Agriculture News and Research

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Federal food pyramid redesigned

The US Department of Agriculture has released a new version of the Food Guide Pyramid, the drawing it uses to show people how to follow federal dietary guidelines. The new pyramid has vertical bands for each food group, instead of the horizontal ones used in the last version of the food guide, and includes a figure climbing steps along the side of the pyramid to emphasize exercise.

23 Apr 2005

New research says global food demands threaten to outstrip world water supply

While many of today’s rivers, lakes and groundwater reservoirs continue to be overexploited, a new report launched today by leading scientists at the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development warns that unless steps are taken to improve the way water is managed, twice the world’s current water consumption may be needed by 2050 to feed a global population of some 9 billion.

23 Apr 2005

MyPyramid has a mixed response from experts

MyPyramid, the updated version of the U.S. Agriculture Department's, (USDA), familiar food pyramid, is getting a mixed response from nutritionists and other experts, who say some consumers might find the new model even more confusing than the old one.

20 Apr 2005

New U.S. Food Guidance System differentiates among types of fat

Healthy fats are distinguished from unhealthy fats in the new U.S. Food Guidance System unveiled today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The U.S. Canola Association (USCA), which called for such distinction, applauds "MyPyramid" and its related messages about oils and fats.

20 Apr 2005

USDA new Food Guide Pyramid not rated by all experts

The U.S. Agriculture Department, (USDA), in an attempt to combat the obesity epidemic has updated its well-known Food Guide Pyramid with a triangular symbol that emphasizes exercise and urges consumers to use an Internet site to design a personalized plan for healthy eating.

19 Apr 2005

Death rates of Australian males

A new study by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that men who work in blue-collar jobs have a higher rate of illness than those men who work in white-collar jobs.

12 Apr 2005

Ontario issues warning against unpasteurized milk

Dr. Sheela Basrur, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, has warned the public not to consume unpasteurized milk.

12 Apr 2005

Milk and meat from cloned cattle safe to eat

Scientists in the US and Japan say that milk and meat from cloned cattle appears safe for human consumption.

12 Apr 2005

E. coli cases in Florida has now risen to 24

The number of E. coli cases in Florida has now risen to 24 with the confirmation this week that two more people have E. coli bacteria poisoning.

5 Apr 2005

Zinc appears to help boys learn

Seventh graders given 20 mg zinc, five days per week, for 10 to 12 weeks showed improvement in mental performance, responding more quickly and accurately on memory tasks and with more sustained attention, than classmates who received no additional zinc.

4 Apr 2005

Grapes inhibit cancer growth

Components in grapes, including some newly identified ones, work together to dramatically inhibit an enzyme crucial to the proliferation of cancer cells, say scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

29 Mar 2005

Strawberries destroy cancer cells

Researchers specializing in the health benefits of plant compounds have shown that quercetin, a phytonutrient found in abundance in strawberries and other fruits, can induce programmed self-destruction of human cancer cells.

23 Mar 2005

Compound found in broccoli is a powerful disease fighter

More than 300 scientific studies point to an antioxidant found in broccoli sprouts, sulforaphane glucosinolate (SGS), as a factor in preventing multiple diseases, including several types of cancer, high blood pressure, macular degeneration and stomach ulcers.

21 Mar 2005

Fishing communities are the hidden victims of HIV/AIDS

Men and women living in fishing villages across the world have been found to be between five and ten times more vulnerable to the disease than other communities.

21 Mar 2005

African malaria comes to town

First, the bad news: urban malaria in Africa is becoming a major health problem and looks set to get worse.

17 Mar 2005

Diabetes Busting Burgers!

Chemists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently presented a preliminary report to the 229th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, in which they say they have discovered a form of soluble cellulose that, if added to high-fat food. The new finding could soon benefit people who regularly eat fast-foods that are high in fat.

16 Mar 2005

Mountain dwellers live longer

People who live in mountain areas live longer than those living in lowland areas, according to research from Greece, which has the lowest death rate from heart disease of any developed country.

15 Mar 2005

Fasting every other day, while cutting few calories, may reduce cancer risk

New research at the University of California, Berkeley, raises such a possibility. It shows that healthy mice given only 5 percent fewer calories than mice allowed to eat freely experienced a significant reduction in cell proliferation in several tissues, considered an indicator for cancer risk.

15 Mar 2005

New immunotherapeutic approach against anthrax

The anthrax attacks in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 in the USA have illustrated the high potential of anthrax for misuse in bio-terrorism. Dissemination of anthrax by letters led to the death of 5 people and chemotherapeutic treatment of 30,000 individuals.

15 Mar 2005

Canadians alerted to the presence of acrylamide in some foods

In 2002, Health Canada alerted Canadians to the presence of acrylamide in some foods, following reports by scientists in Sweden. Since then, Health Canada scientists have participated in international research efforts aimed at understanding how acrylamide is formed in foods and the health implications.

7 Mar 2005