Digestion News and Research

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Digestion is the mechanical and chemical breaking down of food into smaller components, to a form that can be absorbed, for instance, into a blood stream. Digestion is a form of catabolism; a break-down of macro food molecules to smaller ones.

Plant protein mimics hormone that mitigates diabetes and obesity

A common protein that protects plants from fungal infection mimics the activity of a hormone in mammals that is linked to weight loss and is believed to play a role in mitigating heart disease, obesity and diabetes, according to a team of researchers at Purdue University and several collaborating institutions.

25 Jan 2005

Ubiquitination protects against improper Notch signaling

The Notch pathway is an important molecular signaling mechanism whose existence has been known, or at least hinted at, for nearly a century since the identification of a mutant strain of Drosophila fruit flies with "notched" wings in Thomas Hunt Morgan's lab in 1910.

28 Dec 2004

Transport route explain why peanuts are one of the most allergenic foods

A UK scientist has discovered the route and type of transport taken by peanut proteins through the gut to the immune system. This route favours an immune response, which helps explain why peanuts are one of the most allergenic foods.

18 Nov 2004

World’s strongest acid may have a role in synthesizing pharmaceuticals

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have discovered the world’s strongest acid. Remarkably it is also the gentlest acid. This non-toxic and non-corrosive acid may have a role in processes such as improving the quality of gasoline, developing polymers and synthesizing pharmaceuticals.

16 Nov 2004

Researchers find that berries inhibit growth of harmful intestinal bacteria

A research project carried out by VTT Biotechnology and the University of Helsinki has found that cloudberries and raspberries contain a phenol, ellagic tannin, that inhibits the growth of intestinal bacteria.

2 Nov 2004

Researchers are one step closer to understanding how high carbohydrate diets lead to obesity and diabetes

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas are one step closer to understanding how high carbohydrate diets lead to obesity and diabetes.

19 Oct 2004

Statistics reveal that there are now 1.8 million people with diabetes in the UK

New statistics revealed by Diabetes UK show that there are now 1.8 million people with diabetes in the UK – three per cent of the population, equivalent to the combined population of Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester.

7 Oct 2004

Industry briefing on food allergy

Everyone knows there’s celery in a Waldorf salad.” So said a salad manufacturer recently, but do all salad manufacturers know that celery allergy is one of the ingredients that must be clearly labelled under the new food labelling directive?

5 Oct 2004

Research confirms benefits of commonly used traditional remedies for a range of illnesses

Research presented to the British Pharmaceutical Conference today, confirms the benefits of commonly used traditional remedies for a range of illnesses, including cancer, offering a scientific justification for their use.

29 Sep 2004

Research shows specific damage to nervous system in veterans with Gulf War syndrome

UT Southwestern researchers report that damage to the parasympathetic nervous system may account for nearly half of the typical symptoms - including gallbladder disease, unrefreshing sleep, depression, joint pain, chronic diarrhea and sexual dysfunction - that afflict those with Gulf War syndrome. Their findings will be published in the October issue of the American Journal of Medicine and are currently available online.

27 Sep 2004

Researchers unravel genetic makeup of ticks to tackle disease

Ticks as small as a freckle can transmit a number of illnesses for which there is no vaccine and, in some cases, no cure. These creatures even could become bioterrorism weapons.

4 Sep 2004

Effect of prebiotic and probiotic foods on health

A group of researchers at the Public University of Navarre, led by Senior Lecturer in Zoology, Elena Urdaneta Artola, have studied both the mechanisms whereby foodstuffs known as functional act at a gastrointestinal level as well as their possible beneficial effects on the health of individuals.

23 Aug 2004

Clinical trial of lipase inhibitor for the treatment of obesity

Peptimmune, Inc. a privately held biotechnology company, announced that physicians have treated the first participant in a clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of GT389-255, a lipase inhibitor conjugated to a fat binding polymer for the treatment of obesity.

9 Aug 2004

Automated science speeds solution of Human Genome data

Scientists in Argonne's Biosciences Division are automating and accelerating the complex processes that coax a protein to reveal its structure so they can learn the role Nature assigned it.

6 Aug 2004

Influence of alcohol consumption on risk of developing hypertension and type 2 diabetes

Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center will seek to determine the influence of alcohol consumption on risk of developing hypertension and type 2 diabetes using data collected during a five-year study of a prediabetic condition.

29 Jul 2004

Oral allergy syndrome, allergic response from fruit

For some of the nation's 35.9 million hay fever sufferers enjoying one of summer's fresh peaches or a juicy tomato may cause additional discomfort.

25 Jun 2004

FDA mandates approval for all pancreatic enzyme replacements

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has announced its support of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) requirement that manufacturers of pancreatic enzyme replacements obtain FDA approval for their products within the next four years.

27 Apr 2004

Scientists have developed a better form of omega-3 fish oil

University of Georgia scientists have developed a form of omega-3 fish oil that's easier for people to absorb and leaves no fishy aftertaste.

23 Apr 2004

Watch out Skippy, the meat of Australia's bush kangaroo may be the highest known source of the healthy fat CLA

The meat of Australia's bush kangaroo may be the highest known source of the healthy fat CLA, a University of Western Australia and CSIRO sponsored PhD student has discovered.

22 Apr 2004

New drug to treat urinary tract infections, a step closer

Depomed, Inc. today announced top line results from the Phase III clinical trial of its Ciprofloxacin GR, an extended release formulation of ciprofloxacin HCl, which is used to treat urinary tract infections. The data confirmed Phase II results, demonstrating that Depomed's once-daily Ciprofloxacin GR eliminated the organisms responsible for urinary tract infections as effectively as twice-daily CIPRO(R), but with fewer gastrointestinal side effects, specifically fewer incidences of nausea and diarrhea.

22 Mar 2004