Risk Bites Extra http://youtube.com/riskbites

Okay so this has nothing to do with risk. Or science (sort of). But I couldn't resist making it!

I love Thanksgiving. This has to be one of the best holidays, period. Negligible commercialization, great food, and a chance to relax, catch up with family and friends, and contemplate everything you are thankful for. But speaking as a British transplant to the former colonies, I have to ask -- what the heck is this business with Candied Yams -- surely the most bizarre Thanksgiving dish there is!

In a break from talking about risk -- it is Thanksgiving after all -- I asked my co-conspirator Alyssa Berry to do some digging on the origins of this weird and wonderful icon of an American Thanksgiving Dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Risk Bites Team:
Producer: Andrew Maynard
Research Director: David Faulkner
Research: Alyssa Berry

Risk Bites is supported by:
University of Michigan School of Public Health. http://www.sph.umich.edu/
University of Michigan Risk Science Center. http://umriskcenter.org

RESOURCES
Harvester, J. A sweet potato history. Library of Congress Blogs, Inside Adams: Science, Technology and Business. 24 November 2010. Updated: 6 November 2012. Accessed online: 20 October 2013. http://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/2010/11/a-sweet-potato-history/

Roullier C, Benoit L, McKey DB, Reboot V. Historical collections reveal patterns of diffusion of sweet potato in OCeania obscured by modern plant movements and recombination. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 3 December 2012. http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/01/16/1211049110.full.pdf+html

American Heritage Vegetables: Sweet Potato. Center for Digital Humanities of the University of South Carolina. Accessed online: 20 October 2013. http://lichen.csd.sc.edu/vegetable/vegetable.php?Id=48

"Sweet Potato, Another American". Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service. Accessed online 20 October 2013. http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/vegetabletravelers/sweetpotato.html

United States Department of Agriculture: Household Commodity Fact Sheet: Sweet Potatoes. Accessed online 20 October 2013. http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/facts/hhpfacts/New_HHPFacts/Veges/HHFS_SWEET_POTATOES_FRESH_F160-F163_Final.pdf

Howard BV, Wylie-Rosette J. Sugar and cardiovascular disease. American Heart Association Scientific Statement. Circulation. 2002 (106); pages 523-527. http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/106/4/523.full

Overweight and Obesity: Adult Obesity Facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data and Statistics. Updated: 16 August 2013. Accessed online: 20 October 2013. http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html