Diet & Nutrition News and Research

Latest Diet & Nutrition News and Research

High school PE teachers say health-related fitness is primary focus of their programs

With growing concerns among parents and policymakers about the rise in childhood obesity - heightened by the recent CDC report showing that obesity rose 37% between 1998 and 2006 - approximately two-thirds of middle and high school physical education teachers say that health-related fitness is the primary focus of their programs, according to a new survey conducted by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and Polar.

11 Aug 2009

Hillary Clinton tours International Medical Corps operations in DRC

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited International Medical Corps operations in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Tuesday, a region devastated by more than a decade of conflict and displacement, and pledged an additional $17 million in support for victims of sexual and gender-based violence, and $3 million to form a female police force.

11 Aug 2009

High-fat diet affects physical and memory abilities of rats after 9 days

Rats fed a high-fat diet show a stark reduction in their physical endurance and a decline in their cognitive ability after just nine days, a study by Oxford University researchers has shown.

11 Aug 2009

Discovery of link between over-indebtedness and obesity

Scientists at the University of Mainz have discovered a close correlation between over-indebtedness and obesity. According to the report published in the journal BMC Public Health, over-indebted Germans are more likely to be overweight or obese than the population in general.

11 Aug 2009

Febit's DNA-capture method selected by NCGR to re-sequence 400 genes involved in childhood diseases

The National Center for Genome Resources (NCGR) has selected febit's DNA-capture method, HybSelect, to re-sequence the exons of genes involved in over 400 of the most devastating childhood diseases with the ultimate goal of developing genetic tests to detect carrier status for recessive genetic diseases in prospective parents.

11 Aug 2009

Restrictive feeding practices may not always be best solution for childhood obesity

Many clinicians and public health officials view parental involvement as an essential part of solving the current childhood obesity epidemic. However, it’s important for parents to use the right approach when trying to combat childhood obesity. Restrictive feeding practices, or forbidding certain foods, may not always be the best solution.

11 Aug 2009

Obama’s corporate wellness initiatives delivered by Professional Health Services

The Obama Administration has put corporate wellness programs like those offered by Professional Health Services (PHS) at the forefront of healthcare reform. The benefits of improving employee health not only increase productivity and decrease absenteeism, but also lower health care costs.

11 Aug 2009

Don't smoke, exercise and eat sensibly to reduce risk of chronic disease

Four healthy lifestyle factors - never smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly and following a healthy diet - together appear to be associated with as much as an 80 percent reduction in the risk of developing the most common and deadly chronic diseases, according to a report in the August 10/24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

11 Aug 2009

Amazonian tribe sheds light on causes of heart attacks and strokes in developed countries

Heart attacks and strokes — the leading causes of death in the United States and other developed countries — may have been rare for the vast majority of human history, suggests a study to be published in PLoS ONE on Tuesday, August 11.

10 Aug 2009

Discovery of gene that may play a role in the development of type 1 diabetes

Scientists at Stanford University have identified a gene that may play a role in the development of type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body's insulin-producing cells. Insulin, a hormone produced by cells of the pancreas, helps the body to absorb sugars found in food and to maintain blood sugar at appropriate levels.

10 Aug 2009

U.S. Food Stamp Program may help contribute to obesity among its users

Researchers found that the average user of food stamps had a Body Mass Index (BMI) 1.15 points higher than non-users. The link between food stamps and higher weight was almost entirely based on women users, who averaged 1.24 points higher BMI than those not in the program, the study found. For an average American woman, this would mean an increase in weight of 5.8 pounds.

10 Aug 2009

Boston University launches innovative nutrition program for the students, faculty and staff

Boston University College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College has introduced a new phase of the unique and innovative nutrition program for the students, faculty and staff of Boston University (BU) to enhance the Sargent Choice Healthy Dining Program.

10 Aug 2009

FDA approves APP Pharmaceuticals' Idarubicin HCI injection

APP Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fresenius Kabi Pharmaceuticals Holding, Inc. (NASDAQ:APCVZ), announced today that it has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market idarubicin hydrochloride injection in three dosage strengths (5mg/5mL, 10mg/10mL and 20mg/20mL). Idarubicin is therapeutically equivalent to the reference drug Idamycin PFS injection, which is marketed by the innovator Pfizer, Inc.

10 Aug 2009

Psychology of weight regulation - eating, exercise, and body image

Childhood obesity has quadrupled in the last 40 years, which may mean today's children become the first generation to have a shorter lifespan than their parents, a leading obesity expert told the American Psychological Association on Saturday.

9 Aug 2009

More insulin-producing cells from a single transcription factor switch

Researchers have found a way in mice to convert another type of pancreas cell into the critical insulin-producing beta cells that are lost in those with type I diabetes. The secret ingredient is a single transcription factor, according to the report in the August 7th issue of Cell, a Cell Press journal.

7 Aug 2009

Economic downturn will worsen obesity epidemic

Levels of debt have been associated with an increased risk of being fat. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Public Health blame the trend on the high price of healthy food, and a tendency for people worried by debt to comfort eat.

7 Aug 2009

U.S. takes on challenge to fight obesity

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report has now confirmed that America is in a national obesity crisis. More than one out of three Americans is obese and it's threatening America's well-being, not only as individuals, but as a country.

6 Aug 2009

97 per cent unaware of the link between weight and cancer

Ninety-seven per cent of people don't list being overweight as a cancer risk, according to a Cancer Research UK survey out.

6 Aug 2009

Stomach cancer cases almost halve over the last 30 years

New Cancer Research UK figures out today reveal that stomach cancer cases in Great Britain have dropped by nearly half from around 14,000 in 1975 to 7,485 in 2006.

6 Aug 2009

J. Craig Venter Institute offers new Affymetrix array for faster identification of E. coli and shigella

Affymetrix, Inc. and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)-supported Pathogen Functional Genomics Resource Center (PFGRC) at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) today announced the launch of the Affymetrix FDA-ECSG custom microarray for identifying and discriminating between different strains of E. coli and Shigella.

6 Aug 2009