Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Latest Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Pediatricians confront childhood obesity at AAP pre-conference session

Childhood obesity has reached epidemic levels, and pediatricians are on the front lines. Pediatricians will confront these issues during a special pre-conference session at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 14, before the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference & Exhibition in Boston.

15 Oct 2011

New research on link between APOL1 gene variants and kidney disease in African Americans

Compared to European Americans, African Americans are four to five times more likely to develop kidney failure. Also, family members of African Americans with kidney failure have an increased risk of developing kidney failure, which suggests that genetics may play a role in this skewed risk between races.

15 Oct 2011

Obesity has greater impact on girls' blood pressure

The female hormone estrogen is known to offer protection for the heart, but obesity may be taking away that edge in adolescent girls. New research from the University of California at Merced finds that although obesity does not help teens of either gender, it has a greater impact on girls' blood pressure than it does on boys'.

15 Oct 2011

Myths and misconceptions about diabetes

November is designated American Diabetes Month and while raising awareness this month about preventing diabetes is important, focusing on proper treatment is just as important for those living with the disease.

15 Oct 2011

Penn Nursing encourages kids to ward off diabetes with 'Dance for Health'

With more than 18 million Americans diagnosed with diabetes, Terri Lipman, PhD, CRNP, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, encourages kids to ward off the disease with "Dance for Health."

15 Oct 2011

Overweight children more likely to develop asthma

Asthma is considered one of the main causes of school absenteeism and its prevalence has risen in the last decades. Overweight children have been shown to have double the frequency of asthma than that of non-obese children.

15 Oct 2011

HHWC medical doctors provide insight into depression

A staggering 230 million antidepressant prescriptions are filled each year. Yet the face of depression does not always fit the mold: a successful career, loving spouse, wonderful children, seemingly good health and finances. From the outside life appears perfect, so why are Americans depressed?

15 Oct 2011

Scientists reveal how resistance to hormone leptin develops

The effects of obesity - both on our bodies and on the health budget - are well known, and now, scientists are getting closer to understanding how the disease progresses, providing clues for future treatments.

15 Oct 2011

Barcodes evolving into a broader class of identifiers in new ways

What if you could trace the history of everything you buy back to its origins? Using your smart phone camera, you could learn what factory made the ingredients in your heart medication, what country grew the corn in your breakfast cereal, or even how to recycle the phone. You could follow the whole life cycle of a product and everyone who handled it along the way to ensure that the medicine you're taking isn't counterfeit and the food you're eating is safe.

14 Oct 2011

Penn scientist tracks attitudes and H1N1 vaccination rates on Twitter

A unique and innovative analysis of how social media can affect the spread of a disease has been designed and implemented by a scientist at Penn State University studying attitudes toward the H1N1 vaccine. Marcel Salath-, an assistant professor of biology, studied how users of Twitter -- a popular microblogging and social-networking service -- expressed their sentiments about a new vaccine.

14 Oct 2011

Research provides data on nutritional content of broccoli for breeders

Research performed by scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and published recently in the journal Crop Science has demonstrated that mineral levels in new varieties of broccoli have not declined since 1975, and that the broccoli contains the same levels of calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium and other minerals that have made the vegetable a healthy staple of American diets for decades.

14 Oct 2011

Three-step strategy for healthy bones and strong muscles

For this year's World Osteoporosis Day, the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) is releasing a 24-page report promoting a three-step strategy for healthy bones and strong muscles.

14 Oct 2011

Study: Green vegetables boost immune function

Researchers reporting online in the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, on October 13th have found another good reason to eat your green vegetables, although it may or may not win any arguments with kids at the dinner table.

14 Oct 2011

India faces nutrition crisis despite growing prosperity

India's Hindustan Times reports on "a striking contrast between rising economic prosperity and stagnating rates of malnutrition" in Mumbai, where "80,000 children ... are malnourished, according to government data, a statistic that makes Mumbai the most malnourished city in India."

14 Oct 2011

Tart cherries can help fight America's Fruit Fatigue

Just four fruits - oranges, bananas, apples and watermelons - account for nearly half of America's fruit intake. Eating a variety of rich-colored fruits is essential to an overall healthful diet, but most Americans are falling far short of the daily recommended consumption of fruit. Only one in five Americans is currently getting the recommended 1 to 2 cups of fruit each day. In fact, Americans only average 42 percent of the recommended fruit, so the gap is significant.

14 Oct 2011

Public reports do not improve care for transplant patients

When transplant clinics must publicly report their success rates, this should provide an incentive to improve care for patients. But a recent study appearing in the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN) found that such public reporting has not had any effect on the care that transplant patients receive.

14 Oct 2011

Lower-income, urban dads encourage exercise and healthy diet for their children

Lower-income, urban dads are involved in their children's health and encourage them to exercise and eat healthy foods, reports a new study from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. But these same dads may also give their kids the wrong dose of medicine and may be uncomfortable handling emergency medical care for their children.

14 Oct 2011

NICHQ receives CDC grant to accelerate number of U.S. Baby-Friendly hospitals

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded nearly $6 million over three years to the National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality to help hospitals nationwide make quality improvements to maternity care to better support mothers and babies to be able to breastfeed. The goal of the project is to accelerate the number of U.S. Baby-Friendly hospitals.

14 Oct 2011

Echo Therapeutics to begin Symphony tCGM System clinical study in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes

Echo Therapeutics, Inc., a company developing the Symphony tCGM System as a non-invasive, wireless, transdermal continuous glucose monitoring (tCGM) system and the Prelude® SkinPrep System for transdermal drug delivery, today announced that it is initiating a clinical study of its Symphony tCGM System in patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

13 Oct 2011

Improved SNAP benefit levels more effective for children's health

Pediatric researchers from Boston Medical Center (BMC), in partnership with Children's HealthWatch investigators in Boston, Minneapolis, Little Rock, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, have found that higher benefit amounts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program protected the health and well-being of very young, low-income children during a period of great financial hardship for many families in America.

13 Oct 2011