health
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Bad food makes kids dumber, study says
Look, ma! No nutrients!Photo: Amanda WestmontA new study says 3-year-olds who mostly eat processed foods have lower IQs five years later. (So Pop-Tarts and Sunny-D are why we’re “falling behind” China in math and science?) The study, cited in The Guardian, examined the diets of 14,000 wee Britlets, based on what their parents reported feeding […]
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6 things you didn’t know about condoms
Rock and unroll.Photo: OhMiBod It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and you know what that means: time to gird your loins. Here are some wacky prophylactic facts to get you excited (ahem) about condoms, if the whole “prevent kids and the spread of disease” thing isn’t sexy enough for you. 6. Valentine’s Day is also National Condom […]
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Why new dietary guidelines can’t solve the obesity crisis
Ahh, breakfast.Photo: Elana’s PantryThe USDA released a new set of dietary guidelines this week and the updated guidelines were enough to put nutritionist Marion Nestle in “shock”: I never would have believed they could pull this off. The new guidelines recognize that obesity is the number one public health nutrition problem in America and actually […]
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How to get the boob tube to tell the truth about climate change
What if there were a group that worked with TV & movie writers to insure that info about climate in pop culture was frequent and accurate? This group could be it.
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The Oscar-nominated green documentary short you have to watch
Watch the Oscar-nominated short film about a Chinese village that conquered a chemical company. Trickery! People overcoming adversity! Cute swans!
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In his Wall Street Journal op-ed, Obama moves to the right on regulation
In today's Wall Street Journal, President Obama embraces a conservative frame for the coming discussion about the role of regulation.
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Artificial lighting: even worse for your health than it is for the environment
Just in case you need another reason to turn out the lights: It turns out they mess with your head. A new study has found that spending your evenings in a lit room delays and suppresses the brain's production of melatonin, the hormone that regulates your biological clock (and may have all sorts of other health implications as well).
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Life, liberty, and the pursuit of fatness
When did a diet of processed, sugary junk foods become what "real Americans" eat? Messaging by Big Food -- echoed by a cynical GOP -- has taken many people hostage in what I call American Fast Food Syndrome. And it's killing us.
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Organic cigarettes on the rise, still bad for you
A small but growing number of tobacco farmers are going organic, giving smokers everywhere a potential out from New Year’s resolutions.