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Scientists create yellow potatoes with high carotenoid levels

Potatoes with higher levels of beneficial carotenoids are the result of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) studies to improve one of America's most popular vegetables.

26 Oct 2012

Obesity from high-energy diets may impair brain, fuel overeating

"Betcha can't eat just one!" For obese people trying to lose weight, the Lays potato chip advertising slogan hits a bit too close to home as it describes the daily battle to resist high calorie foods.

3 Oct 2012

Study identifies potential ways to minimize acrylamide levels in french fries

The process for preparing frozen, par-fried potato strips - distributed to some food outlets for making french fries - can influence the formation of acrylamide in the fries that people eat, a new study has found. Published in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the study identifies potential ways of reducing levels of acrylamide, which the National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer regard as a "probable human carcinogen."

27 Sep 2012

Viewpoints: The 'real story' of Ryan at AARP; 'Get thee to an emergency room'

The headlines this weekend were all about the boos Paul Ryan elicited on Friday when he addressed the AARP, the self-styled seniors' lobby. The herd of independent media minds missed the real story, which is that the Republican Vice Presidential nominee went into the heart of the entitlement culture, told some hard truths, and even won applause for doing so.

26 Sep 2012

Viewpoints: Romney's myopic view of entitlements; Medicaid reform in N.Y.; 'Dumping' children in Fla. nursing homes

You could say that the entitlement state is growing at an unsustainable rate and will bankrupt the country. ... But these are not the sensible arguments that Mitt Romney made at a fund-raiser earlier this year. Romney, who criticizes President Obama for dividing the nation, divided the nation into two groups: the makers and the moochers. ... The people who receive the disproportionate share of government spending are not big-government lovers. They are Republicans. They are senior citizens. They are white men with high school degrees.

19 Sep 2012

New research offers ways in which investigators can reduce amount of Cd in foods

A number of environmental toxins pose considerable health threats to humans, and the heavy metal cadmium (Cd) ranks high on the list. Most of us are exposed to it through plant-derived foods such as grains and vegetables. Now, new research offers ways in which investigators can reduce the amount of Cd found in the food we eat, according to a review published online September 12th in the Cell Press journal Trends in Plant Science.

13 Sep 2012

Healthy brown-bag lunch can combat obesity in school children

As the new school year approaches, parents have to decide what their children will eat for lunch. Should they help the kids brown bag it or remember to take their lunch money? While this might not seem to be a major issue, it is - because the importance of school lunch rises with the rates of childhood obesity, say University of Alabama at Birmingham experts.

21 Aug 2012

Subconscious stop signs can help control overeating

Once you pop the top of a tube of potato chips, it can be hard to stop munching its contents. But Cornell University researchers may have found a novel way to help: edible serving-size markers that act as subconscious stop signs.

25 Jul 2012

Raisins prevent excessive calorie intake and increase satiety in children

New research recently announced at the Canadian Nutrition Society annual meeting in Vancouver, B.C., suggests eating raisins as an after-school snack prevents excessive calorie intake and increases satiety – or feeling of fullness – as compared to other commonly consumed snacks.

1 Jun 2012

Regular eating times, extended daily fasting may prevent diabetes, obesity

It turns out that when we eat may be as important as what we eat. Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have found that regular eating times and extending the daily fasting period may override the adverse health effects of a high-fat diet and prevent obesity, diabetes and liver disease in mice.

18 May 2012

Using storytelling to combat Alzheimer's; Health coverage changes prompt aging, disabled care concerns

NPR examines a new way to combat Alzheimer's -- with storytelling. In the meantime, health care changes to programs and budgets have some worried about how they will affect the aging and those with disabilities.

15 May 2012

Diet tips on how to stay healthy this summer

Warmer temperatures mean a lot of time spent outdoors and at social functions - both of which can offer plenty of opportunity to indulge in your favorite foods. Sadly, these frequent splurges also lead to an expanding waistline.

14 May 2012

Load-bearing sports may protect young men from osteoporosis

Young men who play volleyball, basketball or other load-bearing sports for four hours a week or more increase bone mass and might gain protection from developing osteoporosis later in life, according to a new study in the May issue of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

5 May 2012

Women who spend long hours sitting are at increased risk for diabetes

A new study finds women who spend four to seven hours a day sitting are more likely to show early signs of type 2 diabetes, but researchers have found no such link in men. During National Women's Health Week and beyond, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics encourages all women to take steps to increase physical activity and decrease their risk of developing diabetes.

2 May 2012

White potato consumption does not cause diabetes, obesity

Preliminary Research presented today at The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Conference in San Diego demonstrates that habitual consumption of white potatoes (baked, boiled and mashed) is not associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes or levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of systemic inflammation once potential confounding factors are controlled for (e.g., age, gender, and education).

26 Apr 2012

Anniversary of Mass. health law puts Romney in the hot seat

Politics swirled around events designed to mark the sixth anniversary of the state's health reforms -- with a focus on GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, who signed the measure when he was governor and is now campaigning against the federal health law, which includes many similar provisions.

12 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 12, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about Massachusetts' health reform's sixth birthday.

From Medtronic 12 Apr 2012

Scientists reveal powerful role of astrocytes in the brain

A type of cell plentiful in the brain, long considered mainly the stuff that holds the brain together and oft-overlooked by scientists more interested in flashier cells known as neurons, wields more power in the brain than has been realized, according to new research published today in Science Signaling.

30 Mar 2012

UAB cardiac rehab program reduces mortality among people with heart attack

After two heart attacks and 10 stents, Rick Vinson had a decision to make — do nothing and likely die from heart disease like his father or take a chance at having a long life. Vinson chose the latter. After receiving his last stent in October 2010, he entered a cardiac rehab program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Since then he has dropped 20 pounds, his cholesterol has dropped to 141 from 315 and his triglycerides are down to 149 from 465.

27 Mar 2012

Novel test identifies toxic foods which, when avoided, will help lose weight

Why did Oprah say, "I hope he can show me how to stop craving potato chips" during her Tony Robbins' segment this week? Does she really think that her potato chip binging and craving causes all of her weight fluctuations? Researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine may have the answer hidden in a novel laboratory test called a Bloodprint® and published this month in the Journal of Obesity and Weight Loss Therapy.

23 Feb 2012