for overall health.
Mass General Hospital researchers evaluated six myths about healthy eating, including plant-based diets and peanut butter for children. (iStock)
Mass General supports this theory, citing its own study which found that women who followed the diet plan for more than 25 years had up to a 23% lower risk of mortality, with reductions in cardiovascular and cancer deaths .
The study also found that the introduction of one component of the diet resulted in a 5% reduction in the risk of death from certain diseases.
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The Mediterranean diet incorporates healthy foods such as fruit, vegetables, legumes, olive oil, nuts and fish, and avoiding sugar and processed or red meat.
Most people don’t realize the impact of diet on health and longevity, says Samia Mora, MD, director of the Center for Lipid Metabolomics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
The Mediterranean diet includes foods such as fruit, vegetables, legumes, olive oil, nuts and fish, and avoiding sugar and processed or red meat. (iStock)
“What we eat today has major implications for living a long and healthy life,” she wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“The benefits [of the Mediterranean diet] with both cancer and cardiovascular mortality – the two leading causes of death for women and men – and were related to multiple biological mechanisms, notably lowering inflammation and insulin resistance and improved metabolism.”
2. ‘Getting rid of trigger foods is always the best treatment for digestive issues’
False. Although some people suffer from food allergies or autoimmune conditions, the experts at Mass General found this diet concept to be completely false – as many digestive symptoms are known to have “more complex causes”.
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When patients have bad reactions to certain foods, the issues aren’t the food itself, but the digestive tract’s response to eating “in general,” according to Kyle Staller, MD, director of the Gastrointestinal Motility Laboratory at General Hospital. Massachusetts.
It may not be just the food that is being eaten that causes a bad digestive reaction, the doctor said. (iStock)
“Although some people have true allergies to certain foods (for example, an allergy to gluten in celiac disease) or an inability to digest certain foods (such as dairy in lactose intolerance), many symptoms attributed to specific foods are driven your body really. response to eating,” he told Fox News Digital.
Eating triggers a “lack of nerve activity in the gut” regardless of the type of food eaten, according to Staller.
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Those with sensitive gut nerves can develop GI discomfort in the form of gas, bloating and a feeling of abnormal fullness.
“These are what we call ‘gut-brain interaction disorders’ – feeling abnormal emotions even when the digestion seems to be working normally,” said Staller.
Eating “starts a lack of nerve activity in your gut” regardless of the type of food eaten, the doctor said. (iStock)
“Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most classic example.”
The best way to alleviate these symptoms is to target the abnormal responses of the nervous system and eliminate only the “most troublesome” foods, according to Staller.
3. ‘Eating blueberries may reduce the risk of some eye diseases’
True. The researchers found this claim to be true: Blueberries can be beneficial for your eyes.
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A General Mass study of nearly 40,000 middle-aged and elderly US women found that one or more servings of bluegrass per week was associated with a 28% lower risk of age-related macular degeneration ( AMD), an eye condition that can develop significantly. loss of vision.
One or more servings of blueberries per week was associated with a 28% lower risk of conditions that cause vision loss. (iStock)
Dr. Howard D. Sesso, director of nutrition and supplement research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, that blueberries can optimize eye health.
“Blueberries contain anthocyanins, a bioactive polyphenol that gives them their blue color, and has been linked to potential reductions in eye disease,” he told Fox News Digital.
4. ‘Following a plant-based diet will always improve health outcomes’
False, with caveats. Mass General experts say that a plant-based diet is not always the best way to go, even though it looks extremely healthy.
Plant-based nutrition plans have “different and sometimes opposing health effects,” according to Dr. Qi Sun, associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
“Diet alone is not a magic bullet.”
There’s a big difference between a plant-based diet that’s dense in refined grains, sugary drinks and candies and one that includes fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, coffee, tea and more, he noted.
Plant-based diets should be well balanced to include fruits, vegetables and whole grains, according to an expert. (iStock)
The first diet is associated with “many adverse health outcomes,” according to the researchers.
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The second diet is considered “a healthy version of a plant-based diet,” Sun said, and has been “strongly associated with better health outcomes, including a lower risk of developing diseases such as diabetes, obesity and gout .”
The “healthy version” of a plant-based diet has been proven to reduce the risk of developing diseases such as diabetes, obesity and gout, experts say. (iStock)
In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, Sun encouraged people to focus on quality ingredients – such as fresh fruit, non-starchy vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts, and olive oil and other vegetable oils – and limit sugary and fatty foods. .
“Don’t forget regular activity and other healthy lifestyle choices,” he said. “After all, diet alone is not a magic bullet.”
5. ‘The location of food in the grocery store has no effect on purchases’
False. Mass General deemed this concept to be flat out “false,” as “the grocery store’s “choice architecture” has a strong influence on what we buy.”
Stocking healthy items in visible or convenient locations increases the likelihood of making a healthier choice, according to the researchers.
“Healthy choice architecture” refers to stocking healthy items in visible or convenient locations, Mass General reported. (iStock)
In the General Hospital cafeteria, the foods and drinks are labeled as red, yellow and green – red being the least healthy and green being the healthiest.
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The researchers found that when the healthiest items were in convenient locations or at eye level, employees were more likely to make healthier choices.
Anne Thorndike, MD, a primary care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, told Fox News Digital that the opposite is also true.
People are more likely to choose food items that are convenient and visible, the researchers said. (iStock)
“This is well known by the food industry, which has been placing sugar-sweetened beverages, salty snacks, candy and baked goods in checkout lanes, aisle end caps and at the front of the store,” she said.
6. ‘Early introduction of foods such as peanut butter can prevent allergies’
True. Introducing a young child to foods known to cause allergic reactions can be scary for parents, but Mass General confirmed that it can be beneficial in the long run.
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Introducing “developmentally appropriate” forms of peanuts to babies between 4 and 6 months of age can lead to an 80% reduction in peanut allergy in those at high risk, according to the LEAP Trial (Learning Soon about Peanut Allergy).
Introducing “developmentally appropriate” forms of peanuts to children between 4 and 6 months of age can lead to an 80% reduction in peanut allergy in those at high risk. (iStock)
Michael Pistiner, MD, director of Food Allergy Advocacy, Education and Prevention at Mass General Children’s Hospital, emphasized that these results show that “time is important.”
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“By the time a child reaches a pediatric allergist, it may be too late to prevent some food allergies that could be avoided with early allergen introduction and family education,” he told Fox News Digital.
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Pistiner added, “With limited access to allergy providers and long wait times that can exceed three months, primary care clinicians play a critical role in supporting families through infant feeding, early allergen introduction, eczema management, and diagnosis and transmission of food allergy.”
