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Concerns rise over food insecurity in Africa's Sahel region

"Despite early indications the Sahel would not suffer pangs of hunger this year, experts now worry that food insecurity could be worse than in 2012 -- the year of the West Africa food crisis," Thomson Reuters Foundation reports.

30 Apr 2013

Editorial, opinion pieces address proposed food aid reform

The following is a summary of an editorial, opinion pieces, and a blog post addressing proposed reform to the U.S. food aid program contained in President Obama's FY 2014 budget request.

30 Apr 2013

Neuroscientists identify cellular change in the brain that accompanies obesity

A team of American and Italian neuroscientists has identified a cellular change in the brain that accompanies obesity. The findings could explain the body's tendency to maintain undesirable weight levels, rather than an ideal weight, and identify possible targets for pharmacological efforts to address obesity.

30 Apr 2013

Providing commodities not always best solution in food security crises

In a New York Times "Opinionator" piece, journalist Tina Rosenberg examines the Obama administration's proposed changes to the U.S. food aid program, which would provide more flexibility to allow for cash purchases of food locally or from U.S. farmers, as well as end monetization.

29 Apr 2013

Research provides new insights into the origin of brown fat cells

Scientists from ETH Zurich have shown for the first time that brown and white fat cells in a living organism can be converted from one cell type to the other.

29 Apr 2013

Viewpoints: David Brooks sees growing concerns about health law implementation; Congress should stick to requirement to join the exchanges

It was always going to be difficult to implement Obamacare, but even fervent supporters of the law admit that things are going worse than expected. Implementation got off to a bad start because the Obama administration didn't want to release unpopular rules before the election.

29 Apr 2013

GI nematode infections combat obesity and improve related metabolic disorders

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, have shown in a mouse model that infection with nematodes (also known as roundworms) can not only combat obesity but ameliorate related metabolic disorders.

26 Apr 2013

Blog examines connection between environment, agriculture, food security

Monday's "celebration of Earth Day is an opportunity to remind ourselves and our partners of the connection between our environment, agriculture, and food and nutrition security and how we can work together to end world hunger and undernutrition," Jonathan Shrier, acting special representative for global food security and deputy coordinator for diplomacy for Feed the Future, writes in the initiative's blog.

24 Apr 2013

Metals in medicines webinar to be presented by SPECTRO

Arsenic has many facets. Arsenic compounds are not only deadly poisons to which many crowned heads fell victim in previous eras, but in small doses arsenic was also given to horses because it promotes appetite and the growth of hair. In this way, horse traders could revitalize old nags and sell them for more money.

24 Apr 2013

Whole eggs can be part of heart-healthy diet, say researchers

This week at Experimental Biology 2013, scientists from around the world are gathering to share research on a variety of topics, including nutrition and health. Given the growing global burden of chronic disease, there is particular interest in the important role of diet and nutrition in overall health.

24 Apr 2013

New studies stress the health benefits of dietary fibre

The health benefits of fibre are relatively well known yet average fibre intake around the world continues to be inadequate . Many diets continue to lack recommended servings of foods naturally high in fibre like fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and whole grains resulting in low fibre intake.

22 Apr 2013

Report urges targeted investment for childhood micronutrient supplementation

Noting "[t]his week leaders from around the world convened in Ireland for the Dublin Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Climate Justice," Kanika Bahl, a managing director at Results for Development Institute (R4D), writes in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog,

22 Apr 2013

JHH officials report 17% drop in trash and medical waste in just five months

Officials at The Johns Hopkins Hospital report a 200,000-pound decrease in the amount of trash produced each month — a 17 percent drop in just the first five months of a campaign begun in October 2012.

19 Apr 2013

Millions of people in Sahel continue to need food assistance, Oxfam report says

"The humanitarian response to the 2012 food crisis in Africa's Sahel region was bigger and better than in previous emergencies, but millions of people still did not receive the assistance they needed and many remain vulnerable to hunger, Oxfam said in a report on Tuesday," AlertNet reports.

18 Apr 2013

UTMB researchers identify protein that can interfere with the brain's response to leptin

Ever since the appetite-regulation hormone called leptin was discovered in 1994, scientists have sought to understand the mechanisms that control its action. It was known that leptin was made by fat cells, reduced appetite and interacted with insulin , but the precise molecular details of its function -details that might enable the creation of a new treatment for obesity - remained elusive.

18 Apr 2013

Study highlights need for finding new ways to reduce effect of portion size on overeating

People given large servings of food eat more than those given smaller servings, even after they have been taught about the impact of portion size on consumption, research from the University of New South Wales shows.

17 Apr 2013

Focus on early childhood critical to new development framework

"UNICEF's latest report [.pdf] on child nutrition, launched at the Dublin Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, Climate Justice hosted by the Mary Robinson Foundation and Irish Government, revealed that every year 2.3 million children under the age of five still die of malnutrition and 165 million children are stunted as a result of not receiving enough nutritious food within the first 1,000 days of life," British Member of Parliament Ivan Lewis, the shadow secretary of state for international development, writes in a Huffington Post U.K. "Politics" opinion piece.

17 Apr 2013

New research shows effects of long-term use of opioid therapy

Half of patients on high-dose, long-term opioid therapy had hormonal disturbances or signs of inflammation, while 100 percent reported improved pain control and mental outlook, new research shows.

15 Apr 2013

New index measures political commitment of 45 developing countries to address hunger, malnutrition

The Guardian reports on "a new index measuring political commitment to tackling hunger and undernutrition in 45 developing countries."

12 Apr 2013

Post-2015 must address poverty, food security

Mark Suzman, managing director for international policy, programs and advocacy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, writes in the foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, "Last week saw two key events related to the Millennium Development Goals: the kickoff on April 5 of an ambitious global campaign focused on accelerating progress over the last 1,000 days before the 2015 deadline and a critical meeting on April 4 in Madrid to assess how hunger, food security and nutrition should be tackled in any post-2015 framework."

11 Apr 2013