Why Coffee Is Good for You, and Other Food Myths
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Gerald Zanetti/FoodPix(NEW YORK) — With all of the food fads out there, how can the average person sort out the truth?
In his latest book, Coffee is Good for You, health journalist Robert Davis demystifies the food research we read on a daily basis. Should we take multivitamins? Is red wine really good for you? Will gluten-free make you feel better?
The answers are yes, no, and sometimes half-true.
“Animal research suggests that garlic may work by inhibiting the body’s production of cholesterol or decreasing its absorption in the intestines,” Davis writes. “But human studies have produced inconsistent findings.”
Other points Davis makes in his book include:
- Coffee is high in antioxidants and there’s hardly any evidence that it’s harmful.
- High fructose corn syrup isn’t worse than sugar.
- Local food isn’t healthier than food from the supermarket.
- The studies on farmed versus wild caught salmon are inconclusive.
Davis is also the author of The Healthy Skeptic. He teaches at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio