Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Latest Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Research may lead to new treatment strategies for Graves' disease

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified a compound that prevents overproduction of thyroid hormone, a finding that brings scientists one step closer to improving treatment for Graves' disease.

2 Dec 2010

Improved support may reduce health care cost in children with diabetes

Managing diabetes in a child requires a careful balance of insulin, diet, and exercise. Buying essential medical supplies, such as needles and testing strips, adds a financial burden to families. According to a new study soon to be published in The Journal of Pediatrics, the resulting food insecurity that arises from the financial burden of diabetes management increases a child's risk of being hospitalized due to complications from diabetes.

2 Dec 2010

American-style diet plays a vital role in prostate cancer, researchers say

Elevated fat and cholesterol levels found in a typical American-style diet plays an important role in the growth and spread of prostate cancer, say researchers at Thomas Jefferson University's Kimmel Cancer Center.

2 Dec 2010

Researchers identify blip in gene that causes JMP syndrome

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a gene responsible for a rare disease that results in severe joint stiffness, muscle loss, anemia and panniculitis-induced lipodystrophy, or JMP syndrome.

2 Dec 2010

U.N. launches largest ever annual aid appeal, asking for $7.4B in 2011

In its annual appeal, the U.N. on Tuesday asked governments and private donors for a record $7.4 billion next year to provide 50 million people worldwide with food, clothing and other urgent humanitarian aid, the Associated Press/Washington Post reports.

2 Dec 2010

Study identifies new genes responsible for early menarche

University of Minnesota School of Public Health researcher Ellen Demerath, Ph.D., is among an international group of researchers that has identified 30 new genes responsible for determining the age of sexual maturation in women. Many of these genes are also known to influence body fatness, obesity, and energy metabolism. Prior to the multi-institutional study, only four genes had been identified as contributing to the process.

1 Dec 2010

Pelosi calls for House passage of child nutrition reauthorization legislation

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, Congressman Jim McGovern and Senator Blanche Lincoln held a press conference call this afternoon to urge House passage of child nutrition reauthorization legislation, which the Senate has already passed. Below are the Speaker's remarks:

1 Dec 2010

Study reveals major findings of National Cancer Registry of Spain for Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumours

The National Cancer Registry of Spain for Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumours (RGETNE) is the first initiative of its type in southern Europe and focuses its efforts on profiling the incidence of gastroenteropancreatic tumours, improving diagnosis and treatment efficacy, and determining the clinical profile of patients across Spain.

1 Dec 2010

CRN says increased DRI for vitamin D a step in right direction, but still falls short

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the dietary supplement industry's leading trade association, today called the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine's (IOM) newly released report on the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) levels for vitamin D "a modest step in the right direction that fell short of truly capturing the extensive and positive research that has consistently supported the need for people to significantly raise their vitamin D levels."

1 Dec 2010

CRN issues statement on passage of FDA Food Safety Modernization Act

"CRN is pleased that the Senate today passed S. 510, FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FDAFSMA). CRN and its member companies support this bill because of the added enforcement tools it would provide to FDA and the extra protections it would provide for consumers.

1 Dec 2010

British Journal: Obesity, alcohol consumption may increase cancer risk

People should be warned that cancer is linked to obesity and alcohol, rather than urged to eat more fruit and vegetables to protect against the disease.

1 Dec 2010

IDEA clinical study seeks to promote weight loss among young adults

Obesity It's a national epidemic and on the rise in young adults. Using technology to combat this problem, the University of Pittsburgh Physical Activity and Weight Management Research Center will offer the IDEA (Innovative Approaches to Diet, Exercise, and Activity) study, one of seven clinical trials to be funded by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

1 Dec 2010

Fourteen research projects on population health intervention receive $2.8 million

Fourteen research projects on population health intervention research received $2.8 million in funding. The Vice-President of Research at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Dr. Pierre Chartrand today announced these initiatives during the Population Health Intervention Research Symposium in Toronto.

1 Dec 2010

Odors in womb sensitize fetus to smells, alters brain development

A major new study shows that a pregnant mother's diet not only sensitizes the fetus to those smells and flavors, but physically changes the brain directly impacting what the infant eats and drinks in the future.

1 Dec 2010

Black rice may help soothe inflammation: Research

The latest episode in the American Chemical Society's (ACS) award-winning podcast series, "Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions," focuses on the discovery that black rice a little-known variety of the grain that is the staple food for one-third of the world's population may help soothe the inflammation involved in allergies, asthma and other diseases.

1 Dec 2010

Angptl4 protein deficiency could promote inflammatory response in people who consume high saturated fat

A new report in the December Cell Metabolism identifies a protein without which diets high in saturated fat lead to a massive inflammatory response that can prove fatal. The studies in mice suggest that deficiencies in this protective pathway could promote inflammation in those who regularly consume high levels of saturated fat.

1 Dec 2010

Are vitamin D and calcium supplements needed?

The IOM raised the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin D from the amount cited in their last report, released 13 years ago. It said that although 600 international units (IUs) of vitamin D or more each day is sufficient to maintain bone health in majority. But those aged 71 and older may need as much as 800 IUs daily, the IOM experts say. However 1997 recommendations advised 400 IUs per day for people aged 51 to 70 and 600 IUs per day for those over 70.

30 Nov 2010

Super-sized World conference to address national health crisis of obesity

A conference at the New York Academy of Sciences on December 9 will convene leading obesity researchers to explore the latest science and policy initiatives addressing the global and national health crisis of obesity.

30 Nov 2010

Finding underscores a large-scale challenge plaguing today's healthcare system

MedTera, an integrated marketing solutions company dedicated to improving education, promotion and communications in the healthcare, life sciences and pharmaceutical industries, today announced results of a survey of more than 7,000 patients about the need for better disease management education.

30 Nov 2010

New review from JASN highlights hazards of fructose

More and more people have become aware of the dangers of excessive fructose in diet. A new review on fructose in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN) indicates just how dangerous this simple sugar may be.

30 Nov 2010