Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Latest Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Be R.E.A.D.Y. safety initiative to help reduce tube feeding errors in hospitalized kids

In partnership with the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, Nestle HealthCare Nutrition launched the "Be R.E.A.D.Y." safety initiative at A.S.P.E.N.'s Clinical Nutrition Week this week to educate pediatric health care professionals on safe enteral (tube) feeding practices for hospitalized kids.

5 Feb 2011

Recent releases in Global Health

"Africa should be one of the leading regions in shaping global food security policies and feeding the future instead of others shaping it for Africa. Developing practical, integrative and more small-scale solutions for agricultural inputs and outputs, farming, and for managing both land and water resources, will help Africa provide for future generations on the Continent and elsewhere," Robin Renee Sanders, the U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, writes in a Huffington Post blog post.

5 Feb 2011

GSA commends '2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans'

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) - the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging - commends the federal government's recent release of the "2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans" and particularly applauds its inclusion of specific advice for older adults.

4 Feb 2011

Bigger, bolder drinks pack plenty of sugar and calories

Starbucks recently announced a new-sized 31-ounce drink, the "Trenta," which will be in stores this spring. The mega-sized coffee joins the ranks of other energy drinks that can pack plenty of caffeine and calories. Ellen Schuster, a University of Missouri nutrition expert, says that Americans should be wary of extra calories and sugar in the quest for bigger, bolder drinks.

4 Feb 2011

American Cancer Society report released on World Cancer Day

A new American Cancer Society report says cancers associated with lifestyles and behaviors related to economic development, including lung, breast, and colorectal cancers, will continue to rise in developing countries if preventive measures are not widely applied. The finding comes from the second edition of Global Cancer Facts & Figures and its academic publication, Global Cancer Statistics, published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

4 Feb 2011

Maternal care makes baby's brain less vulnerable to stress

The quality and quantity of maternal milk and maternal-infant contact impact the stress response of the adult offspring, according to recent research published in Developmental Psychobiology.

4 Feb 2011

Children's BMI increase linked to more years mothers work

Childhood obesity in the United States has more than tripled in the past three decades, and prior research has linked maternal employment to children's body mass index (BMI), a measure of their weight-for-height. A new study in the January/February issue of the journal Child Development has found that children's BMI rose the more years their mothers worked over their children's lifetimes.

4 Feb 2011

RNAO calls on Ontario political parties to address nurses shortfall

As political parties look ahead to this fall's provincial election, registered nurses say hiring more RNs must be a top priority to help bring Ontario's RN to population ratio in line with the rest of the country.

4 Feb 2011

Study: Worldwide prevalence of obesity has nearly doubled since 1980

The worldwide prevalence of obesity has nearly doubled since 1980, according to a major study on how three important heart disease risk factors have changed across the world over the last three decades. The study, published today in three papers in the Lancet, looked at all available global data to assess how body mass index, blood pressure and cholesterol changed between 1980 and 2008.

4 Feb 2011

Women's risk of getting breast cancer increases from one in nine to one in eight

The lifetime risk of getting breast cancer has risen from one woman in nine to one in eight - according to Cancer Research UK.

4 Feb 2011

Study: Pistachios may help reduce risk of heart disease

It's no coincidence that National Pistachio Day – February 26, 2011 – occurs during American Heart Month. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in America, and promising nutrition research shows that pistachios are a heart healthy snack choice. In honor of American Heart Month, TheGreenNut.org is offering simple tips encouraging all Americans to go green for a healthy heart this February.

4 Feb 2011

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, American Cancer Society receive CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and the American Cancer Society - High Plains Division have received CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ accreditation, recognizing the commitment of these organizations to reducing the risk of cancer for employees and their families by promoting healthy lifestyle choices, encouraging early detection through cancer screenings, and ensuring access to quality treatment.

3 Feb 2011

New concrete actions on cancer prevention in Europe

ECCO and its partners are joining forces with the European Commission and MEPs to put forward concrete actions on cancer prevention, to national and EU policymakers in Brussels on 2 February, ahead of World Cancer Day on 4 February.

3 Feb 2011

Scientia Advisors: Unmet need for new medical technologies to treat CVI and blood clots

In light of an aging population and increasing chronic vascular disease, there is a tremendous unmet need for new medical technologies to treat potentially dangerous chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) and blood clots, according to a Scientia Advisors review of the vascular device market released today. Both the CVI and the thrombosis segments present significant opportunities for medical device innovators.

3 Feb 2011

Food scientists pinpoint complex chemistry behind coffee's antioxidant benefits

Food scientists at the University of British Columbia have been able to pinpoint more of the complex chemistry behind coffee's much touted antioxidant benefits, tracing valuable compounds to the roasting process.

3 Feb 2011

Mothers who lose body fat before pregnancy improve health of children

Obesity among women of childbearing age is increasing worldwide. Because babies of obese mothers are themselves predisposed to obesity, society can reasonably expect the epidemic of obese and overweight people to continue through future generations.

3 Feb 2011

Vegetarians, vegans need to increase omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12 to reduce heart disease risk

People who follow a vegan lifestyle - strict vegetarians who try to eat no meat or animal products of any kind - may increase their risk of developing blood clots and atherosclerosis or "hardening of the arteries," which are conditions that can lead to heart attacks and stroke. That's the conclusion of a review of dozens of articles published on the biochemistry of vegetarianism during the past 30 years.

3 Feb 2011

2010 Dietary Guidelines urge Americans to keep calorie intake from saturated fat to less than 10%

This week the U.S. government released the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans with few changes since the 2005 version. The guidelines continue to urge Americans to keep their calorie intake from saturated fat to less than 10 percent and lower the amount of trans fat in their diet to as low as possible.

2 Feb 2011

New 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans addresses unhealthy public

With a majority of the country's adults either overweight or obese, the new 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans are the first to address an unhealthy public, making their recommendations especially urgent for consumers and health professionals alike, according to the American Dietetic Association.

2 Feb 2011

New research: Antioxidants in pecans may prevent development of various diseases

A new research study from Loma Linda University demonstrates that naturally occurring antioxidants in pecans may help contribute to heart health and disease prevention; the results are published in the January 2011 issue of The Journal of Nutrition.

2 Feb 2011