List of blog content

This page has been set up to provide a list of the topics covered by the blogs on this site.

Blog posts covering bad bugs (and good)

Foodborne hepatitis E infection – The forgotten hepatitis E infection

Campylobacter – the bad bug on chicken – Food poisoning caused by Campylobacter common on chicken

The dark force in gaining weight – A blog about the importance of your gut flora

Deadly bug in sprouts – Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC), serotype O104:H4

Blog posts covering potentially dangerous foods (and some foods that can also be good for you)

Skip the third cup of coffee – or not – Coffee contributing to dangerous furan exposure

Madness in blaming acidogenic food – Covering a claim that acidogenic foods cause diabetes

The low fat and no cholesterol diet myths – Debunking the myth that fat consumption cause high cholesterol levels

Danger in soft drink consumption – Listing bad effects of extensive soft drink consumption

Beautiful onion tears – Chemicals in onions causing crying

The liquorice flavoured fennel – Fennel consumption is mainly beneficial with some caveats

Devilish liquorice – Too much glycyrrhizic acid from liquorice consumption can make you ill

Surrounded by poisons – Potent toxins in the perennial herb Devil’s Trumpet

Supermarket temptations – Prominent snack food displays contributing to obesity

Most dangerous – mushroom poison or snake venom? – Death cap considered to be the most poisonous mushroom in the world

Believe it or not – a healthy snag! –  A new method of adding omega-3 fatty acids to sausages

Controversial GM food – Environmental concern for gene transfer between conventional and GM crops

Fat little child – Junk food consumption by pregnant females can create fat prone off-spring

Stopped eating red meat? – Misguided advice since carnitine in red meat might actually be good for you

What’s that smell? – Smelly foods that are not necessarily harmful but difficult to eat

Sleep-depriving foods – Sleep depriving foods and their influence on appetite regulating hormones

Opium for free with food – Opium alkaloids from poppy seed consumption

Rucola – good, bad or ugly? – The balance of nitrate and vitamins in vegetables

Here we go again – Questionable results when testing toxicity of GM maize and glyphosate

Are trans fats old hat? – The drop in trans fat levels in food

Deadly bug in sprouts – Raw sprouts a source of dangerous bugs

Debated additives

Aspartame deemed safe after a mammoth effort – Safety of aspartame assured by EFSA at current use levels

The food flavouring beef thiophene in doubt – Potential risks in adding beef thiophene to food

Aspartame (almost) cleared – The draft opinion on aspartame used for public consultation

Ink with your food – Migration of printing ink from packaging to the food

Aspartame controversy – Controversies around aspartame that will not disappear

Nasty chemicals

Go easy on the toast – High acrylamide levels in dark brown toast

Beware of trans fats – Trans fats can still be a threat to health

Uproar in margarine industry – Margarine industry reacts to findings of 3-MCPD in their products

Finger on the pulse – new 3-MCPD results – 3-Monochloropropane-1,2-diol or 3-MCPD found in margarine and other foods

Bisphenol A – half of the story – Exposure to the plastic component bisphenol A from food and the environment

To bee or … no bees – Bee deaths caused by neonicotinoid pesticides

Heavy metals and food choice – Limited food variety can lead to high intake of heavy metals in children

Big issue – hormone disrupting chemicals – A range of chemicals found in food disrupt hormone balance

The hard working bee – Toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids can be found in some honey

Beware of marine biotoxins – A range of marine biotoxins can accumulate to high levels in bivalve molluscs

Judgement day for bisphenol A – Questions if the low-dose theory should be applied for hormone disrupting bisphenol A

The “epi” thingy – new genetics – An introduction to epigenetics and how chemicals can influence genome expression

Mercury in fish a concern – Accumulation of toxic mercury in predatory fish

Lead in the spotlight – Exposure to lead is a particular problem for infants and young children

Acrylamide – nothing seems to help – Acrylamide is a carcinogen that can be present in heated foods

Up in flames – Toxic brominated flame retardants finding their way into food and the environment

Di…di…dioxins – Dangerous dioxins can bio-accumulate along the food chain

Arsenic – not a dead issue – Chronic toxic effects from natural arsenic levels in food and water

All “oils” ain’t “oils” – Many thousands of compounds present in mineral oils used in food production and some might be toxic

The safety of bisphenol A – Bisphenol A exposure can influence brain development and modify normal behaviour

BPA-induced juvenile anxiety – Prenatal bisphenol A exposure might cause elevated hyperactivity and anxiety in young girls

Official views on bisphenol A – Warnings of possible low dose effects of bisphenol A at levels of current human exposure

The maligned bisphenol A – Large diversity of opinion on potential health effects of bisphenol A exposure

The bane of lead – Lead accumulated in bone mobilised during pregnancy and breast feeding disturb normal brain development of the foetus and young child

Spurious health claims (or not)

Do you trust herbal supplements? – Nothing inherently wrong in trusting herbal remedies but often you don’t get what you ask for

The magical kale – Kale is a healthy super vegetable that should be part of every diet

Surprise – silicon necessary for bone health – Silicon is not just for building computers but also necessary in the diet to form healthy bones

Slimming during your sleep – Melatonin formed during sleep involved in energy metabolism and body weight control

Whisky – is it really “livets vatten”? – Whisky contains more cancer destroying ellagic acid than other types of alcohol

The humble tomato – Tomatoes produce lycopene, carotene, anthocyanin, and several other beneficial antioxidants

Foods boosting the immune system – Some foods, vitamins and minerals might help improving the immune system

Not all doom and gloom – The health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids

Italy’s gift to the world – broccoli – Health promoting compounds found in broccoli

Beer drinking benefits – yes benefits! – Beer in moderation healthier than soft drinks or sugary fruit cocktails

The real kick – coffee-leaf tea! – Coffee-leaf tea has more antioxidants than regular tea

Quinoa – the new fad – Quinoa the new food for health conscious consumers

A good red wine – can it be good for you! – Resveratrol found in red wine may possess a range of health benefits

Better brainwaves on the loo – Caffeine although a diuretic is also a psychoactive stimulant improving alertness

Healthy water? – Plain water and water through food is all that is needed, not new fancy waters

Green tea and memory – Green tea might be good for you but it is difficult to prove