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Bio-fortification of sweet potatoes may help combat vitamin A deficiency in South Africa

Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children. It also increases the risk of disease and death from severe infections, according to the World Health Organization.

14 Aug 2015

Researchers call on government to drop restrictions on total fat consumption in Dietary Guidelines for Americans

In a Viewpoint published today in the Journal of the Medical Association (JAMA), researchers from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University and Boston Children's Hospital call on the federal government to drop restrictions on total fat consumption in the forthcoming 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

24 Jun 2015

Orange sweet potato reduces prevalence and duration of diarrhea in children

A new study has found that orange sweet potato (OSP) reduced both the prevalence and duration of diarrhea in young children in Mozambique.

16 Jun 2015

New study suggests that humans and chimpanzees share basic brain skills needed for cooking

A new study, co-authored by Felix Warneken, the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences, and Alexandra Rosati '05, currently a post-doctoral fellow in the Psychology Department at Yale University who will join the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology as an assistant professor at Harvard this summer, suggests that humans' cognitive capacity for cooking are also share by chimpanzees.

3 Jun 2015

McGill University scientists show how simple potato extract can fight obesity

Take a look in your pantry: the miracle ingredient for fighting obesity may already be there. A simple potato extract may limit weight gain from a diet that is high in fat and refined carbohydrates, according to scientists at McGill University. The results of their recent study were so surprising that the investigators repeated the experiment just to be sure.

10 Dec 2014

Five simple steps to reduce type-2 diabetes

There are 29 million U.S. adults diagnosed with diabetes and an additional 1 in 3 diagnosed as pre-diabetic. Diabetes is a serious disease which can result in serious health complications including nerve damage, vision loss, heart disease, and kidney failure, to name a few.

11 Nov 2014

Potatoes can be part of a weight loss program, shows new study

The study, a collaborative effort between the University of California at Davis and the Illinois Institute of Technology, sought to gain a better understanding of the role of calorie reduction and the glycemic index in weight loss when potatoes are included in the diet.

16 Oct 2014

Brain stimulation increases cravings for high-calorie foods, shows study

Magnetic stimulation of a brain area involved in "executive function" affects cravings for and consumption of calorie-dense snack foods, reports a study in the September issue of Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, the official journal of the American Psychosomatic Society.

16 Sep 2014

Extreme environment medicine: an interview with Dr Kevin Fong, University College London

The understanding of how long-duration space flight affects the human body has come on quite considerably in recent years, and in large part, we owe that to programs of research that have taken place aboard the International Space Station and the Mir Space Station.

8 Sep 2014

Consumption of resistant starch may help reduce colorectal cancer risk linked with high red meat diet

Consumption of a type of starch that acts like fiber may help reduce colorectal cancer risk associated with a high red meat diet, according to a study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

4 Aug 2014

'Pure mass of HES molecules' explains toxicity to renal tubule cells

The increased risk of kidney injury related to the use of hydroxyethyl starch (HES) in resuscitation fluids reflects the mass of HES molecules, according to a report in Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

14 Jul 2014

Parents should take initiative to make sure their hungry teens have healthy fare to eat

Refrigerators and pantries across the country are bracing for the seasonal assault from teenagers who are now done with school and will eat most of their meals at home for the summer months.

4 Jun 2014

Study reveals surprising relationships between diet and release of hormones that suppress eating

By comparing how gut microbes from human vegetarians and grass-grazing baboons digest different diets, researchers have shown that ancestral human diets, so called "paleo" diets, did not necessarily result in better appetite suppression.

20 May 2014

Food quality may drop due to elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, shows field study

For the first time, a field test has demonstrated that elevated levels of carbon dioxide inhibit plants' assimilation of nitrate into proteins, indicating that the nutritional quality of food crops is at risk as climate change intensifies.

7 Apr 2014

Retinoic acid helps turn pre-cancer cells back to normal healthy breast cells

A derivative of vitamin A, known as retinoic acid, found abundantly in sweet potato and carrots, helps turn pre-cancer cells back to normal healthy breast cells, according to research published this month in the International Journal of Oncology. The research could help explain why some clinical studies have been unable to see a benefit of vitamin A on cancer: the vitamin doesn't appear to change the course of full-blown cancer, only pre-cancerous cells, and only works at a very narrow dose.

31 Mar 2014

Obesity: fat mass in cells expands with disuse

Over 35 percent of American adults and 17 percent of American children are considered obese, according to the latest survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Associated with diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and even certain types of cancer, obesity places a major burden on the health care system and economy. It's usually treated through a combination of diet, nutrition, exercise, and other techniques.

20 Mar 2014

Six papers published by PNAS in 2013 to receive Cozzarelli Prize

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) Editorial Board has selected six papers published by PNAS in 2013 to receive the Cozzarelli Prize, an award that recognizes outstanding contributions to the scientific disciplines represented by the National Academy of Sciences.

6 Mar 2014