/oss/taxonomy/term/2620/all en /oss/article/nutrition-you-asked/why-cant-you-use-low-fat-margarine-frying <p>Margarine is fat. It’s just a different kind of fat from butter. Whereas butter contains mostly saturated fats, margarine’s fats are unsaturated. This just refers to a slight variation in the molecular structure which does have consequences in terms of blood cholesterol levels. Essentially saturated fats increase cholesterol, while unsaturated ones in moderation do not. So if margarine is just fat, how can there be a “low fat” version? Easy. Just mix the fat with water.</p> Fri, 06 Aug 2021 20:40:54 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8800 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition-quackery/tilapia-and-poop-connection <p>Fishermen tend to embellish the size of their catch, hence the expression “fish tale” for exaggerated stories like the ones making the rounds about tilapia, a fish that is increasingly showing up on dinner plates. Indeed, it is now the most widely consumed fish after salmon and tuna. Typically, headlines scream about tilapia being “Poop Fish,” “Worse Than Bacon,” “No Better for You Than A Doughnut” and that it is “ Like eating a rat!!” Relax. Tilapia will not poison you. You are better off eating it than bacon or doughnuts.</p> Thu, 13 Jul 2017 15:34:14 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2572 at /oss /oss/article/cancer-environment-health/hazard-and-risk <p>If you watched the news, read newspapers or surfed the web recently you will have been inundated with pictures of bacon and headlines describing it as carcinogenic. That’s because the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified processed meats as being carcinogenic, placing them in the same category as tobacco smoke, asbestos, oral contraceptives, alcohol, sunshine, X-rays, polluted air, and inhaled sand. However, it is critical to understand that the classification is based on hazard as opposed to risk.</p> Fri, 27 Nov 2015 01:19:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2296 at /oss