Your health: What recent studies show are good and bad for you

It seems there’s a constant trickle of new research that provide insight as to what foods and behaviors are good for our health and which ones are not. Here, we round up some studies that have been released this year that aim to help us get a handle on the science behind staying healthy. (It’s worth noting their results don’t necessarily point to consistent conclusions.)

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Sitting

A study published in March in the Archives of Internal Medicine supports previous findings that suggest sitting too much increases our risk of death. In people 45 years and older, sitting for 11 or more hours a day led to an increased risk of death (from all causes) by about 40 percent over four years, compared with the risk of death in people who sat just four to eight hours a day, the study found. Read more about the study here.

/ Via Bloomberg News

Chocolate

A study published in March in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that people who indulged often by eating chocolate tended to have a lower body mass index than those who did not. "I was pretty happy with this news myself," study author Beatrice Golomb, associate professor of medicine at the University of California-San Diego, said in an interview with USA Today. "Findings show the composition of calories, not just the number of them, matters for determining ultimate weight." .

Stephan Savoia / AP

Fruits and vegetables

Some 80 percent of adults report they struggle to eat the recommended amount of produce every day, according to an American Heart Association survey released in March. “As a nation, we clearly aren’t getting all of the fruits and vegetables we need,” says registered dietitian Claire LeBrun, senior nutritionist at George Washington Medical Faculty Associates. Research shows, she adds, that factors such as cost and convenience appear to play a huge role in our underconsumption. Read more about the study here.

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Nuts

Robert J. Davis examined some common myths about heart-healthy foods in his 2012 book "Coffee Is Good for You." His research proves and debunks several claims. One claim: Nuts are good for your heart. TRUE. Once regarded as high-fat nutritional villains to be avoided at all costs, nuts are now touted as a health food that can ward off heart disease. Several large cohort studies (the type in which people are asked about their dietary habits and then followed for years or decades) have consistently found lower odds of heart disease and heart-related deaths among nut eaters, regardless of sex, age, location or occupation. Read more about the study here.

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Oats

Another claim Davis examines: Oats lower cholesterol. TRUE. Oats contain a type of soluble fiber known as beta-glucan, which is also found in barley. It’s thought to lower cholesterol by binding to bile acids and removing them from the body. Bile acids are made from cholesterol, so when the body has to deploy more of its cholesterol to help replace the eliminated bile acids, there’s less of it in the blood. Read more about the study here

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Fish oil

Another claim Davis examines: Fish oil protects your heart. TRUE. Several cohort studies show that people who regularly eat fish are less likely to die of heart disease than those who don’t eat fish. Randomized trials involving heart attack survivors have found that subjects given fish oil supplements were less likely to die of heart disease than those who didn’t take the capsules. And in a randomized study of people with high cholesterol, participants who took fish oil had fewer heart attacks and deaths from heart disease. Read more about the study here

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Eggs

Another claim Davis examines: Eggs cause heart disease. FALSE. Researchers have conducted a number of long-term cohort studies on eggs and heart disease, which have collectively followed several hundred thousand people. In general, the research has exonerated eggs: Eating up to six a week was not associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (i.e. heart attacks and strokes). Read more about the study here

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Olive oil

Another claim Davis examines: Olive oil is the most healthful oil. FALSE. Olive oil is often singled out as an especially heart-healthy vegetable oil because it’s high in monounsaturated fat. But it’s also lower in polyunsaturated fat than other oils. Both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are considered good fats that may reduce the risk of heart disease. Which of these fats is better for us is unclear. Read more about the study here

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Coffee

Another claim Davis examines: Coffee is bad. FALSE. Cohort studies, which followed tens of thousands of people for many years, have found that coffee drinkers have no greater risk of heart attacks or strokes than those who abstain. Indeed, they appear to have a slightly lower risk. Read more about the study here

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Margarine vs. butter

Another claim Davis examines: Margarine is better than butter. HALF-TRUE. Margarine, which is made from vegetable oils, is lower in saturated fat than butter. But the process of converting those oils into solids can result in trans fats, which may be even more hazardous to the heart than the saturated kind. Read more about the study here

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Chocolate

Another claim Davis examines: Chocolate is good for your heart. HALF-TRUE. Cocoa, a main ingredient in chocolate, is high in antioxidants known as flavanols, which are also found in red wine, tea and certain fruits. Though the evidence overall is mixed, some cohort studies have linked high flavanol intake with lower rates of heart-related deaths. Generally, dark chocolate is higher than milk chocolate in flavanols. Read more about the study here

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Snacks

In February 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report on the foods that contribute the most to our dietary intake of salt. Snacks — including potato chips, pretzels and popcorn — are one of the culprits.

Matt Rourke / AP

Meat

"Meat mixed dishes such as meat loaf with tomato sauce" comprise another food category that contributes significantly to our sodium intake, according to the CDC report.

Matthew Mead / AP

Pasta

Pasta dishes are on the CDC's list of high-sodium items. U.S. dietary guidelines recommend that Americans eat 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day, but the CDC says we eat an average of 3,300 milligrams each day.

Matthew Mead / AP

Soup

The CDC says soup can also be high in sodium. However, it cautions that sodium content can vary from one brand to another. For example, they say, "sodium in chicken noodle soup can vary by as much as 840 milligrams per serving."

Domenica Marchetti

Sandwiches

Sandwiches, including cheeseburgers, also make the CDC's list.

Astrid Riecken / For The Washington Post

Cheese

Cheese is another major source of sodium, according to the CDC.

Christoph Ruckstuhl / AP

Poultry

"Fresh and processed poultry" is another food category that contributes to sodium intake, the CDC says.

Larry Crowe / AP

Pizza

The CDC identifies pizza as a high-sodium food.

Mira Oberman / AFP/Getty Images

Cold cuts

Cold cuts and cured meats tend to have a high salt content.

Christophe Ena / AP

Bread

Bread and rolls also make the CDC's list. The CDC says a reduction in our sodium consumption could save billions of dollars a year in medical costs.

Larry Crowe / AP

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Your health: What recent studies show are good and bad for you

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