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People's basic food choices may be smarter than previously thought

Pioneering research has shed new light on what drives people's basic food preferences, indicating our choices may be smarter than previously thought and influenced by the specific nutrients, as opposed to just calories, we need.

25 Apr 2022

Microbes in animals' guts influence diet selection behavior, research shows

Eggs or yogurt, veggies or potato chips? We make decisions about what to eat every day, but those choices may not be fully our own.

20 Apr 2022

This doctor thought she could navigate US health care. Then her autistic son needed help.

Alexander Roodman was packing up his room, preparing for a gap year before college, when I met him at his family's Washington, D.C., townhouse.

15 Feb 2022

Exploring the possibility of developing a plant-based oral vaccine against COVID-19

New research optimizes methods for the in-planta expression of the recombinant protein corresponding to the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) subunit of the surface-exposed Spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2.

15 Dec 2021

A covid head-scratcher: Why lice lurk despite physical distancing

The Marker family opened their door on a recent evening to a woman dressed in purple, with a military attitude to cleanliness.

19 Nov 2021

Nutrient-rich potatoes can be part of a healthy diet for adolescent girls, study shows

Adolescence is a critical period for the evolution of cardiometabolic risk factors that are largely influenced by diet and lifestyle. Understanding these risk factors is essential to developing effective dietary guidance for disease prevention targeting this critical age period.

27 Oct 2021

Adding RNA-inspired ‘breaking points’ to polymer for preventing plastic pollution

Once plastic products are used and discarded, they can linger in oceans, collecting in large "garbage patches" and harming sea life. One potential solution, a biodegradable polymer called polylactide (PLA), has so far not fully lived up to its promise, showing little sign of breakdown once in seawater.

20 Oct 2021

Existing drug reduces obesity and fatty liver in mice without changes in food intake or daily activity

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have found that a drug first developed to treat Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia and sickle cell disease reduces obesity and fatty liver in mice and improves their heart function — without changes in food intake or daily activity.

7 Oct 2021

Increasing physical activity, fitness may be superior to weight loss for reducing health risks

The prevalence of obesity around the world has tripled over the past 40 years, and, along with that rise, dieting and attempts to lose weight also have soared. But according to a review article publishing September 20 in the journal iScience, when it comes to getting healthy and reducing mortality risk, increasing physical activity and improving fitness appear to be superior to weight loss. The authors say that employing a weight-neutral approach to the treatment of obesity-related health conditions also reduces the health risks associated with yo-yo dieting.

21 Sep 2021

Antibacterial immunity may change in the intestines based on circadian cycle

The body's ability to prevent food poisoning by producing a natural antimicrobial compound increases during the day, when exposure to noxious bacteria is most likely, a new study by UT Southwestern scientists suggests.

28 Jul 2021

FDA issues warning letter to a company for illegally marketing ENDS products

Today, the FDA issued a warning letter to a company with over 15 million tobacco products listed with the FDA, including many flavored e-liquids, for illegally marketing electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products without authorization.

28 Jul 2021

Research focuses on ways to enhance gluten-free products

Gluten is a protein complex found in cereals such as wheat, rye and barley. It is responsible for the elastic texture of dough so that loaves and rolls can be baked into different shapes while remaining flexible and crusty. It also lengthens the shelf life of bread at room temperature, when associated with preservatives.

21 Jul 2021

Plant-based vaccines for COVID-19 and other viruses

A review published in the journal Vaccines, explored the history and current status of plant-produced vaccine candidates against enveloped viruses, focusing on virus-like particles (VLPs), which mimic authentic viral structures without containing infectious genetic material.

19 Jul 2021

Vegan protein shakes may be viable alternatives to milk-based whey protein shakes

A study from the Centre for Nutraceuticals at the University of Westminster found that plant-based protein shakes may be potential viable alternatives to milk-based whey protein shakes, particularly in people with need of careful monitoring of glucose levels.

24 Jun 2021

Consumption of boiled or baked potatoes can reduce systolic blood pressure

A new study published in Nutrients investigated the effect of increased dietary potassium from a whole food source--baked/boiled potatoes and baked French fries--or a potassium supplement on blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease risk factors compared to a 'typical American' control diet (lower potassium intake) among 30 pre-hypertensive to hypertensive men and women.

22 Jun 2021

High junk food consumption in childhood increases risk of unhealthy body fat by early adulthood

A new paper published recently in the journal JAMA Pediatrics reports consistent and significant associations between the increased consumption of such ‘ultraprocessed foods’ by children in the UK, and a higher risk of obesity, increased body fat percentage, and overall body mass, by the time they reach young adulthood.

17 Jun 2021

Colorado bill aims to give farmworkers easier access to medical care

A woman with pregnancy complications needed permission from her boss to visit a doctor. Community health volunteers were turned away from delivering food and covid information to worker housing. A farmworker had a serious allergic reaction but was afraid to seek treatment.

11 Jun 2021

Study confirms the importance of low-protein, high-carbohydrate diet

Researchers at the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre conducted the largest ever study of nutrient interactions by examining the health of mice on 33 different diets containing various combinations of protein to carbs, and different sources of carbohydrate.

8 Jun 2021

Food tastes better if you see it before smelling it, shows study

The order in which your senses interact with food has a tremendous impact on how much you like it. That's the premise of a new study led by the University of South Florida (USF).

15 Apr 2021

Pediatric dietary mobile game improved children’s short-term food choices

Rates of overweight and obesity in children are rising around the world, with serious long-term consequences for health and health care costs. In prior research, video and mobile games have helped children eat healthier and exercise more.

11 Feb 2021