Food News and Research

RSS

Folic acid can dramatically reduce the incidence of spina bifida and other birth defects

A study, published today in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, shows that the proportion of babies born with neural tube defects in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador dropped by 78% after the Canadian Government directed that folic acid must be added to flour, cornmeal and pasta. The study supports the continuation of this food fortification strategy.

23 Sep 2004

Promising early results in a study of a medication to treat kleptomania

Kleptomania, the guilt-ridden, impulsive stealing of inexpensive and unneeded items, often goes untreated as many who suffer from the disorder hesitate to seek help out of fear of being turned in for their illegal activities.

23 Sep 2004

New book suggests foods with a low glycemic index are key to weight loss

Choosing foods with a low glycemic index is the key to successful and sustainable weight loss, according to a new book written by nutritionists from the University of Sydney.

23 Sep 2004

Majority of parents concerned about the amount of sex and violence children are exposed to on TV

A majority of parents say they are "very" concerned about the amount of sex (60%) and violence (53%) their children are exposed to on TV

23 Sep 2004

PAHO aids relief efforts in Caribbean

Disaster experts from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) are working with other international and local agencies to carry out relief efforts in nine Caribbean countries affected by hurricanes and tropical storms

23 Sep 2004

Study on the long-term health effects associated with silicone breast implants

It is estimated that between 1.5 million and 2 million women in this country have had breast implants since they first appeared on the market in 1962.

23 Sep 2004

New gene therapy technique may help treat Alzheimer's disease

Investigators at Rush University Medical Center have successfully initiated a new technique that uses gene therapy to deliver nerve growth factor into regions of the brain where neurons are degenerating, in order to prevent cell death and reverse cell atrophy, two hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease.

21 Sep 2004

Streptococcus bacteria uses sword and shield to fight white blood cells

A single gene called cylE within the important bacterial pathogen Group B Streptococcus (GBS), controls two factors that act together as a “sword” and “shield” to protect the bacteria from the killing effects of the immune system’s white blood cells

21 Sep 2004

A low salt diet can be extremely dangerous for elderly people

Professor Füsgen presented his findings at the European Geriatrics Congress in Vienna, which ended yesterday (September 19). They show that the symptoms of hyponatraemia (low sodium level in the blood), which are tiredness, difficulty in concentrating and loss of balance, can develop into confusion and even coma if left untreated.

20 Sep 2004

Salt Association hits back at “Sid the Slug” campaign

The Salt Manufacturers Association has lodged a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority over the use of a cartoon slug to front a new £4 million salt restriction campaign.

20 Sep 2004

New South Wales Government plan to sell off hospital land is short sighted

Australian Medical Association (NSW) believes the NSW Government plan to sell off state-owned hospital land to fund hospital building projects is very short sighted.

20 Sep 2004

Overweight children up to five times more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke before age of 65

Overweight children are three to five times more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke before they reach the age of 65 warns the World Heart Federation, an NGO dedicated to the prevention of heart disease and stroke, on World Heart Day, Sunday 26th September 2004.

20 Sep 2004

FDA proposed new egg safety regulations to reduce Salmonella Enteritidis cases

When implemented, the production changes defined by the regulation will significantly reduce the number of illness caused by eggs contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis.

20 Sep 2004

Vanilla may become a drug to treat sickle cell disease

In addition to its popular role in flavoring ice cream, fudge and cake frosting, vanilla may have a future use as a medicine. Recent laboratory research has strengthened the possibility that a form of vanilla may become a drug to treat sickle cell disease.

20 Sep 2004

Bonviva, to treat osteoporosis, submitted for marketing authorisation in Europe

Roche and GlaxoSmithKline announced today the submission of a Marketing Authorisation Application to the European authorities for a novel, once-monthly oral formulation of their new bisphosphonate, Bonviva (ibandronate), for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

20 Sep 2004

FDA approval for small vessel cobalt chromium coronary stent

Guidant Corporation has announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the company’s newest stent system designed to treat coronary artery disease in small vessels in patients with abrupt or threatened abrupt closure.

20 Sep 2004

European positive for Cymbalta and Xeristar

Eli Lilly and Company and Boehringer Ingelheim have announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products in Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has issued a positive opinion recommending approval of duloxetine for the treatment of major depressive episodes.

20 Sep 2004

Project to find out how European governments could fight obesity

In response to the alarming rise in obesity across the developed world, a University of Sussex food policy researcher is leading a project to find out how European governments could fight the flab.

20 Sep 2004

40 percent of women of childbearing age take folic acid

A record 40 percent of American women of childbearing age reported taking a daily multivitamin containing folic acid in 2004, up from 32 percent last year and the highest level since the March of Dimes began surveying women in the 1990s, according to the organization's latest survey, which was published today in Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report.

18 Sep 2004

Significant relationships between laryngopharyngeal reflux and upper airway sensory impairment

Medical researchers have long suspected a relationship between gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), two medical conditions which can have a deleterious effect on a patient¡¯s quality of life.

17 Sep 2004