Brazil nuts may be as effective as selenium supplements in raising selenium levels, suggests a new study from New Zealand.
Daily intake of supplemental beta-carotene for a minimum of 10 weeks contributes to sunburn protection, finds a meta-analysis by German scientists.
Low levels of vitamin D circulating in the blood may be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, suggests a new study from Harvard School of Public Health.
A large UK study has concluded that our genes may determine as much as 77% of our obesity risk, while environmental factors seem to be less important.
Early life factors, such as birth weight, maternal smoking and fathers’ weight, can all predispose a young child to obesity, suggest two European studies.
Whatever changes in body fat we may experience as adults, it is only the filling state of our fat cells that varies. The number of fat cells is set during childhood and adolescence and remains constant throughout later life.
Closely adhering to a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, olive oil and fish, but with moderate dairy and low red meat intake, may reduce largely the risk of developing diabetes. This finding extends the benefits of the so-called Mediterranean diet beyond its potential to lower heart disease and cancer risk.
Daily consumption of a handful of Macadamia nuts for five weeks helped individuals with elevated cholesterol to significantly improve their blood lipid and cholesterol profile. These findings support further the previously reported heart-healthy effects of nuts such as walnuts or almonds.
Nutrient (or nutritional) profiling of foods, described as the science of characterising foods based on their nutrient content, is fast becoming the basis for regulating health claims on foods, fortification, and marketing and advertising to children. Accordingly, several health authorities and regulatory bodies are assessing the nutritional profiles of food items, to implement guidelines aimed at improving the diet of the general population. Nevertheless, it is widely accepted that the complete diet over a period of time is important when considering overall nutrition and health, rather than isolating individual nutrients.
A new EU regulation on nutrition and health claims made on foods entered into force in January 2007. The regulation provides for the use of nutrient profiles to determine which foods may bear claims but does not specify what the profiles should be or how they should be developed. EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) have published a scientific opinion on which foods may carry nutrition and health claims, to assist policy makers. The next stage of the process is the definition of the nutrient profiling scheme.
A Greek study conducted by Harokopio University in Athens has confirmed the belief amongst health professionals that child obesity risk is much higher when parents themselves are overweight.
A French study has evaluated the influence of different lifestyle patterns, finding that a combination of low activity and high snacking predicts the risk of obesity.
While very low carbohydrate (ketogenic) diets are popular with those trying to lose weight, there are concerns that such diets may not support the desire for exercise. This hypothesis was investigated by a US research team at Arizona State University.
A study from the United Kingdom suggests that current recommendations on physical activity may create wrong beliefs about the benefits of different types of exercise.
High consumption of soft drinks sweetened with sugar has been viewed as a cause of obesity. However, data from a longitudinal UK study, does not support this association.
According to a Swedish study, adults seem to overestimate their levels of physical activity.
UK researchers from Glasgow Caledonian University set out to examine whether chewing gum could positively influence perception of hunger and fullness, and impact on short-term energy intake.
Consumers with allergies do not find current food labels helpful, according to a study published by Dutch scientists.
Mothers with low blood levels of vitamin D may be at a higher risk of pre-eclampsia according to a new US study.
A Finnish study showed that long-term dietary changes to lower saturated fat and cholesterol intakes have a positive impact on serum cholesterol in children and therefore may help lower their risk of cardiovascular disease later on.
A meta-analysis of folic acid supplementation studies has found a positive impact on an important cardiovascular disease risk factor. This suggests that high doses of folic acid could be useful in cardiovascular disease prevention.
Health benefits associated with wholegrains may be, in part, due to their prebiotic effect. This is the conclusion of a 3-week intervention study conducted by UK scientists at Reading.
Front-of-pack labelling schemes have been developed against a background of concerns about rising obesity levels. Research conducted by the European Food Information Council (EUFIC) in conjunction with Wageningen University, looked at the potential of different energy-based front-of-pack flags to engage consumers and help them understand the nutrition information on food labels. The most preferred option was calorie content per portion or per 100g.
A long-term study has found that children given breakfasts with a low glycaemic index (GI) tend to reduce their daily energy intakes by 60 kcal on average. The modest energy reduction, if maintained, could have a significant impact on obesity risk.
Schools offering three physical activity sessions a week may be more effective at preventing adiposity (fat gain) in children than schools offering just one session a week, claims a new UK study.
A new Australian study has found that people who consumed 1200 mg of calcium per day had a 20% reduced risk of bone fracture than people with low calcium intakes. Bone density was also higher in people with adequate calcium intakes. The addition of vitamin D influenced bone health only slightly.
Research News from the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
Previous research using measures, such as body mass index (BMI) or skinfold thickness, has suggested that spouses are similar in terms of body fat. A recent study employing the more accurate technique of duel-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) has now confirmed this finding.
A new study has shed light on the eating disorder, anorexia nervosa. The illness appears to have higher incidence than previously thought, however, its outcome is generally good: up to 70% of anorexic women recover by the age of 30.
Neophobia, a reluctance to try new foods, is common in young children. A UK study has now discovered that the trait of neophobia is mainly genetic rather than influenced by a child’s environment.
Low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets (an example of such a diet could be the Atkins diet), are popular for weight control. Short-term intervention studies suggest that these diets produce a similar weight loss to traditional high-carbohydrate, moderate-protein diets. However, a large observational study has suggested that low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets may not be healthy in the long run.
Women keen to lose weight after childbirth should combine diet and exercise claims a new study published by the influential Cochrane Database.
Portion sizes of ready-to-eat foods and restaurant meals have steadily increased over the past decade. This has prompted concern from health educators because larger portion sizes may cause over-consumption of energy and weight gain. A new US study suggests that this analysis is correct.
Regular coffee drinking could lower the risk of liver cancer by up to 55%, suggests a new meta-analysis. The prevalence of liver cancer is rare in Western countries but affects considerable numbers of people in East and South East Asia.
Scientists have long debated whether or not total fibre intake affects the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Now a US study has shown that wholegrains, not total fibre, seem to be effective against the disease.
The common belief that food cravings are simply due to an addiction to high carbohydrate foods has been explored by US researchers.
Slimmers don’t need to cut sugar out of their diets claims new research from Scotland, where 60% of adults are overweight or obese.
Adding cinnamon to carbohydrate meals may slow the rise in blood sugars, claims a new study. This could be helpful for people with diabetes, or those concerned about blood sugar control.
A Spanish observational study seems to confirm suspicions that high intakes of fried food are associated with obesity.
A new US study shows that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) used to sweeten certain beverages has a similar impact on hunger and satiety as sucrose.
Eating cocoa could help reduce LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol, according to a Japanese intervention study.
According to a US intervention study, infants were better at problem-solving when their mothers were supplemented during pregnancy with the omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
Weight loss diets that restrict dietary carbohydrates are popular with slimmers but may have a harmful effect on gut health, according to Scottish researchers.
A long-term dietary trial has revealed that supplementation with calcium and vitamin D can dramatically lower the risk of cancer in women.
A new US study adds to recent evidence showing that eating wholegrains helps to lower the risk of heart disease.
Green tea is rich in polyphenol antioxidants, which are believed to help protect against cancer and heart disease. A study from China has reported beneficial associations between regular consumption of green tea and colorectal cancer risk. The disease affects around a million people worldwide and is linked to poor eating habits, low levels of physical activity, and ageing populations.
The anti-cancer properties of Brassica vegetables, namely broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, are well-known. However, boiling such vegetables severely impairs their potential health benefits, as a new UK study has reported.
Adding soy nuts to a healthy diet is an effective way of lowering blood pressure and LDL (‘bad’ cholesterol), according to a new US study in women.
Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of health-promoting nutrients called carotenoids. However, benefits to human health depend on how well these nutrients are absorbed by the body after digestion. A new study has shown that fruit carotenoids are better absorbed than those from green vegetables. This means that fruit carotenoids may be a better choice as ingredients for functional food and beverage products.
Increasing amounts of evidence point to the health properties of apples, which are a major source of polyphenols. These powerful antioxidants are believed to offer protection against the development of cancer and heart disease. Now research has shown that of all the apple parts, the peel is the richest source of polyphenols.
Ovarian cancer affects more than 60,000 European women annually with most cases occurring in Northern Europe. This study suggests that dietary intake of certain flavonoids may reduce ovarian cancer risk.
Due to lifestyle changes, there is an increasing number of people who choose to eat just once a day, but is this good for our health? New research suggests that our body copes better with the traditional three meals a day when compared with the same amount eaten in one meal.
With obesity affecting millions of consumers in Europe, there is strong interest in food ingredients that could help consumers regularize their weight and body composition.
Maternal diet is thought to have an impact on subsequent child health. This is because aspects of the mother’s diet can condition the rapidly growing organs of the foetus. A new study from Scotland has found that children whose pregnant mothers ate apples or fish were less likely to develop allergic conditions.
A large European study has found links between cereal fibre intake and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. The findings were backed by a meta-analysis of the scientific literature.
An estimated 4 to 8% of people living in the EU are believed to suffer from food allergies, according to allergy organisations. Parents of newborns are advised to prolong breast-feeding, wean after 6 months, and avoid early exposure to potential food allergens to reduce their offspring’s risk of developing allergies. This is because the immature gut is thought to be permeable to food proteins, leading to an adverse immune response which could evolve into a food allergy. However, a new study from Canada suggests that this advice could be misplaced.
A study from Greece lends more support to the claim that eating fish is good for the heart. The large observational study looked at the impact of various dietary factors on cardiac arrhythmia, a condition where the heart beats irregularly and which can be fatal in many cases.
A Finnish study has looked at the heart health benefits associated with 26 antioxidant nutrients from the Flavonoid group (part of the Polyphenol family of antioxidants). Flavonoids are found in certain fruits and vegetables, in tea, coffee, red wine and cocoa. Sub-classes of flavonoids include flavonols, flavones, flavanones, flavan-3-ols and anthocyanidins.
Two studies have highlighted issues with vitamin D intake in Europe. Currently, few countries have dietary recommendations for vitamin D because our bodies can make vitamin D in response to sunlight. However, there is now concern that significant numbers of people are at risk from vitamin D deficiency, also called hypovitaminosis D.
A new analysis of heart health studies has criticised policy makers for failing to promote wholegrain foods sufficiently. The meta-analysis combined data from seven observational studies, involving a total of 149,000 subjects. It was found that subjects eating at least 2.5 servings of wholegrains per day experienced a 21% reduction in the risk of heart disease or stroke compared with subjects who ate only 0.2 servings per day.
Unsaturated ‘omega-3’ fats from nuts could offer heart health benefits. However, nuts are viewed as being high in total fat and calories, which has discouraged their use in traditional heart health diets.
Critics of sugar-containing foods claim that high sugar diets contain inadequate amounts of vitamins and minerals. This is sometimes called a ‘nutrient dilution’ effect. However, a new review has questioned whether there is enough evidence to say this.
An analysis of long-term dieting studies carried out by US psychologists has revealed that most weight-loss diets don’t work in the long term. Professor Traci Mann, from the University of California in Los Angeles, conducted a rigorous analysis of 31 long-term studies to find out whether successful dieters were able to maintain their new weight in the long-term.
For years, unsuccessful dieters have tended to blame weight problems on their genes. New research suggests that there may be some truth in this, but it does not negate the importance of diet and exercise in weight management.
Research presented at the annual American Heart Association conference suggests that eating wholegrain cereals can lower the risk of heart failure. The research was based on data from the Physicians’ Health Study, which followed the health and lifestyle of more than 10,000 American doctors from 1982 to 2006.
Children who eat a Mediterranean-style diet seem to have a lower risk of developing asthma, suggests new research. The survey of nearly 700 children living on the Greek island of Crete showed that a high intake of nuts, grapes, tomatoes and oranges was linked with a 50-80% lower risk of wheezing in 7 to 18 year olds.
Tomatoes are a rich source of the antioxidant nutrient, lycopene. Studies have shown that lycopene can help protect body cells from oxidative damage in the same way that antioxidants in food processing prevent fats from becoming rancid.
Frequency of constipation has been linked with poor mood, possibly because of gastric discomfort and bloating. Probiotics – live beneficial bacteria added to food or drinks – are known to relieve constipation. British researchers brought these two aspects together in order to test the impact of a probiotic drink on mood and bowel habits.
A study of more than 16,000 patients has found no link between sweetener intake and the risk of cancer. This supports a previous ruling by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Many people experience difficulty in getting off to sleep. Scientists have shown that carbohydrate foods with a high Glycaemic Index (GI) may induce a quicker sleep onset.
A new study has found that the absorption of the natural form of folic acid present in foods, called folate, relative to folic acid capsules, is better than expected.
Experts believe that heart disease and cancer have their origins in long-term damage to the body’s cells caused by free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules created during normal metabolism or via exposure to pollutants in the environment e.g. cigarette smoke. Normally, the body is able to protect itself from free radical damage with antioxidant nutrients in the blood. However, the stress of daily life combined with poor diets often leaves individuals with a deficient antioxidant defence. This increases the importance of dietary sources of antioxidants.
The cardiovascular effects of the omega-3 fats present in oily fish are well-known. Now a new study points to a benefit for bone health.
An international team of experts has met to consider new evidence on the safety of the food additive, monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is used to enhance flavour in Chinese food and some processed food and beverage products. The resulting consensus was intended to replace a similar exercise published in 1997.
The study, from the Journal of Consumer Research, suggests having to come up with options from memory led to more impulsive decisions.
The Atkins Diet is in the news again - and this time with the backing of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Women following the Atkins diet lost more weight than women following other diets, with no concerns expressed over cardiovascular risk factors.
Higher maternal seafood consumption during pregnancy results in children showing better neurological function than children whose mothers eat low amounts or no seafood during pregnancy, according to an Article. The authors conclude: “we noted that children of mothers who ate small amounts of seafood were more likely to have suboptimum neurodevelopmental outcomes than children of mothers who ate more seafood”
Wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereal could be key weapons in the battle against breast cancer.
There will soon be no more bitter pills to swallow, thanks to new research by Leeds scientists: a spoonful of sugar will be all we need for our bodies to make their own medicine.
Data collected on NutritionDay2006 showed that disease-related malnutrition increases length of stay by 6 days and is accompanied by a fourfold increase in mortality. The president of the Ecosocial Forum Europe, former EU-commissar Franz Fischler emphasises the social dimension of the Initiative.
Zoonoses are diseases or infections, which are transmissible from animals to humans. The infection can be acquired directly from animals, or through ingestion of contaminated foodstuffs. In humans, the gravity of these diseases can vary from mild symptoms to life threatening conditions. The importance of a zoonosis as a human disease depends on several factors, such as severity of the disease, the case fatality, and number of cases (incidence) in the population.
“Food quality and safety are major concerns for European citizens and it is great to see relevant new results coming out of EU-funded research” said European Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik. “Basing decisions about food on scientific evidence benefits consumers. Measures proposed by researchers from EU projects have been tested for validity and reliability and can be used on farms and in food production.”
It has long been suspected that a high sugar diet over a long term period may lead to an increased risk of developing diabetes. But there has been little or no evidence to support this idea, with studies on the role of any aspect of the diet in the development of diabetes difficult to conduct.
Watching TV and level of activity in children appear to be associated independently of each other with risk factors that may influence the chance that children have of developing metabolic diseases (e.g., diabetes) and cardiovascular diseases in later life.
Women who have a low body mass index before they become pregnant are 72% more likely to suffer a miscarriage in the first three months of pregnancy, but can reduce their risk significantly by taking supplements and eating fresh fruit and vegetables, according to study findings published online today.
Low impact aerobic exercise, such as walking and cycling, can effectively reduce fatigue in adults with chronic auto-immune conditions, according to a research review in the latest issue of the UK-based Journal of Advanced Nursing.
76% of workers older than 60 years of age are overweight or obese. However, less than one third of those 40 years of age and younger suffer these health issues.
Type 1 diabetes is a growing health problem among European children. European data indicate that the disease incidence has increased five- to six-fold among children under the age of 15 years after World War II, and there are no signs that the increase in incidence is levelling off.
A recent publication from the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA²LEN) provides new insights into the role that diet may play in the development of allergies, especially in children. The work suggests that the significant changes in European diets over the past 20-40 years may have contributed to the increased incidence of allergic diseases in both children and adults seen over this period.
Most Europeans consider themselves to be in good health, but 38% feel they are overweight, according to the results of the latest Eurobarometer on Health, Food and Nutrition presented by the European Commission today. The survey, which reveals that 95% of EU citizens agree that obesity is harmful for health, addresses the health and physical characteristics of Europeans, their diet and general eating habits, problems related to being overweight, and their physical activity levels. Eating more vegetables and less fat are the most frequent changes that Europeans say they are introducing in their eating habits. However, most respondents report feeling trapped in a sedentary life that restricts their attempts to lead a healthy lifestyle. Less than 30% of Europeans carry out “intensive” physical activity on a regular basis. Most Europeans (85%) feel public authorities should play a stronger role in fighting obesity. Nine out of ten Europeans feel that marketing and advertising influence children in their food and drink choices.
At the end of last year the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published its first annual report1 on infectious diseases transmissible from animals to humans (zoonoses) which affect over 380,000 EU citizens per year. Based on this report, at the request of the Council of Ministers of the European Union (EU), EFSA has now for the first time set out a series of scientific conclusions and recommendations and risk communications initiatives to prevent and reduce zoonotic diseases in the EU. The Authority has also identified aspects of the zoonoses reporting system that should be improved.
A new report from the Oxford Health Alliance (OxHA) demonstrates that chronic diseases - heart and lung disease, cancer and diabetes - are having a negative economic impact on both the developed and developing world and should thus be adequately addressed by domestic and international policy makers.
The human body is like a car: it becomes more gas-guzzling with age. That's according to scientists at Manchester Metropolitan University who observed that active pensioners may not be getting enough calories to cope with increased "fuel loss".
Men who eat a lot of fatty fish run a lower risk of prostate cancer, concludes a new research paper from Karolinska Institutet. The effect is likely to be attributable to the abundance of omega-3 fatty acids, although there is also a hereditary factor.
Microwaving your chips before you fry them reduces the levels of a cancer-causing substance, reveals findings published today in the SCI’s Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.
Two new studies published in the US this week seek to blow out of the water fears that people who regularly consumer seafood are putting themselves at risk due to methylmercury, PCB and dioxin contamination. Rather, the benefits of regular fish consumption on heart disease risk and neurodevelopment were seen to outweigh the risks.
Vitamin D may help curb breast cancer progression, according to a study published today in the Journal of Clinical Pathology. The authors, from Imperial College London, measured the levels of vitamin D in the blood serum of 279 women with invasive breast cancer. The disease was in its early stages in 204 of the women, and advanced in the remaining 75.
Women with eating disorders often cannot recognise their problem, or attempt to disguise it. This makes diagnosis and treatment very difficult. But newly published research from Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry shows that analysing the carbon and nitrogen bound into hair fibres can determine whether a person does indeed have an eating disorder.
Add another hazard to the pitfalls of being overweight -- a few extra pounds might reduce your brainpower. According to a new French study, heftier people score lower on cognitive tests, even when factors such as education level are taken into account.
Daily cups of tea can help you recover more quickly from the stresses of everyday life, according to a new study by UCL (University College London) researchers. New scientific evidence shows that black tea has an effect on stress hormone levels in the body. The study, published in the journal Psychopharmacology, found that people who drank tea were able to de-stress more quickly than those who drank a fake tea substitute.
A new large-scale study from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, found that an increase in body mass index (BMI) between first and second pregnancies was associated with adverse outcomes. The findings support for the first time a possible causal relationship between obesity and pregnancy complications, and are published in The Lancet.
If you want to avoid cancer of the kidneys, a new major study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that eating salmon or other kinds of fatty fish a few times a month would be one good way to go about it.
A new study, published in The Journal of Physiology, shows that short bursts of very intense exercise — equivalent to only a few minutes per day — can produce the same results as traditional endurance training.
The Commission today presents the results of a public consultation on promoting healthy diets and physical activity, with a focus on the prevention of overweight, obesity and chronic diseases. With around 14 million children in Europe currently overweight, of which more than 3 million are obese, this is now an urgent public health issue requiring co-ordinated action at EU level, as well as within Member States.
The regulation of body weight and energy balance in animals depends on the central nervous system capacity to read the body’s metabolic state and respond accordingly. But how does the brain process and integrate information to regulate feeding behaviour in order to sustain the energetic needs of the organism? In an article now published on the journal "Neuron", scientists from the US and Portugal study the brain activity of rats during a feeding cycle - consisting of an episode of hunger, satiety and hunger again - and found that, while individual neurons respond to parts of the cycle, the pooled activity of the neurons in entire brain areas is always high throughout hunger, diminishing after the animal is fed and satiated, and again increases when the animal is hungry again, a variation that most probably underlies the activation of the mechanism associated with feeding motivation in these animals.
The oversimplification of the “energy-in/energy out” equation is generating a fundamental public misunderstanding of the challenges of obesity, an eminent expert has warned at the International Congress on Obesity in Sydney today.
Unless more suitable outdoor play opportunities are provided for children and young people, a physical and mental illness time bomb is likely to explode, an international conference in Bristol was told.
As many as one third of women experience symptoms which they believe are caused by low blood glucose (sugar), according to a recent survey conducted in Nottinghamshire (1). The symptoms of such low blood glucose (or hypoglycaemia, as it is medically termed), include: irritability; faintness; tremor; hunger and anxiety.
Older people with high waist-hip ratios (WHRs) have a higher mortality risk than those with a high body mass index, or BMI, a new study reveals
The epidemic of obesity in young children has been far worse in the tallest, fastest growing young children, according to new research published in The International Journal of Obesity today (1 August 2006).
Worldwide pre-eclampsia accounts for 40,000 maternal deaths a year and can trigger premature birth which is extremely dangerous for the child. A Cochrane Review of trials found that taking calcium supplements during pregnancy is a safe and cheap means of reducing the risk of pre-eclampsia.
People with type 2 diabetes mellitus who perform regular exercise improve their blood sugar control and have reduced body fat. This reduction in fat occurs even if they don’t loose weight, suggesting that some of the fat may have been replaced by muscle.
Europeans are well informed about avian influenza and have confidence in the actions of EU and national authorities to tackle it, but significant gaps in knowledge remain about the risks, according to a special Eurobarometer survey on avian influenza published today by the Commission and conducted in March and April. Most respondents (between 70% and 80% according to the type of measures) correctly identified specific surveillance, control and eradication measures taken to prevent and contain avian flu outbreaks, and 70% of respondents agree that EU public authorities are guided in their actions by genuine concern about the health of European citizens. However, the survey reveals that a significant percentage of Europeans remain unsure about certain basic facts about avian flu. For example, 28% do not know that avian flu cannot be transmitted through properly cooked eggs and poultry meat. Most EU citizens replied that they had not reduced their consumption of poultry products, and those that did indicated they had done so only as a precaution.
Men and women with a large waist circumference and a large waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) have an increased risk of developing colon cancer. In contrast, only in men is a high body mass index (BMI) clearly associated with a higher colon cancer risk. However, there is no relation between the body measures of the investigation and rectal cancer risk. These results from the European-wide EPIC study (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) were published on July 5th by Tobias Pischon of the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE) and his colleagues in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The effect of genetic composition is larger than expected. The variation in the biochemical composition of plants is to a large extent determined by their hereditary characteristics. This is the conclusion of a publication by Wageningen UR researchers appearing in Nature Genetics- on line on 4 June. The study brought together researchers from the Wageningen UR departments Wageningen University, Plant Research International and RIKILT – in a joint project within the research programme of the NGI Centre for BioSystems Genomics – and the state university of Groningen.
Parents play an extremely important role in helping their children develop food preferences, but attempts to encourage young children to eat a more healthy diet may actually be having the opposite effect, according to a review published in the International Journal of Obesity.
Overweight and obese mums-to-be are putting their health and the health of their unborn infant at risk - as well as putting a strain on the health service!
Individuals with diabetes run a greater risk than others of being afflicted with severe loosening of the teeth. This is shown by research at the Faculty of Odontology, Malmö University, Sweden.
What do pizzas, spaghetti Bolognese and chilli con carne have in common? They all contain a vital ingredient that could help in the fight against cardiovascular disease – cooked tomatoes.
FOOD is a sensitive issue for many women in the west, not least because of pressure to diet, and the way food advertising is targeted. Now it seems this may be showing up in how women’s brains react to food.
New research shows how topping up the levels of a hormone found in the gut could help reduce the appetite and increase activity in overweight and obese people.
Scientists of the University of Jaen, members of the ‘Peptides and peptidases’ research group of the Faculty of Experimental Sciences, are working on the protective effects exerted by olive oil on an animal model of diabetes and on the role of the different components of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (SRAA). This is the first study of its kind that is carried out in Spain.
A research group of the Animal Nutrition Unit at Zaidín Experimental Station, which is owned by the Higher Board of Scientific Research, located in Armilla (Granada), have demonstrated that leguminous plants can have beneficial effects on the body. Amongst others, eating these foods can reduce the probability of suffering cancer of the colon, as they reduce the replication ratio of tumour cells.
Health professionals need to use more than tape measures and scales to define and tackle obesity, according to a paper in the British-based Journal of Advanced Nursing.
Antioxidants are believed to have substantial health benefits and raspberries in particular are a good source. In fact, raspberries may have 10 times more antioxidants than tomatoes or broccoli. Further, raspberries contain some specific antioxidants that are found almost nowhere else.
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