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Hope for stressed-out parents of extremely picky eaters

A new study published in the journal Cognitive and Behavioral Practice brings hope to parents who are at their wits’ end over their children’s refusal to eat one or more food groups.

22 Oct 2019

Taste neurons could be controlling feeding behaviour find researchers

Researchers from the University of California, Riverside used a common fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) to find the association between taste neurons and control of feeding behaviours. They noted that if they genetically modulated these flies, they could make them selectively avoid certain chemicals including acids, bitter compounds, salty substances etc. The results of their study appeared in the October issue of the journal Cell Reports.

22 Oct 2019

Link found between genetic variations and size of the brainstem, other subcortical structures

Researchers have found a link between 48 common genetic variations and the size of the brainstem and other subcortical structures deep within the brain.

21 Oct 2019

Timing of food may be nearly as important as how much we eat

Most of what we believe about eating and health stems from decades of research based on a simple premise: The amount of calories consumed affects one's ability to maintain a healthy weight and live longer.

21 Oct 2019

Researchers discover genes linked to sex ratio and male fertility in mice

One of the more recent trends among parents-to-be is the so-called gender reveal, a party complete with pink or blue cake to answer the burning question, "Is it a boy or girl?" After all, it's presumed that there's a 50-50 chance you'd have one or the other.

18 Oct 2019

Blue light and fruit flies: a warning for humans

A new study involving the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, published in the journal npj Aging and Mechanisms of Disease, shows that when flies are kept in darkness, or in white light from which the blue spectrum has been excluded, they live longer, compared to flies kept in alternating 12-hour shifts of blue LED light and darkness. The reason appears to be a speeded-up version of aging; the brain cells, retinal cells and climbing ability, all suffer a breakdown.

18 Oct 2019

Common bug repellent may chemically 'cloak' humans from malaria-carrying mosquitos

Since its invention during the Second World War for soldiers stationed in countries where malaria transmission rates were high, researchers have worked to pinpoint precisely how DEET actually affects mosquitos.

17 Oct 2019

Prolonged exposure to blue light may affect longevity

Prolonged exposure to blue light, such as that which emanates from your phone, computer and household fixtures, could be affecting your longevity, even if it's not shining in your eyes.

17 Oct 2019

Bolivian forager-farmers known for healthy cardiovascular systems are split over what makes a good life

A small Bolivian society of indigenous forager-farmers, known for astonishingly healthy cardiovascular systems, is seeing a split in beliefs about what makes a good life.

16 Oct 2019

No more tater tots? California schools put healthier lunches to the test

When Miguel Villarreal addresses a crowded education conference, a group of school district administrators or a room full of curious parents, he often holds aloft a foil-wrapped package of Pop-Tarts — the heavily processed, high-sugar snack routinely sold on school campuses.

16 Oct 2019

UNICEF: 'Unhealthy diets are damaging children’s health across the world'

A flagship report by UNICEF has warned that the number of children worldwide suffering as a result of poor diets and a failing food system is alarmingly high.

15 Oct 2019

Snacking could be banned on local transport in a bid to curb childhood obesity

England’s outgoing Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dame Sally Davies, the top doctor in the country, believes that snacking ought to be banned on public transport and additional taxes should be placed on unhealthy foods to make them less affordable, in order to fight the menace of childhood obesity.

14 Oct 2019

New study explores the chemistry and alarming history of fast-acting insecticide

A new study in the Journal of the American Chemical Society explores the chemistry as well as the complicated and alarming history of DFDT, a fast-acting insecticide.

11 Oct 2019

Taking the cops out of mental health-related 911 rescues

Every day that Janet van der Laak drives between car dealerships in her sales job, she keeps size 12 shoes, some clothes and a packed lunch — a PB&J sandwich, fruit and a granola bar — beside her in case she sees her 27-year-old son on the streets.

11 Oct 2019

A bleak outlook from OECD's latest obesity report

A new OECD report on the burden of obesity has been released this week. It provides evidence on how obesity and related conditions will kill 90 million people living in the OECD nations over the next three decades. If same situations persists, obesity and overweight could reduce the life expectancy by at least three years.

11 Oct 2019

Mediterranean style diet found to relieve symptoms of depression

A new study has added to the existing evidence that a healthy and balanced diet could help reduce the symptoms of depression.

10 Oct 2019

UK Chief Medical Officer calls for tough action to tackle childhood obesity

UK Chief Medical Officer, Dame Sally Davies, has called for snacking on public transport to be banned in a bold effort to tackle childhood obesity.

10 Oct 2019

Study reveals link between alterations in RNA splicing and Alzheimer's disease

A collaborative study published today in the journal Cell Reports provides evidence for a new molecular cause for neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease.

8 Oct 2019

Study shows association between mushroom consumption and lower risk of prostate cancer

Results from the first long-term cohort study of more than 36,000 Japanese men over decades suggest an association between eating mushrooms and a lower risk of prostate cancer.

7 Oct 2019

Stanford study finds genetic similarities among species that use sound waves to navigate

Insect-eating bats navigate effortlessly in the dark and dolphins and killer whales gobble up prey in murky waters thanks in part to specific changes in a set of 18 genes involved in the development of the cochlear ganglion -- a group of nerves that transmit sound from the ear to the brain, according to a study by researchers at Stanford University.

4 Oct 2019