news 2013

Researchers at the University of Leeds have shown that greater dietary fibre intake is associated with a lower risk of both cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease. Dr Victoria Burley, from the School of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Leeds and senior author of the study, said: “It has previously been difficult to demonstrate the long-term influence of diet on heart attacks or strokes.

A warmer world is expected to have severe consequences for global agriculture and food supply, reducing yields of major crops even as population and demand increases. Now, a new analysis combining climate, agricultural and hydrological models finds that shortages of freshwater used for irrigation could double the detrimental effects of climate change on agriculture.

AUSTIN, Texas — For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that resveratrol - which is abundantly available in red wine and also found in grapes, peanuts and berries - can ease some of the negative effects on the immune system caused by a diet high in fat. "In preclinical studies, resveratrol has been shown to be beneficial in slowing the aging process and inhibiting some of the deleterious effects linked to obesity," says Christopher Jolly, associate professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin.

Research has suggested that a particular gene in the brain's reward system contributes to overeating and obesity in adults. This same variant has now been linked to childhood obesity and tasty food choices, particularly for girls, according to a new study by Dr. Patricia Silveira and Prof. Michael Meaney of McGill University and Dr. Robert Levitan of the University of Toronto.

Women entering their senior years with a healthy weight and waist size have a significantly better chance of reaching age 85 without chronic disease or mobility impairment, according to a nationwide health study that followed more than 36,000 women for up to 19 years. Put another way, a 66-year-old woman with a body mass index (BMI) over 30, combined with a waist circumference of about 34 inches, has increased odds of coronary and cerebrovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, certain cancers, hip fractures and arthritis over the subsequent two decades later - if she lives that long.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. An additive may help curb a chemical reaction that causes wine to look, smell and taste funky, according to food scientists. The researchers added chelation compounds that bind with metals to inhibit oxidation, or oxygen's ability to react with some of the trace metals that are found in the wine, according to Gal Kreitman , a doctoral candidate in food science , Penn State.

7 November 2013 Humans' instinctive appetite for protein is so powerful that we are driven to continue eating until we get the right amount of protein, even if it means consuming far more energy than we need, according to new research from the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre. Published online in Obesity Reviews , the research shows the overriding drive for dietary protein could be a key factor in the global obesity epidemic, with individuals' total energy intake increasing as the percentage of protein in their diets decreases.

The number of obese adults in the UK could be reduced by 180,000 with a 20% tax on sugary drinks, say researchers at the University of Oxford and the University of Reading. The tax could raise over £275 million for the Treasury. The researchers from the British Heart Foundation Health Promotion Research Group at the University of Oxford and the Centre for Food Security at the University of Reading have published their findings in the British Medical Journal .

New research shows that there are several effective strategies available to people wanting to avoid regaining weight after a successful diet. Anti-obesity drugs, meal replacements and a high protein diet can help weight loss maintenance, according to a meta-analysis published in the scientific periodical The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers believe the gene could be a useful therapeutic target for treating obesity and type 2 diabetes In the future, modulation of KSR2 may represent a useful therapeutic strategy for obesity and type 2 diabetes Sadaf Farooqi Researchers from the University of Cambridge have discovered a novel genetic cause of severe obesity which, although relatively rare, demonstrates for the first time that genes can reduce basal metabolic rate - how the body burns calories.

Cornell researchers have identified some agricultural management practices that can boost or reduce the risk of contamination in produce from two major foodborne pathogens. For example, applying manure within a year of harvesting produce boosts the odds of contaminating a field with salmonella, the biggest single killer among the foodborne microbes, report the researchers.

Professional athletes are often paid large amounts of money to endorse commercial products. But the majority of the food and beverage brands endorsed by professional athletes are for unhealthy products like sports beverages, soft drinks, and fast food, according to a new study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale.

Most of us think of honey bees as having a bucolic, pastoral existence-flying from flower to flower to collect the nectar they then turn into honey. But while they're capable of defending themselves with their painful stings, honey bees live in a world filled with danger in which predators seize them from the sky and wait to ambush them on flowers.

Babies in a rural area of India are less likely to suffer from acute malnutrition where their families are taking part in a job-guarantee programme to provide work with a guaranteed wage, an Oxford University study has found. However, the Indian government programme appears to have no effect on long-term malnutrition.

Obesity gene testing does not put people off weight loss and may help to reduce self-blame, according to a new study by researchers from the Health Behaviour Research Centre at UCL. Previous studies have shown that genes play a role in a person's risk of becoming overweight. One gene, called FTO, has been found to have the biggest influence so far.

03 Sep 2013 The trend of increasing body mass index (BMI) may be slowing down in most English adults, according to research published by researchers from The University of Manchester online in the International Journal of Obesity this week. Around two thirds of women and three quarters of men may be relatively resistant to further rises in BMI, the study suggests.

UAlberta partnership project is helping people reap dietary benefits of home gardens, new research shows. A University of Alberta partnership project in India is improving people's food security, new research reveals. Simrat Minhas, a graduate student with the Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology , found that people with home gardens are much more likely to have greater diversity in the food they eat than people who do not have one.

ANN ARBOR-Trying to find a produce store or a large grocer in an economically depressed neighborhood is about as easy as finding an apple in a candy store. Lack of access to good nutrition impacts racial and ethnic minorities and recent immigrants disproportionately. Poor nutrition combined with higher stress can contribute to other health problems, including type 2 diabetes.

They are the latest foodie fashion and look set to become big business in the baking aisles of all the major supermarkets - the blue egg produced by some chickens is prettier and some say tastier and cleaner-breaking than the traditional brown one - and now, thanks to scientists from The University of Nottingham, we know what caused the eggs in some breeds to turn this unusual colour.

A sleepless night makes us more likely to reach for doughnuts or pizza than for whole grains and leafy green vegetables, suggests a new study from UC Berkeley that examines the brain regions that control food choices. The findings shed new light on the link between poor sleep and obesity. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), UC Berkeley researchers scanned the brains of 23 healthy young adults, first after a normal night's sleep and next, after a sleepless night.