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90 million Africans with AIDS predicted

In a study, entitled Aids in Africa, compiled over two years, using over 150 experts, the UN predicts that nearly 90 million Africans could be infected in the next 20 years if the epidemic is not combated. Some 25 million Africans have HIV.

5 Mar 2005

An apple a day keeps breast cancer away

An apple a day can help keep breast cancer away, according to a study in rats by food scientists at Cornell University.

1 Mar 2005

Scientific experts discuss the benefits and safety of vitamin E

Scientific experts in pharmacology, toxicology and nutrition gathered at the University of Southern California (USC) on February 26 for a forum to discuss the benefits and safety of vitamin E.

1 Mar 2005

Food costs, convenience predict obese women’s fat intake

Nutritionists trying to influence how much fat an obese woman might eat should take into account food prices, the time it takes to make a meal and the location of grocery stores, says a new study of low-income women in Wisconsin.

28 Feb 2005

Control and containment key to combating avian influenza

Containing the bird flu virus to the greatest extent possible and reducing the risk of infection in poultry and farmed free-range ducks will help to prevent a global human influenza pandemic, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has announced.

24 Feb 2005

Antibody that neutralizes most HIV strains

A group of scientists from The Scripps Research Institute and several other institutions has solved the structure of a rare human antibody that broadly neutralizes human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

22 Feb 2005

Dietary protein and bone health revisited

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists first compared high-meat protein diets with low-meat protein diets. Now, they've compared animal-protein diets with vegetable-protein diets. This "sequel" study rocks the foundation, again, of a commonly held belief that high-protein diets can be bad for bones.

22 Feb 2005

Young adults can be motivated to eat more servings of fruits and vegetables

Young adults can be motivated to eat more servings of fruits and vegetables if they are exposed to tailored, practical messages about nutrition, a University of Wisconsin-Madison nutritional scientist announced at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington, D.C.

20 Feb 2005

How polychlorinated biphenyls open brain cells to Parkinson's assault

University of Rochester scientists investigating the link between PCBs, pesticides and Parkinson's disease demonstrated new and intricate reactions that occur in certain brain cells, making them more vulnerable to injury after exposures.

9 Feb 2005

Eat carrots to fight cancer

Scientists have given us another reason to eat carrots - a compound found in the popular root vegetable has been found to have an effect on the development of cancer.

8 Feb 2005

Americans pay little attention to genetically modified foods

According to a national study of 1,200 Americans commissioned by the Food Policy Institute (FPI) at Rutgers-Cook College, while most Americans say they are interested in the technology and have opinions about it, most lack the tools and background needed for an informed assessment.

31 Jan 2005

Calcium boost to youths' bones could reduce osteoporosis risk

New research on calcium and bone development suggests that efforts to prevent osteoporosis, generally considered a geriatric disease among women, could actually start before puberty.

26 Jan 2005

Counseling and support can boost physical activity among adults

Professional counseling and support can boost physical activity among adults, a new review finds, but researchers aren’t sure what kind of professional advice work best to encourage exercise or whether counseling increases physical activity over the long run.

24 Jan 2005

Biopharmaceutical market generated revenues of USD 45.0 billion in 2004

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Strategic Analysis of the World Plant Molecular Farming Market, reveals that the biopharmaceutical market generated revenues of USD 45.0 billion in 2004. It is likely to reach USD 98.2 billion by 2011.

17 Jan 2005

Food, exercise and regular physical activity still key to American health

The American Cancer Society (ACS), American Diabetes Association (ADA), and American Heart Association (AHA) commend the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Agriculture (USDA) on the release of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

17 Jan 2005

Added sugar in fruit-flavored drinks and cola-type soft drinks undoes the good done by vegetables

American preschoolers get about 14 to 17 teaspoons of added sugar a day, on average, mostly from fruit-flavored drinks, high-fat desserts and cola-type soft drinks which displace the grain, vegetable, fruit and dairy food groups and lower the quality of their diet, a Penn State study has shown.

12 Jan 2005

Latest Canadian mad cow case poses no threat

The recently confirmed case of mad cow disease in Canada is an isolated case and does not represent a threat to the food chain, according to the Pan American Health Organization’s top expert on the issue.

12 Jan 2005

Australia attempts to develop treatments against Hendra virus and Nipah virus

With funding from the United States' National Institutes of Health (NIH), and in collaboration with a research team led by Dr Christopher Broder at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda Maryland, CSIRO Livestock Industries' Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) in Geelong is attempting to develop treatments against Hendra virus and Nipah virus.

9 Jan 2005

New protein discovered holds promise for use in medicine and nanoscience

Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have succeeded in discovering and isolating a new protein from the poplar tree with special structural and qualitative characteristics that could have consequences for development of future nanocapsules for drug delivery to cancer cells.

5 Jan 2005

Genomics tools provide clues to what causes 400 million cases of gastrointestinal disease each year

In a study that could benefit medical and food-safety research, scientists have used comparative genomics tools to find clues about why some strains of the bacterium Campylobacter – which each year cause more than 400 million cases of gastrointestinal disease – are more virulent than others.

4 Jan 2005